Geek Citadel Reviews – Killer is Dead

0
1155

The Executioners are a group sanctioned by the government to take down the lifeless monsters from the moon that go by the name Wires. They have set their eyes on a rookie named Mondo, a man with a cybernetic arm and a high aptitude for taking down evil. Mondo only loves one thing more than he does women, and that’s soaking his katana in the blood of his enemies.  With the help of his new comrades in arms, he will sate his hunger for slaughter and unravel a mystery about himself.

Each new mission begins with TV series style opening similar to an anime episode. A brief introduction to the villain and his victim, a visit to the office to hire Mondo who insists in most cases… that he’ll do the job for a kiss or out of heroic gusto. He then heads out to the wacky lair of a Boss and slices and dices his way through to victory while saying his odd catch phrase “Killer is dead”.  When the mission is completed, Mondo and his coworkers witness clients flaking out on them by fantastical means… like a woman who turns into a bird and flies out of the window without paying.

In between the random missions, we will get to learn about Mondo’s mysterious connection to a woman named Moon River and a man named David. He has little to no knowledge of his past, and knows even less about the mechanical contraption that he calls an arm. His memories of his former life show up in haunting nightmares that could be fact or fiction. This is the meat of the story and it plays out gradually as Mondo takes on everyday jobs for the Executioners. The tale is weird if you’ve never watched an occult Anime series before, if you have, the EXECUTION of the story will be very familiar.

[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”3″ images=”5741,5742,5743″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self”]

Mondo’s cybernetic arm allows him to become more powerful from stacking combos on enemies. Each increase in combo rank will amplify the damage intensity of his sword and send him into an acrobatic flourish of attacks. When he is at the peak of his physical form, he can finish Wires off with deadly instant kills and choose his brand of currency in the process. He can spend gems to upgrade his weapons and buy gifts for women during gigolo missions. His arm can consume blood from his enemies and utilize it to slash limbs off at high speeds, or turn his cybernetic arm into a powerful sub-weapon.

The combat is reminiscent of games like No More Heroes and the unimpressive Lollipop Chainsaw. On top of flurrying a bunch of combos together, you’ll have to perform timed dodges and parries, that can open the enemy up to some devastating maneuvers. The combat system is simple to get into, and could have been a technical hit if they would have included some fundamental elements. Mondo locks onto enemies automatically, and he will attack any and everything if you want him to or not. With that said, the title has the nerve to have challenges where you have to kill one enemy type, and hope that you don’t accidently massacre everything else in the process.

Secondly, the linear structure of the game actually impedes the enjoyment due to one omitted feature… the ability to JUMP! Not having the opportunity to jump up and tag flying enemies, or leap over an object to get to another area is a real drag. It’s probably the worst oversight for a game about precision and flashy combos, it makes me want to turn it off and play Devil May Cry 3 instead. In addition, the side-missions in Killer is Dead are boring to no end. If it isn’t the mundane driving sequence, it’s the obnoxious and unentertaining Gigolo missions that require you to take part in them for weapons.

[vc_gallery type=”flexslider_fade” interval=”3″ images=”5744,5745,5746″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self”]

Look Grasshopper, I know you thought this was a cool idea, but the implementation is as dull as can be. How about some dialogue options like Mass Effect , or even little mini-games like the Yakuza series but not to the creepy ping pong extent. I don’t need extra options to shy away from animated breasts; I can, like most people, stumble onto an episode of Queens Blade on the internet and feel the shame that accompanies it. I get that you want to try new ideas, but flesh them out a bit more before making a boring dating-sim mission. It doesn’t help that the women call Mondo during missions, why would you include one of the most hated things about GTA IV?

On the upside, the stylistic art is unique and beautiful to watch. It has a few rough spots to hold it back like frame rate hits and ugly terrain, but the overall aesthetic nails the rich and colorful Anime feel. The character models are intricately detailed and the voice acting well done for both the English and the Japanese dubs.

Killer is Dead is an Arcade game at heart, the gameplay is held back by an outdated combat system and restrictive level design. The game fares best when you stick to the story modes and slash enemies to death. If you try to dip off to one of the lame side-missions or challenge modes, you are going to wonder if the rewards are worth the pain. Killer is Dead receives four stars out of five from Geek Citadel. This average hack-n-slash title would have fared better as an anime than a game.

*This game was supplied to us by the publisher*