The Saboteur Review

Initially I was skeptical about The Saboteur, the latest title from Pandemic Studios. The game is set during World War 2, a setting that has become something of a cliché due to its overuse, and at first glance the title appeared very average.  However, after completing the game, I can say that The Saboteur is definitely a title with much more to offer than first meets the eye.

The Saboteur is set in Nazi-occupied Paris although it is possible to travel outside the city limits and even to French towns such as Le Havre.  Nazi occupied regions of the city are colored in black and white and it’s up to the game’s protagonist, Sean Devlin, to help liberate Paris by restoring color to each of these regions.

Sean Devlin is an Irishman who, before the war, was a race car driver. He joins the French Resistance after racing competitor and Nazi official, Kurt Dierker, murders his best friend. The story is driven not only by Devlin’s desire for revenge but also by the Partisan characters’ willingness to defeat the Nazi war machine. There are a few story hiccups along the way, but the World War 2 historical setting also lends itself well to some emotional moments.

Like any open world game, The Saboteur features an ensemble cast and although there are many characters with their own personalities very few could be considered memorable. Devlin however does a magnificent job of being a brutal yet lovable character.  Devlin’s development as a character is intriguing mainly because at first glance Devlin is a stubborn, hard-ass who doesn’t give a “shite” about anything but the people close to him. Eventually though, he will be largely responsible for the liberation of Paris.  Overall, the Saboteur satisfactorily does the job of keeping the World War 2 genre fresh by unveiling an original setting and original story.

The Saboteur’s third-person shooter mechanic also works well.  One of the main decisions players will constantly be forced to make is how they will go about completing a mission. There are essentially two options: stealth or guns blazing.  A mixture of both approaches is usually encouraged by the game which often presents options during missions to ensure that stealth tactics must be utilized.  Devlin, for example, is able to dress as a German soldier and sneak past enemies or perform silent takedowns, but reaching the end of a level will almost certainly guarantee a conclusion steeped in explosions and gunfire.

Devlin also has another critical skill up his sleeve: he is a climbing master.  He can scurry across the Parisian rooftops like Ezio or Altair  and although the controls are not as smooth as those in Assassin’s Creed, the climbing in Saboteur is satisfying enough that it never becomes too much of a chore.