Fracture's name is very apt, not only does it refer to the games unique terraforming gameplay, but it is also going to split us all on whether its actually a good game or not.
The story itself is a modern twist on the American Civil war, which sees General Sheridan defecting to the Pacifican States in an effort to save his diseased daughters’ lives through genetic modification.
You take on the role of Jet Brody, an Atlantic Alliance soldier tasked with taking Sheridan out. Unfortunately, that is where the story’s intrigue quickly wears off with very little character development and the admittedly compelling story is hastily shoved on the backburner once the action kicks off.
If it weren’t for Fracture’s unusually fresh gameplay, it could have easily been placed in a nondescript box with so many other run-of-the-mill shooters. Thankfully, that isn’t the case, and Fracture’s terraforming mechanic adds a new twist to a genre we have become all too familiar with.
Using the Entrencher, you can raise and lower the terrain at will, which helps you get through puzzles and obstacles, as well as aid in firefights by proving cover mounds and combat trenches. Tectonic and subsonic grenades also help in disfiguring the topography, but can be used to harm enemies as well. Alternatively, spike grenades, which cause a rocky column to propel out of the earth, are used exclusively for puzzles.
There are a host of weapons ranging from standard armaments like machine guns, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers, to weaponry that make good use of Fracture’s unique circumstances, such as the ST-4 Torpedo Launcher, which fires a subterranean missile that is detonated by the player.
The multiplayer modes are relatively uninspired; featuring classic game types such as deathmatch, capture the flag, king of the hill, and conquest, with more or less unique names for each Aside from the scarce selection of game types, the game’s core gameplay mechanic hinders the inexperienced player; the quickly shifting environment may render more inexperienced players overwhelmed by the need to keep track of the already fast-paced action that characterizes the genre, as well as the ever changing battlefield.
The game looks good, and plays pretty well, despite the occasional frame-rate drop when things get especially frantic. The Havok physics engine is used liberally in Fracture, doing a great job of believably presenting the destruction of the world surrounding you.
Fracture is a good game, despite its flaws; and although it has a lot of lost potential in its story, its distinctive gameplay mechanics allow us to give it enough credit to say it’s worth checking out. It’s not a very long game, but if you’re looking for a no-frills experience that will be able to offer you bite-sized bits of action, then Fracture should be able satisfy your appetite. But if you’re looking for something for a little more breadth beyond strictly the gameplay, you may find Fracture somewhat disappointing.
