It isn't perfect, but it's a game owners of the handheld shouldn't miss.
If you've got a good set of headphones, Mercenary will take full advantage of those as well. The booming effects are magnificent, and the musical score will draw you in to each battle – when they aren't completely silent, that is. What really stands out, though, are the Helghan soldier voice effects. They sound sinister as they growl through their helmets, without a single compassion in the world. It's really something.
As for gameplay, it has its moments of annoyance, mostly with touch-screen and rear touch-pad functionality. Tapping the screen to perform melee executions can be annoying, as it gets in the way of your view. Same goes for some of the VAN-Guard weapon effects, where you can only aim by, surprise, tapping on your targets. Running also takes getting used to, with a double-tap – or was it a single-tap – of the rear touch pad.
Overall, though, functionality is good, and you'll have no trouble gunning down Helghan soldiers with a variety of weapons. You'll also like the VAN-Guard weapons that drop in, including a pincer-like robot that has no problem killing Helghan soldiers with the mother of all Vulcan neck grips. We're also fans of the XP leveling up system, which spreads across both single and multiplayer modes.
