Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Haze delivers a first-person shooter experience built around two distinct combat styles: the super-soldier Nectar-enhanced Mantel troopers and the resourceful rebels of The Promise Hand. In the early hours of the campaign, most of your time is spent as Shane Carpenter under Nectar’s influence, enjoying tighter aim assists, stronger melee attacks, and heightened situational awareness. The drug-fueled boost makes firefights feel punchy and powerful, rewarding aggressive tactics and split-second reactions.

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Mid-campaign, when Carpenter defects to the rebels, the gameplay shifts dramatically. You lose the Nectar enhancements but gain a toolbox of guerrilla tactics—playing dead in front of patrols, setting up remote grenade traps, and even triggering Nectar overdoses to turn Mantel soldiers into confused, berserk targets. This role reversal keeps the pacing fresh, forcing you to think stealth and subterfuge rather than head-on assaults.

Haze also features a cooperative campaign mode for up to four players, letting friends team up online to push through key story missions. While the co-op experience adds replay value, it sometimes exacerbates the mission design’s linearity—players run the risk of simply charging down the same corridors without much strategic variation. Still, coordinating Nectar use and rebel abilities with a squad demonstrates the game’s core mechanical strengths.

Beyond the campaign, the multiplayer suite includes classic deathmatch, team deathmatch, and an objective-driven Assault mode. Assault strikes a good balance between fast-paced firefights and tactical objectives—planting explosives or escorting VIPs adds context to the kill counts. However, matchmaking can be uneven, and servers occasionally suffer from latency spikes, which can dampen what is otherwise a solid multiplayer offering.

Graphics

Visually, Haze impresses with lush, vibrant environments set in the Boa Region’s dense jungles and Mantel’s industrial complexes. The tropical foliage is rendered in rich greens, dappled sunlight filters through towering trees, and weather effects—like rainstorms—add a dynamic layer to firefights. These natural backdrops contrast nicely with the sterile, metallic corridors of Mantel facilities.

The character models showcase a high polygon count for their era, and facial animations are expressive during key story beats. That said, some NPC textures appear muddy at close range, and certain environmental assets can feel repetitive on prolonged sessions. Lighting does most of the heavy lifting to maintain immersion, though occasional texture pop-ins detract from the overall polish.

Weapon effects and visual feedback are strong points: muzzle flashes are bright and impactful, explosions kick up dirt and debris realistically, and Nectar’s visual distortions—blurring edges and saturating colors—effectively communicate your enhanced state. Rebel gadgets, such as remote grenades, also glow with a distinctive green hue, making it simple to track enemy traps even in low-light areas.

On consoles, Haze runs at a steady frame rate, though ambitious lighting and post-processing effects can induce minor frame dips in larger set pieces. Load times are reasonable, and the game handles seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor environments without breaking immersion. Overall, it’s a strong graphical showcase for its generation, even if it doesn’t always push the boundaries of realism.

Story

Set in the year 2048, Haze unfolds against a backdrop where traditional military alliances—UN, NATO, and national armies—have been replaced by the private mercenary force of Mantel Global Industries. You step into the boots of Shane Carpenter, a newly inducted Mantel soldier, tasked with quelling a rebel group known as The Promise Hand in South America’s Boa Region. The narrative starts with the promise of noble peacekeeping but soon reveals a darker corporate agenda.

As Carpenter uncovers Mantel’s true motives and the horrific side effects of prolonged Nectar use, the story takes a sharp turn. A pivotal twist sees you switching sides to aid the rebels, offering a rare opportunity to question your own actions and motivations mid-campaign. This narrative pivot is the game’s strongest chapter, delivering genuine moral conflict and reshaping your perspective on prior missions.

While the overarching premise is compelling, some storyline beats fall into predictable tropes—corrupt mega-corporation, brainwashed soldiers, noble resistance fighters—and a few dialogue exchanges feel clichéd. Voice acting ranges from solid to serviceable: lead performances capture the urgency of the conflict but supporting characters occasionally lack depth. Still, moments of raw emotion and the high-stakes reveal help anchor the plot in memorable ways.

The single-player campaign wraps up in roughly six to eight hours, depending on difficulty and exploration. Although the story doesn’t break new ground in the FPS genre, its pace, moral quandaries, and dual-perspective approach keep players engaged from start to finish. If you’re looking for a straightforward linear narrative with a memorable twist, Haze delivers.

Overall Experience

Haze offers a mixed bag of high-octane FPS action, an intriguing corporate-versus-rebel storyline, and innovative gameplay mechanics that shift midway through the campaign. The Nectar-enhanced combat and later guerrilla tactics ensure variety and make each act feel distinct. Combined with a competent co-op mode, the game supplies both solo and social shooting thrills.

Graphically, the game holds up well for its era, with vibrant environments, convincing lighting effects, and clear visual cues for Nectar usage. While occasional texture issues and minor frame dips appear, they rarely undermine the overall sense of immersion. Multiplayer adds further replayability, though inconsistent matchmaking and server stability can hamper longer sessions.

On the narrative front, Haze excels at delivering a solid twist and fostering emotional investment in Carpenter’s journey. The story is occasionally predictable, but the pacing and revelations keep you invested until the end. Voice performances and cutscene direction raise the stakes effectively, even if some dialogue lands more on the generic side.

Ultimately, Haze is a worthwhile pick for players seeking a campaign with a strong central twist, varied combat dynamics, and a respectable multiplayer suite. Its brevity and occasional technical hiccups are balanced by inventive mechanics and engaging set pieces. If you’re in the market for a distinctive shooter experience that explores the fine line between loyalty and liberation, Haze should be on your radar.

Retro Replay Score

5.9/10