One key difference in Homefront compared with many other games of the genre is just who the emphasis is upon during the conflict. Instead of a focus on battle-hardened soldiers, Homefront has opted to show the civilian perspective of Korean occupation. Just what happens when war comes to ordinary people? And how will they react in the face of war?
Trying to survive in the midst of conflict.
The demo on display showed a community in the United States that has attempted to rebuild itself after their annexation. Compared with other locations, it's a relatively peaceful and free place in which you are able to to explore. Your character is able to walk around and talk to the other people inside the community, with an intense focus on their personalities and ambitions against the backdrop of war. Through talking to them, you will find out all about their hopes and dreams and their general morale at the time. When it all adds up, their viewpoints add weight to the narrative and its big driving question: just what is it that these people fighting for?
Once the community sequence had finished, we were treated to a high-octane set piece from within the game. There were many explosions and noticeable shifts in momentum, all adding up to a very tense atmosphere on display.
Ka-BOOM!
From out viewing, Homefront appears to be trying to combine both story and action elements together. All of the action is contextualised around the narrative itself and the feelings of the community as a whole to the conflict that they are involved in. Written by John Milius, famous for penning the feature films Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn, such a focus is perhaps unsurprising
In terms of the game mechanics we discovered that at this stage of the build there is no cover system in place and nor does it include regenerative health. However, all of these aspects could change upon release, including its use of a silent protagonist.
Another gameplay quirk that we discovered was our character's weapon-controlling ability - not only could we use our own guns, there was also a degree of control of weapons attached to allied vehicles on the battlefield.
Overall, Homefront appears to be trying to do something a bit different with its narrative focus centering on civilians taking up arms rather than experienced soldiers. Set against a tense geopolitical landscape in the not too distant future, Homefront will hopefully prove to be a compelling playing experience as well. You can take a look at more screenshots in the media panel below.
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