Crusader: No Regret

About Crusader: No Regret

Crusader: No Regret (1996) is Origin's isometric action follow-up in which the Silencer takes the Resistance fight to the WEC's lunar mines, with new weapons, gorier deaths and harder combat.

Crusader: No Regret in Depth

Forty-six hours after No Remorse, a WEC freighter bound for the Moon picks up the Silencer's escape pod. On the Moon, which the WEC uses as both a mine and a prison, dissidents and Resistance members are forced to dig Di-Corellium, the radioactive mineral behind almost all of Earth's energy, with about half the known reserves. Chairman Draygan is there to oversee lagging production, possibly hit by the Resistance cell at the hidden Dark Side base, and sends all his forces after the Silencer once he learns of him. Over ten missions the Silencer undermines the WEC, ending in a showdown with Draygan piloting a mech, after which the lunar headquarters are destroyed and the Resistance takes over the mines.

Mechanically it closely follows No Remorse, with teleportation pads for quick travel within and between levels. It adds new weapons and death animations, including freezing and shattering and two kinds of melting, and lifts the old limit of five firearms. Enemies no longer carry money, since there are no friendly merchants on the Moon, and the game is more combat-focused: where many obstacles in No Remorse could be bypassed or opened with passkeys, here brute force is usually the only option. Smarter enemies and trickier traps also raised the difficulty. The story is simpler and more straightforward than its predecessor's.

Making Crusader: No Regret

Origin Systems developed it and Electronic Arts published it in 1996 as the PC-only follow-up to Crusader: No Remorse, again using the Asylum Sound System, which played MOD files for good audio without expensive hardware, and live-action FMV cut-scenes in which the hero never speaks. It was generally well received: GamePro's Major Mike said it "shows no remorse in outclassing its predecessor" with better graphics, more refined play and more mayhem, praising the new forward roll, GameSpot praised its graphical detail and PC Gamer welcomed controller support, though some critics disliked the FMV story and agreed it was more of a "level pack".