Alex Mercer is the anti-hero protagonist of Radical Entertainment's forthcoming action-adventure game, Prototype.
Though it remains relatively unclear as to how the events at Hope, Idaho are linked to the viral outbreak in New York City, they are nevertheless related. Forty-something years back the entirety of the town of Hope's population vanished. Speculation runs rampant that this is the result of a government experiment gone awry, or perhaps the disappearance is the result of an attempt to erase evidence of a conspiracy. Yet the player should know, right off the bat, that the government is not to be trusted.
Alex Mercer is known to have worked for Gentek, an organization that may or may not be involved in the creation of the virus and/or the contagion's outbreak. Little information has been released (and unlikely will be released prior to the game's launch) as to what level of involvement Alex Mercer had with the Gentek corporation before the onset of his unsuspected amnesia.
Upon awakening, Alex Mercer was no longer himself. He gained power, strength unseen before, and abilities that transcended humanity. With the ability to master his very own genetic structure, Alex can use his shape shifting abilities to disguise himself as the enemy, acquire the memory and genetic information of the targets he consumes, and change his body mass to achieve both superhuman strength and agility. Utilizing the art of free running known as parkour, and an ability to glide for brief periods of time, Alex is able to quickly traverse his environment with great speed.
Radical Entertainment Incorporated, the developing studio behind Prototype, has stated that Alex Mercer's abilities will alow the player to approach many situations in a variety of ways. Described as the "Deceive or Destroy" system, the player will have a choice between using the stealth-disguise mechanics or Alex Mercer's stronger (but subtle as a Mack Truck) superpowers. Although these styles of gameplay are not mutually exclusive, depending on which style you use most often, the story and gameplay will evolve parallel to your tactical decisions.