PAX 2015: Homefront: The Revolution Feels Like Far Cry, and That's Awesome

West Philadelphia, born and raised. 
Homefront: The Revolution feels a lot like recent Far Cry games, and honestly, that’s awesome. In a brief, 15 minute hands-on demo with the 2016 shooter, I was pleasantly surprised to find a sandbox packed with interesting things to do, multiple ways to explore, and some smart systems that really helped pull me into the world and keep me there.
My goal was pretty simple – get from point A to point B while trying to not get killed by the patrolling, near-future packs of North Korean soldiers. Aside from standard grunts on the ground, there were drones that patrolled the streets, snipers perched up high forcing me to find alternate routes, and heavy trucks that could tear me down with a machine gun at a moment’s notice. Lucky for me, Homefront gave me the tools to start my own revolution and really even the odds.
With a well-timed toss of a device, I could take control of one of the drones and turn it on my enemies. If I didn’t want to use standard grenades, I could strap explosives to an RC car and take out a group of soldiers from a safe distance. And if I was patient enough as I crept along the rooftops, I could release explosive barrels on top of an unsuspecting convoy, making my life a whole lot easier in one fell swoop. This creative, sandbox-y approach to encounters reminded me of Far Cry in the best possible way. I'm really excited to hear about the emergent stories that come from Homefront.
Despite the fact that my objective was to get to the other side of town, Homefront never really forced me to do anything. I puttered around abandoned buildings scavenging for supplies and crafting materials. Side objectives littered the map, and I could’ve spent my 15 minutes with the game completing every mission other than the main one. And once I found a motorbike in a shipping container, I decided to just cause a bunch of two-wheeled mayhem around Philadelphia. The driving felt good and the city was packed with ramps, jumps, and alternate routes. This isn’t surprising, considering that the team mentioned that it was inspired by the joyful insanity of the Trials games.
Another thing I really liked was how once I was in the game, Homefront never forced me to pop out to menus. With a tap of the up button on the d-pad, I could look at my gun and customize various parts of it. Adding a scope could turn my assault rifle into a more tactical, distance weapon. Swapping out butts might steady my aim after every shot. Hell, I could even remove the barrel and replace it with one that transformed my machine gun into a molotov cocktail-spewing tool of destruction. The fact that all of this was presented without menus and simply through visual cues was really impressive.
There are definitely still some question marks surrounding the game. The particular chunk of Philadelphia that I go to run around was a bit drab and lacked any noticeable landmarks. While I enjoyed what I was doing, I didn’t quite enjoy where I was doing it. Hopefully the other parts of the city contain some variety, color, and distinct characteristics. After seeing colorful shooters like Battleborn, Overwatch, and Lawbreakers, I'm not sure how much time I want to spend in worlds covered in greys and browns. Along with this, I didn’t get a sense for what the core story was or why I should care about the folks in this world. Obviously 15 minutes isn’t nearly enough time to make a judgement call, so hopefully next time we go hands-on with Homefront we’ll be able to put these fears to rest.