Originally released on the PlayStation in 1999, the game is only available in digital form as part of PSOne Classics.
Syphon Filter is a third-person action game with stealth elements, telling the adventures of an agent trying to neutralize terrorists threatening the world with dangerous biological weapons. The title was developed by the relatively little-known Eidetic studio, founded by Marc Blank, one of the co-creators of the cult Zork text adventure from 1977.
Plot
In Syphon Filter, we play the role of a secret agent called Gabriel Logan, who follows a dangerous international terrorist Erich Rhoemer. The news is that he is experimenting with a dangerous biological weapon called Syphon Filter, which threatens the security of the whole world. The terrorist manages to plan and prepare a bomb attack on Washington, which can kill millions of innocent people. With the help of agent Lian Xing, who is in touch with Logan during the mission, our protagonist must prevent the tragedy and deal with Rhoemer once and for all. In search of the villain, Logan ends up in secret research laboratories of Pharcom in Kazakhstan and the terrorist's headquarters in Ukraine.
Mechanics
The gameplay mechanics combines the features of a classic action game with stealth elements, drawing inspiration from titles such as Metal Gear Solid, Tenchu, and even Tomb Raider. Throughout thirteen missions, Logan will face a number of challenges, requiring us to participate in firefights as well as sneaking behind enemies' backs. The game also has simple puzzles. We can use a large arsenal of weapons, consisting of pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, explosives and stun guns. We can also use a flashlight to navigate darkened locations. An important role in the game is played by a special Danger indicator, which informs us about how close we are to being detected. Interestingly, it also works the other way round, allowing you to choose the most appropriate moment to shoot.
Technical aspects
Syphon Filter features 3D graphics. A certain problem for less experienced players may be a fairly high level of difficulty.
