Face Raiders

Face Raiders
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Toshiaki Suzuki
Producer(s)	Shinya Takahashi
Composer(s)	Shogo Sakai
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release	JP: February 26, 2011 EU: March 25, 2011 NA: March 27, 2011 AU: March 31, 2011
Genre(s)	Simulator, shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Face Raiders (Japanese: 顔シューティング, Hepburn: Kao Shūtingu, lit. "Face Shooting") is a 3D augmented reality shooter video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.^[1] In 2011, it was released as preloaded software on all systems in the Nintendo 3DS line of hardware.

Face Raiders is a single player augmented reality shooter game that uses the handheld's gyroscopic controls and cameras.^[2][3] It was first released with the Nintendo 3DS and has been preloaded on all devices in the family. The game is an extended tech demo with a total of two modes and nine levels. Six of these are for experienced players, and the other three stages are meant for those unfamiliar with the game.^[4] After taking pictures of people's faces, the game creates enemies for the player, who must shoot them.^[4][5][6] The camera perspective is from the rear camera's viewpoint, which enemies will break through and hide behind.^[7] People walking in the background add on to the gameplay by giving more faces to the camera and thus creating more enemies.^[5] There are combos for repeating an action that multiply the number of points. There are butterflies which can be hit in order to refill health, and bombs are used as a quick way to defeat surrounding enemies.^[7] At the end of each stage, the player battles a boss.^[7] When the boss is defeated, its helmet will transform into an afro. Local high scores are recorded on a leaderboard.^[7] By pressing Y on the level select screen, the player can hear some advice, and can turn on surprise snaps for taking photos while playing a level.

The game was developed by HAL Laboratory alongside other built in software for the Nintendo 3DS. The team wanted to create a game that would interest people who had played the training software. The prototype consisted of using the player's and other people's faces to create a comedic experience. HAL first started building using filters, which ended up being included as a way to attack enemies. The merge lens was popular among developers, where two faces would be combined. At the end of development, HAL added a feature where the player can point the 3DS at someone else's face and it would become an enemy. The game's AR features were created with the Nintendo 3DS Camera Team.^[1]

Prior to the release date of the 3DS, Face Raiders received generally positive feedback when it was shown at E3 as a tech demo with blocks instead of faces.^[8] When the use of faces were included, reviewers felt satisfied with the fun and humor created by using faces and a live background.^[2][4][7][9] The point-and-shoot gameplay with gyroscopic controls was said to be novel and easy to use.^[2][8][10] The free price was also cited as a positive aspect of the game,^[7][8] though some noted that it would be worth an eShop purchase if it had instead been offered there.^[4][11] The varied tactics to defeat enemies and bosses were applauded.^[2][4][7] However, the minimal amount of content was criticized.^[4] Reviewers also felt that the 3D effect could be compromised by using motion controls.^[4][9] The game was also seen as an introduction to the features the 3DS could offer.^[2][3][10]