A huge open world, some of the best destructive environments and explosive weaponry were just the starting blocks that made Red Faction: Guerrilla a game more of a time sink than most. Having sunk literally hundreds of hours into the Volition developed game it was immensely enjoyable, even having spent multiple days on Mars by the latter stages. Fast forward two years and here we are again, only this time it’s Armageddon.

The open world nature of the Red Faction series has always been great for having a good time but didn’t really do any favours for the story. It was too easy to get sidetracked in between missions, normally distracted by an EDF building in desperate need of some ‘maintenance’. Clearly feeling the same way, Volition have gone back to a linear story more in tune with the first two Red Faction games.

Playing as Darius Mason, the hero for this adventure, the demo opened with a cut scene showing Mason arguing with his fellow rebels which resulted in him running scared. Once under my control, it was instantly noticeable that Armageddon has received a graphical update with everything looking a little more genuine. However, time to soak up the improved visuals was short-lived as, having felt the wrath of my shotgun, Mason was drenched in blood of his alien enemies. There was no time for rest though as more Crawlers, the grunt alien in Armageddon, continued to flood into the room. Quickly and aggressively, eradicating them was the order of the day and it was done so with devastating effect. Having then discovered and destroyed the point at which they originated, it was time to move on. Or so I thought.

Unfortunately, one spawn position still remained and it was at this point that the game introduced me to the Nano Forge and the abilities it gives Mason access to. The Nano Forge is a tool strapped to our protagonists arm and, with the use of nanites, allows him to do a great deal of things to help him through his assignments. With only the ability Impact, a sharp release of energy much like Star Wars’ force push, available, it was used with hast to send the heavier enemies to the ground while the smaller swarm creatures instantly exploded. The threats now gone, it was time to move towards an inventory console that allowed me to swap weapons. Excluding the shotgun, only six other options were available at the time. Weapons such as the magnet gun and sledgehammer didn’t provide much practicality to that particular mission so the standard assault rifle and pulse grenade launcher were picked. It was here that the use and variety of the weapons started to become apparent, with different styles of destructiveness being more appropriate for certain situations.

Equipped with my newly acquired armoury, the GPS path, shown onscreen similar to Dead Space, ushered me towards a broken bridge, before prompting me as to another use of the Nano Forge. If, like a child in a room of LEGO and blue Smarties, you accidentally destroy any part of the environment, you can use the Nano Forge to restore it and, with no limit on how much you use, you can do so in a matter of seconds. By firing a repair ‘grenade’ which repairs anything in the immediate vicinity, or even just ‘paste’ areas to renovate, there is a satisfying and slightly God-like power to it. Once the bridge was restored to its former glory, the dry and tall caverns of underground Mars waited me. The skinny caves provided a good ground for heated battles but it also made the mission feel too linear to be a sequel to Guerrilla.

Along with weapon consoles, Armageddon also dots upgrade stations around the missions so you can spend your hard-earned salvage, which you can acquire by killing enemies and destroying the environment, on enhancing Mason’s attributes. Upgrades such as improved health, reduced recoil and faster reloads are no strangers to the shooter genre but other improvements, such as shockwave and berserk, are; these allow you to tap into the full power of the Nano Forge and provide new abilities. While no upgrades were purchasable at the time, the new system looks very solid with a fairly diverse array of upgrades.

Red Faction: Armageddon also sees a return of the walkers, albeit, in a slightly different fashion. Rather than huge mechanical beasts able to tear through any building without a scratch, Volition have opted for the smaller ‘battle suits’. Still able to blissfully walk through any wall, they have had a weapons upgrade capable to decimating any enemy through the means of rockets, machine guns or melee. The lengthy exoskeleton section was definitely the most enjoyable but, unfortunately before the end, it needed to be abandoned for a mini-boss fight. During the battle, the games new camera angle provided an intense battle but also some slight annoyances. Placed just over the shoulder of Mason (akin to Resident Evil), it made it difficult to spot hazards and blockages behind or to the side of you.

The new direction Volition are taking Red Faction is certainly optimistic but, without seeing any surface action, there is a lingering fear, brought on by the lack of what made Guerrilla brilliant – the open world destruction. Whilst the enjoyment of the more linear gameplay was apparent, the open world of the previous Red Faction provided greater enjoyment and hopefully won’t be sacrificed for the sake of a better and more coherent plot. All-in-all, Red Faction: Armageddon is shaping up to be good, focused single player experience.

As for the multiplayer, well, that’ll have to wait, for now.