Alex's primary superpower is his ability to shapeshift, changing his
body into anyone . Going hand in hand with this power is his ability to
"consume" others, absorbing them entirely. This process allows Alex to
quickly regain health by absorbing the biomass of his enemies. This also
allows him to take on the forms of the enemies he absorbs, thereby
allowing the player to move about the enemy as one of them. The disguise
will only last as long as Alex remains inconspicuous. Alex has
incredible physical strength, and will kill most humans in a single
punch. He can perform various melee
attacks without shapeshifting, as well as more gymnastic moves such as
air combos, sliding along the ground using any humanoid enemy's body,
and a high-speed rolling cannonball attack.
Alex can also transform parts of his body into a selection of martial
implements acquired over the course of the game, either as purchased
upgrades or being given them. Offensive powers include the large and
powerful Blade arm, fast razor-sharp Claws (which can also erupt large
spikes from the ground), the telescoping Whipfist, Musclemass that
augments his strength, and the slow but powerful Hammerfists. Defensive
options consist of a large shield on Alex's left arm for blocking
ballistic attacks that needs to regenerate after excessive damage, and
full body armor that exchanges agility and speed for toughness in hand
to hand combat; both will allow Alex to plow through most obstacles when
active. Vision modes include thermal
vision, which allows Alex to see enemies through smoke and other
obstacles at the expense of a decreased vision range, and Infected
vision, which highlights those infected with the BLACKLIGHT virus as
well as military units. Both vision modes muffle all of Alex's other
senses, such as hearing, in order to concentrate on his sight. One
defensive and offensive power may be active at a time, and using either
will negate Alex's current disguise. In addition to his own abilities,
Alex can take the weapons from defeated or absorbed enemies. These
include automatic rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and missile
launchers. He can also seize control of military vehicles, such as tanks
and helicopters.
Alex's most powerful attacks are the Devastators, which require Alex
to be in Critical Mass - either a state of near-death or the exact
opposite, having excess stored biomass and increased health. These
include the Tendril Barrage, which fires impaling tendrils from his body
in all directions, the Groundspike Graveyard, which erupts massive
spikes from the ground all around Alex, and the Critical Pain, which
fires a single beam of hardened biomass from his hands to severely
damage a single target.
For movement around the city, Alex uses his increased physical
abilities. When sprinting, he will automatically hop over cars, barriers
and other obstacles without losing momentum. Alex will also scale any
wall he comes into contact with and simply knock aside any humanoids
that get in his way without stopping. He can jump great heights and
distances, enough to clear five-story buildings, and can sprint at
extreme speed indefinitely. Falls cause no damage to the player even
from the greatest heights. Even small jumps are enough for Alex to dent
the ground beneath him, and falls from sufficient heights will create
shockwaves at the point of impact which will kill most humans nearby and
send objects as large as cars flying. Falling height also factors into
several of Alex's melee attacks.
Enemies in the game are the Infected: those infected with the
BLACKLIGHT virus, and the Military. The Infected consist of ordinary
civilians infected with the virus that are generally not a threat to
Alex. However, the Hunters, huge creatures created from Infected water
towers, are one of the main enemies in the game. Evolved Hunters
referred to as Leaders are one of the most powerful creatures in the
game and are incredibly hard for Alex to kill. The Military consist of
ordinary soldiers which are usually not a threat to Alex, although they
are capable of operating weaponry that is extremely dangerous to Alex,
such as tanks and heavily armed helicopters. The Military also consists
of BLACKWATCH, an agency dedicated to combating biological and nuclear
warfare. BLACKWATCH is one of the intricate parts of the game's story
and create some of the most deadly biological weaponry to combat Alex,
including viral detectors capable of detecting Alex even in his
disguise, and, introduced later in the game, the deadly poison Bloodtox,
capable of slowly killing Alex and the Infected. Introduced later in
the game are heavily armored and durable soldiers referred to as Super
Soldiers, capable of fighting against Alex and some of the strongest
Infected.
In order to gain more advanced upgrades, Alex is capable of sneaking
into Military Bases using a disguise and stealthily consume various
officials within the base. He can also set off an alert within the base,
in which the only way to escape is to slaughter whoever is in the base.
Alex can also gain upgrades from the Infected by collecting genetic
data. Infected Hives, like Military Bases, are located all over the
city, and produce genetic data constantly. Alex can destroy the Infected
Hives or simply absorb the data on the outside as it is being produced.
At the start of the game, only small factions of the Infected and
Military are present in the city. However, as the game progresses, the
Military and the Infected begin to expand. Territory in the city is made
out of three distinct zones. Blue Zones are in Military control and are
relatively clean of the Infection. Red Zones thrive with the Infection,
although there still remains a strong Military presence. In some areas
of the city, a Blue Zone and a Red Zone might converge, creating a new
and distinct Purple Zone. In these Zones, the Military and the Infected
are in a constant battle for control. How the player decides to act in
these Zones determine which faction seizes the territory.
The game takes place in a medium size Manhattan with all his famous landmarks and place like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Trump Building, the One Chase Manhattan Plaza, the Conde Nast Building, the Metlife Building, the One New York Plaza, the New York Life Building, among others.
