Brutal Melee is a gameplay feature first introduced in Killzone 3, then re-introduced in Killzone: Mercenary and Killzone Shadow Fall. This feature expands on the traditional melee mechanic, allowing for multiple different takedowns.
It should be noted that the regular rifle-butt/pistol-whip melee can still be performed depending on your proximity with the enemy when pressing the melee button. The easiest way to do a regular melee is to press the melee button and walk into the enemy, rather than getting into brutal melee proximity and pressing the melee button. It might take some practice to time the distance correctly, but the regular melee can be very useful as it kills the enemy in one hit just like the brutal melee, but takes much less time than a brutal melee, keeping you less vulnerable on the battlefield.
List of animations[]
- Snapping a neck
- Slicing a throat
- Stabbing an eye, and twisting the knife
- Forcefully grabbing the head ,and shoving both thumbs in the eyes
- Stabbing in the chest/heart
- Stabbing knife in the head
- Stabbing in the crotch and in the neck
- Slapping your hand in the enemy's face and stabbing in the chest
Killzone 3[]
Brutal melee was first introduced in Killzone 3. In order to initiate a brutal melee takedown, players must first approach their targets. When in the vicinity of the target (within feet), using melee will result in an animation. This animation takes a few seconds, and may vary. Note that standard melee attacks can still be done, as long as the player doesn't pause to attack their target.
Killzone: Mercenary[]
Brutal melee plays a much more significant role in Killzone: Mercenary than in other Killzone titles. In addition to the standard melee, players can now interrogate select targets.
Single player []
In single player, brutal melee takedowns can be initiated on a variety of enemies. Unique to Mercenary, however, is the new interrogation mechanic. This mechanic allows players to retrieve valuable info from select enemies. This action can be performed on both the ISA and Helghast. Note that this action can only be performed on high-ranking officials, so keep an eye out for unique looking characters. Attempting to initiate an interrogation on a standard enemy will result in a basic assassination.
Multiplayer[]
In multiplayer, the interrogation mechanic once again is available. Unlike single player, interrogations can be performed on all enemies. Once the player has successfully performed an interrogation, all of the enemy positions will be revealed on your radar. This mechanic carries significant importance in the Warzone game mode, where interrogations are necessary to win. Note that interrogations do take considerable time to perform, and will leave you vulnerable to the enemy.
Killzone Shadow Fall[]
In Shadow Fall, brutal melee is very similar to Killzone 3 with many of the same animations. However, while a few of the more graphic animations have been removed (gouging the eyes out, stabbing in the eye), some new moves have been introduced (stabbing in the throat, grabbing the enemy from behind and stabbing their throat, and snapping the enemy's neck from behind). In addition, every time the player jumps and lands on an enemy, they automatically perform a dropping knife kill. After performing the dropping knife kill, the player also has the option to press the melee button once more to throw a knife at any other enemies.
All brutal melee moves in Shadow Fall can be performed in both single and multiplayer.
Tips[]
- In Killzone 3 multiplayer the most effective way to counter a brutal melee is to let go of the trigger and immediately fire as soon as the screen start to transition to a third person perspective.
- In Shadow Fall, a brutal melee is one of the few ways to kill an Armadillo Trooper while his shield is up.
Trivia[]
- There are several Trophies revolving around brutal melee, which expand between both single player and multiplayer.
- According to Game Director Mathijs de Jonge, the Brutal Melee system was made to be easier to be use and as well freeing up a button the controller's d-pad which was beneficial for both single player and multiplayer.[1]