Warhawk (PlayStation game)
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| Warhawk | |
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| Developer(s) | SingleTrac |
| Publisher(s) | SCE |
| Release date(s) | November 10, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
Warhawk is a futuristic arcade-style flight-combat game for the Sony PlayStation console, developed by SingleTrac and released by Sony. It was originally released on November 10, 1995 and later re-released as part of Sony's Greatest Hits lineup.
There is a remake for the PlayStation 3 in development by Incognito Entertainment.
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[edit] Overview
Warhawk is an action/simulation game built around a futuristic VTOL craft. The player maneuvers with 360 degrees of flight control through 6 unique levels. Weapons include fire off lock-ons, rockets, multi-fire swarmers, and plasma cannons.
Enemies in the game vary from being tanks and aircraft to massive fixed gun emplacements and futuristic robots, to name a few. In certain areas of the game, enemies continuously respawn to challenge the player until they swiftly complete the mission objective.
There are no saving or loading features. Instead, a password is presented each time a level is completed.
The game has no multiplayer capabilities and does not feature DUAL SHOCK or analog controller support. In Twisted Metal: Black a version of Warhawk was the final boss.
[edit] Plotline
The plot of the game centers around a megalomaniac named Kreel who has become a global threat and is threatening various nations with his seemingly unstoppable armies. As the player you take the role of two pilots named 'Hatch' and 'Walker' who are part of an international force devoted to fighting Kreel and his varied minions.
As the campaign progresses it is revealed that the source of Kreel's power is Red Mercury which provides his forces with their nigh-invulnerability. It should be noted that Kreel's motivation is never truly fleshed out and he seems to fall into the role of a stereotypical insane megalomaniac.
In addition, a quirky sense of humor the game seems to have is the various endings that occur based on what level you fail or what actions you take at the end of the game. Some of the endings include (but are not limited to) a costly nuclear war, Kreel choking to death on a chicken bone, a happy ending selling "I survived the Red Mercury war" t-shirts or both pilots being served as the main course at Kreel's grand victory ceremony.
[edit] Areas and Levels
As mentioned above, Warhawk has six different areas which are punctuated with a live action cut scene providing additional plot information and a brief rundown of what the next mission holds. Generally each mission ends with the destruction of a boss and the recovery of a canister of Red Mercury, which is then followed with a statistics breakdown.
-The first area is a desert where the main focus is a pyramid that needs to be destroyed. After the player destroys several nodes on the sides of the Pyramid's base, the pyramid's cone opens to reveal a powerful Plasma Cannon that will continue to attack the player's fighter until the can of Red Mercury is stolen from inside the pyramid - accomplished by a high speed fly-through.
-The second area is a canyon with massive hanging fortresses that also need to be destroyed.
-The third area is an attack on Kreel's fleet in the open ocean featuring vessels similar to airships. It is among the game's most open areas.
-The fourth area is set against the backdrop of a volcanic research station in an archipelago. The difficulty of this level is quite high due to poor visibility (volcanic ash), constant attacks from enemies, and devastatingly powerful guided rocket attacks from those enemies.
-The fifth area is Kreel's personal fortress, notable for its Gothic architecture and pipe organ music. It is also heavily enclosed so that the key focus of the player becomes mastering Warhawk's low speed handling/ hovering techniques
-The sixth and final area is Kreel's tower headquarters. This level is notable for its impressive (at the time) lighting effects and for being heavily vertical, a departure from prior levels. The player must singlehandedly scale the tower from its ground level to its apex by destroying shield generators which block access to the top floors. The Player must also dodge missiles and projectiles being lobbed at him which do serious damage to Warhawk if they connect. The final Boss is Kreel floating in a powerful skull which fires lasers, missiles and lightning at the Warhawk.
During the final battle with Kreel - there are a number of ways to destroy the floating skull. The player may choose to attack a glowing weak point (in the mouth) with weapons or the player might consider ramming the Warhawk fighter itself into the weak point (killing the player). Another method is to achieve ramming speed by firing the afterburners of the Warhawk and then to eject the cockpit module before the rest of the fighter rams the weak point. Each different method of destroying Kreel will result in different endings. Some of these endings are "bad" (i.e. the player is killed) while others are "good" (i.e. Kreel dies and the world is saved).
If Kreel is not destroyed in a set amount of time, he can choose to fire a canister of Red Mercury at the Warhawk's base starship which will vaporize all of its crew members.
