In a post on PlayStation's official blog, Killzone: Shadow Fall game director Steven Ter Heide answered a couple of questions about the game sent via Twitter.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is the fourth entry in the franchise developed by Guerilla games. Knowing this might make other gamers hesitant to jump into especially if they have not played the first three games. However, Heide explained that the lastest entry is a "fresh start" to the franchise.
"In many ways, Killzone Shadow Fall is a fresh start for the franchise- the game takes place some thirty years after the Killzone trilogy, so most of the characters and story arcs from those games have passed into history. And while die-hard fans will appreicate the nods to earlier Killzone titles, no knowledge of the Killzone universe is required to get into the story," he said.
The game is expected to be over 10 hours long for most gamers. He also confirmed that there will be no co-op mode available for the campaign. "However, we're planning to release a separate Online Co-Op Expansion pack after launch; it will add a new wave-based game mode, in which up to four players take on hordes of enemires on special arena maps," he noted. In addition, there are no plans for split-screen support.
The Q&A also highlighted the exclusion of the XP and leveling systems in the game. "We have a Challenge-based system, where completing one of the 1,500 challenges will increase your rank by one. We will contunue to add new Challenges after launch," Heide explained how their alternative system will work.
When asked what was the reason for removing XP and levels, Heide explained that: "Levels are part of the game, as completing one of the 1,500 Challenges increases your rank. However, we felt XP was less about skill and more about time, so we designed a new system with a greater emphasis on skill."
Vehicles will not be available at launch, but 22 weapons will be available when the game comes out. Attachments will not be unlocked by default, and will only be available after completing Challenges.
Heide also answered questions about Dualshock 4 and the touchpad. "For singleplayer, we are using the touchpad to select the mode the OWL is in. It can be set into four different modes with quick swipes on the touchpad. For multiplayer, we use it to bring up menus."
Lastly, there won't be any bonuses or connectivity available between Killzone: Mercenary and Killzone: Shadow Fall.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a PlayStation 4 launch title scheduled to be released on November 15th in North America.
