Settings vary from factories to military bases to offices to space stations, and contain a variety of enemy soldiers and servomechs, traps, puzzles and non-combatants (who can be killed with no penalty and their bodies can be looted for credits).

While the world is made to look peaceful and prosperous, the reality is that most liberties are suspended, taxes are well over 90%, military force is used mercilessly against those who dare oppose the WEC, and freedom is barely even remembered.

The Resistance is a severely outnumbered and outgunned ragtag mix of disparate people: ex-WEC soldiers and employees rub elbows with political dissidents and criminals searching for pardon.

Reconsidering his options, the Silencer joins the Resistance, where, as a significant symbol of the WEC's military power and political philosophy, he is met with resentment, distrust and outright hatred.

As the game progresses, the Silencer uncomplainingly undertakes dangerous missions, often with substandard equipment, and his continued success gradually earns the respect of his fellow Resistance members.

The game's audio uses a specially made engine, called Asylum Sound System, which employs MOD files rather than General MIDI, in order to provide good quality without relying on expensive hardware.

[5] The Crusader games feature full motion video (FMV) sequences with live actors; FMVs are used in cutscenes to further the story, generally through interaction with other characters.

Like many Origin games, No Remorse shipped with significant in-universe back-story material, including a fold-out propaganda poster, newspaper and guides from the WEC and the Resistance.

Furthermore, an article in the newspaper added to the No Remorse box mentions SHODAN and the Citadel space station in a reference to System Shock, and the blood-soaked operating tables seen throughout certain levels are of the same model used in Bioforge, on which its main character LEX was created on.

[8] Because Crusader: No Remorse was written in C++ and assembly language, a straight port to gaming consoles was not possible, meaning the code had to be rewritten from scratch for the PlayStation and Saturn versions.

According to Denis Murphy of Retro Gamer, "Tony had hoped that Crusader would sell at least 100,000 copies, yet it eventually sold well over a quarter of a million and generated a higher return on investment than any other standalone product in Origin's history.

He elaborated that while the story and full motion video cutscenes are cheesy and the controls "can send your character jumping across the screen without warning", the graphics make the "amoral" pleasures of killing innocent people and destroying harmless pieces of scenery gratifying enough for the game to feel like pure fun.

He summarized that it "has all the elements it takes to be an outstanding title: an original interface, killer graphics, spectacular sound ..."[21] Rod White of Computer Games Magazine disputed GameSpot and Next Generation's characterization of Crusader: No Remorse as a mindless "shoot everything in sight" game, pointing out that shooting certain people prevents the player from receiving helpful advice, and in some cases even makes it impossible to complete the mission.

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly all felt that while the essential gameplay is intelligent and deep, the issues with the controls and animations completely ruin the experience.

[13] By contrast, GamePro maintained that "Crusader: No Remorse's top-notch gameplay overcomes its other imperfections, delivering blistering combat and challenges that test your brains and reflexes.

"[22] Trent Ward and Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot both gave more mixed reviews, but concluded that with patience the game's shortcomings can be overcome, earning an ultimately enjoyable experience.

[16][17] Paul Glancey gave Crusader: No Remorse one of its few completely negative reviews in Sega Saturn Magazine, insisting that the puzzle elements are mindless, the action lacks excitement, and the explosions are "unspectacular", adding up to "a combination of unimpressive blasting interspersed with very simple door-opening tests.