The single-player campaign is more open-ended and stealth-based than its predecessors, and the multiplayer modes feature new customization options for weapons.

[6] New weapons include the LSR44, a recoil-free, hybrid assault/charge sniper rifle that functions much like a miniaturized rail-gun,[7] and the OWL, an advanced hovering attack drone (used by the Shadow Marshals) that can attack/stun when it is adjacent to an adversary, as well as deploy an instant zip line, protect the player from enemy fire with an energy shield, and hack/scan terminals and enemy alarms to prevent reinforcements from arriving.

[8] While the previous games in the Killzone series portrayed a large war-zone with numerous allies by the players side at any given time and an overall linear design, Shadow Fall opts for a more open-ended level design and allows players to utilize stealth to approach their missions in addition to engaging in direct confrontations with enemies.

Users are encouraged to create their own custom map presets called "Warzones", which then can be shared with others or promoted by the Killzone community.

[13] Alongside competitive multiplayer, a 4-player online co-operative mode was introduced with the Intercept expansion pack, released on 24 June 2014.

A massive security fortification called The Wall is constructed to separate the two civilizations from each other, due to the resentment they bear over the previous war.

Through the confusion, Kellan meets up with Sinclair; just as a broadcast comes through from Vladko Tyran, leader of "The Black Hand", a paramilitary terrorist group claiming responsibility for the attack.

Eventually he finds Tyran and learns that he is working for Jorhan Stahl (having survived the events of Killzone 3), who plans to use Massar's bio-tech weapon that has been altered to target Vektans.

He informs her that Stahl plans to use Massar's bio-tech weapon to kill Vektans and half-breeds alike, including Echo (who is half-Vektan, half-Helghast).

[15] She helps Kellan escape his cell and returns him to the Vektan side of The Wall in order to convince the VSA to stand down.

Instead, Sinclair informs him that the VSA have tracked Massar to a massive mining spire in orbit over the planet Helghan, and dispatches him to recover the doctor.

Stahl claims that the Terracide happened because the weak had to be destroyed, and that it is Vekta's turn to share the same fate, but is suddenly shot dead by Sinclair, who enters the room and also shoots Kellan.

A mid-credits scene lets the player take control of Echo, sneaking into Vekta City to assassinate Sinclair during a speech he gives to the Vektans, calling for war against the Helghast.

Echo comes to a perch overlooking the ceremony, lines up her shot with a sniper rifle and quietly says "For Kellan..." before pulling the trigger, killing Sinclair and preventing a new war from beginning.

Killzone Shadow Fall was seen by Guerrilla Games as an opportunity to revitalize the franchise, since it was established early in development that they would be working on a new platform.

For Shadow Fall, Tyler Bates and electronica artist Lorn were hired to compose music for the Vekta and Helghan missions, respectively.

The style of the soundtrack is vastly different from previous installments, favoring ambient soundscapes and beat-driven electronica over orchestral arrangements.

I welcome the almost sandbox-ish level approach, and the stealth segments did a nice job of breaking up the standard shooting action.

He praised the visuals, gunplay, movement, level design, and multiplayer, as well as the OWL, which was called a "fun tactical toy".

Welsh said "It's a game that any new PlayStation 4 owner will be proud to show off - but it won't be one they remember by the time PS5 rolls around.

Luckily, Guerrilla Games remembered what drew me and many others to the front lines of online war, and it's here that Shadow Fall emerges from the rubble and flies into the electric skies.

Sure, its characters may not be all that convincing, and its multiplayer is more a well-crafted distraction than a long-term destination, but the game as a whole contains plenty of unexpected surprises that make it worth your time.

The open-ended missions, though not as plentiful as you might like, are made even better thanks to the awesome tools at your disposal, and its story has some powerful moments that are sure to catch you off guard.

Moriarty summed up the review by saying "There's never been a better time for everyone to be paying attention to the Killzone franchise, because Shadow Fall is a step in an all-new, very welcome direction.