In the ever-evolving landscape of PC gaming, peculiarities often emerge from the shadows, captivating enthusiasts with their oddities. This summer, one such curiosity was the announcement of Crossfire, a new military simulation game developed by the creators of the acclaimed 2019 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This title promises an innovative cover mechanic and a deepening emotional connection between its two lead characters, marking a refreshing shift in the solo shooting genre.
Unraveling the Layers of Crossfire
However, the intrigue surrounding Crossfire is compounded by its lineage. The game is published by Smilegate, a company that gained prominence through its long-standing multiplayer FPS, also named Crossfire, often dubbed Korea’s answer to Counter-Strike. Interestingly, this earlier iteration received a single-player mode just a few years prior, crafted by none other than Remedy Entertainment, renowned for its distinctive storytelling style.
This project, known as CrossfireX, presents a series of three-hour FPS campaigns that adhere closely to the familiar Call of Duty formula. The juxtaposition of Remedy’s unconventional narrative style against the backdrop of a military shooter is particularly fascinating. The opening lines from Captain Hall set the tone: “I’d never been much of a dreamer. In this work, an active imagination can kill you.”
Set in a vaguely Eastern European locale, players navigate through intense street firefights alongside a squadmate who directs their actions. The gameplay quickly escalates, featuring helicopter crashes and a nod to Remedy’s legacy with a bullet-time mechanic that can be activated with surprising frequency. Watching playthroughs of CrossfireX evokes memories of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, where slow-motion sequences were humorously overused to meet runtime expectations.
While the game features some clever set-piece designs, such as a firefight in a hotel kitchen where bullets ricochet off pots and pans, it is also peppered with one-liners that detract from the overall tone. “This hotel’s getting a shit review from me,” exclaims Private Moralez, highlighting a shift away from Remedy’s typical subtlety in favor of melodrama. The narrative seems to serve primarily as a vehicle for action-packed moments rather than a cohesive story.
Melodrama rules the day, and to some degree it feels as if the job of the campaigns is only to provide moments of badassery.
As the story unfolds, players find themselves in a dreamlike sequence where Captain Hall wanders through his own home, confronting eerie memories and unsettling imagery. The juxtaposition of domesticity with surreal horror evokes a sense of unease, reminiscent of the psychological depth found in Remedy’s earlier works. Hall’s reflections on his family life are unsettlingly juxtaposed with the chaos of war, creating a haunting narrative thread.
Despite its ambitious premise, CrossfireX faced significant challenges upon release. The game, intended as a console debut for the franchise, was met with poor reception, leading to its shutdown just over a year after launch. This unfortunate fate mirrors the abrupt endings of many live-service games, leaving behind a trail of lost potential. While the campaigns may not have left a lasting mark, they served a purpose during a tumultuous period in the gaming industry, and one can only hope that elements of this intriguing world might resurface in future titles from Remedy.
