The game is set in New York City, where a virulent plague known as Blacklight is spreading through Manhattan. Those infected are mutated into hideous monsters of varying form, with an uncontrollable urge to kill all uninfected life-forms. At the center of it is the protagonist, Alex Mercer, an incredibly powerful shapeshifter with no memory of his past. Parallel to the game's storyline is the ability to play the game as a sandbox-style video game giving the player freedom to roam Manhattan.
As the game’s all-new infected protagonist, players will experience Sgt James Heller cutting a bloody swathe through the wastelands of post-viral New York Zero. Equipped with unparalleled new shapeshifting powers,players will gradually build a vast genetic arsenal of deadly new biological weapons and abilities as they hunt, kill and consume their way toward the ultimate goal – to kill…Alex…Mercer!