Attention, PS Plus Subscribers: Open Beta For Killzone: Mercenary Deploys August 20th

Guerrilla Cambridge’s Vita exclusive Killzone: Mercenary will host its open beta for PlayStation Plus subscribers on August 20th/21st for North America and Europe, respectively. Available via the digital store, subscribers will be able to access the futuristic shooter ahead of time, with the beta being available for all other Vita owners one week later on August 28th, and will continue through until September 3rd.

Such an accessible beta not only hints towards the studio’s confidence with their property, it also provides Guerrilla Cambridge with the opportunity to stress the game’s servers and amend any potential bugs ahead of release. Acting as the franchise’s first entry on Vita, Killzone: Mercenary is hoping to redefine the portable shooter experience. By incorporating a monetary system that applies to single-player and multiplayer, gamers will be able to seamlessly transfer their campaign earnings to the online ether using the in-game Valor system.

At its core, this will enable players to purchase armaments and equipment for their arsenal from the Blackjack arms dealer, which can then be used in both single-player and multiplayer game modes. It’s an interesting mechanic, and one that will hope to prevent the two gameplay experiences from being mutually exclusive. The game itself will support 8 players in its multiplayer arena, while offering three distinct modes that can play out in one of the 6 individual maps.

With crisp visuals and an enticingly deep multiplayer component, Killzone: Mercenary may just answer the battle cry from Vita owners clamouring for a true, first-person shooter experience. Essentially, Guerrilla Cambridge has a firm target between its crosshairs: to become the PlayStation Vita’s killer app; one which can appeal to the core and casual alike. Alas, we’ll have to put our guns on safety until the game debuts on September 10th in North America – September 4th for Europe.

What’s your opinion, though? Is Killzone: Mercenary shaping up to be a must-have game this fall? Indeed, if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, will you try out the beta for yourself? Give us your thoughts below.