PAX 09: Saboteur Preview

Videogames have taught me a number of things over the years, and one of those is that World War II will always be a backdrop for gritty gameplay, especially when the Nazis are involved. Well, the surprise with the upcoming Saboteur game is not that it is set in Nazi occupied France, but that the gameplay truly reflects the grit and the hope that can come from fighting against oppression. Saboteur boasts to be a stealth action, first person shooter game in which your ability to make no noise, and make too much noise both play a part in helping to liberate a war torn country. I got some hands-on time with the game at PAX, and I have to admit that it was an interesting take on the genre.

The motto for the gameplay in Saboteur is "Quiet In, Loud Out". Basically, as an Irish ex-racer working for the French Resistance and British Intelligence, you're goal is to get strategic military points in France and destroy them. This means you have to sneak into the location as quietly as you can so as not to draw unwanted attention, but once you accomplish your mission something is probably going to make a big 'BOOM'. At that point you already got everyone's attention, so might as well leave the area guns blazing. This quiet-to-loud dynamic of both stealth and action elements really lets you have the best of both of these gaming genres.

Part of you making noise is that you'll also be getting the attention of the French citizens that surround you, which then plays into both an art direction with the game and a game mechanic. You see, in the game as you visit new areas you'll find them occupied by Nazi troops, and drab in color. As you start to accomplish your objectives in the region, you'll start to notice color returning to the region and French citizens begin to revolt against their oppressors. As you bring more color and resistance to an area, you'll notice that the Nazis will start to migrate to their bases and safe havens in the area, instead of all over.

At PAX, I got to play through a mission in which I had to take over a train that had a passenger with important information. As I made my way through the Nazi war train, I was able to take control of gun turrets on it to blow away troops as well as throw explosives onto gas and chemical tanks in military installments near the tracks. The explosions and gun fighting was pretty exciting, and I was constantly being assaulted by Nazi troops as I made my way to the front of the moving train. As the landscape passed me by on the train, I could also see the area slowly brightened up as I made my handy work with explosives known to all.

Overall I really liked the action that was shown in the short level I got to play at PAX. Hopefully all the levels in the game will play just as well as the one I got to sample. The game itself is due out in December, and will be coming to the PS3, Xbox 360, and to the PC. With its pleasant mix of stealth and action, Saboteur doesn't look like it'll need to worry about making a "quiet in" when it comes to selling off the shelves this holiday season.