I had the chance to check out Killer is Dead, the upcoming game from Grasshopper Manufacture. Best known for the mature Wii title No More Heroes, the delightfully insane Shadows of the Damned, and last year’s cheery but extremely violent Lollipop Chainsaw, Suda51 yet again tells a weird and twisted tale, that of a hired assassin in a gritty, bloody, ultra-violent world.
The protagonist of Killer is Dead is Mondo Zappa, a dark James Bond inspired character who works as a hired assassin, known as an “executioner” with the Bryan agency, a secret government department. Quite different from Suda51’s other main characters who sought to kill for passion, love, or fame, Mondo is a government official who has only one motivation – to get the job done, and he does so in a very calm and composed manner.
While previous Grasshopper games have taken place over a day, Suda51 wanted to take a more episodic approach with Killer is Dead, to make it feel like a television drama. The game takes place over a series 13 chapters, all self-contained, taking place in locations all over the world such as Australia, a European castle, and even the moon. The demo I checked out was Episode 7, taking place in Kyoto, Japan after reports that a yakuza was spotted riding a tiger that apparently was a tattoo brought to life. Something has happened on the dark side of the moon and strange creatures have invaded Earth, but are only visible to a few human beings. The moon gives these beings unnatural superhuman powers, which leads to some crazy over the top battles, not unlike other Grasshopper Manufacture games.
If you like stylish and frenetic action games you’ll feel right at home with Killer is Dead. Wielding a katana in his right hand, and a possessed, cybernetic gun powered by his enemy’s blood on his left, Mondo hacks and slashes his way through each mission. As the game progresses the cybernetic gun can be also upgraded to a canon, a drill, or even a freeze gun. Pretty crazy.
Combat is very simple, relying on a series of combos and dodging. Your powerful combo attack can be used right from the beginning, which eliminates the need to upgrade. As the combo meter rises there is a level that increases, up to 5. which gives access to execute extremely powerful combo moves from the get go. Along with these combo attacks, if Mondo dodges at just the right moment, he goes into a slow motion counter attack Bayonetta style. To finish the enemy, with enough hits, Mondo can perform an execution move using one of four different finishing blows. The boss battles are extremely over the top and must end with a beheading, providing proof that the job has been completed. At the end of the episode I watched the yakuza took his own life, yet Mondo was still forced to brutally decapitate him.
The visuals are very unique and quite remarkable. The art style was explained to me as dynamic cel-shading that uses intense lighting and vivid colours, making Killer is Dead feel like a moving comic book. I very much enjoyed the soundtrack in Lollipop Chainsaw and Shadow of the Damned, and fans will be quite pleased that Akira Yamaoka returns, yet again composing the perfect score, quite fitting for the game’s brutal and violent gameplay.
Considering the gameplay and the visuals, I questioned whether there was a connection to Killer7 or No More Heroes, and was assured that while the gameplay and visual style is quite similar, Killer is Dead should be considered simply as a spiritual successor to these titles. It was mentioned that there is more of a connection, surprisingly, with Lollipop Chainsaw, as the lighthearted and bright tone being the “yang” to Killer is Dead’s dark and serious “ying”. And while Killer is Dead certainly is much darker than previous games, the trademark Suda51 humour still remains, and Mondo’s dialogue is filled with sarcastic, snappy remarks.
And what would a James Bond like character be without a bevy of beauties! Even assassins need a day off too. To give both Mondo and the player a break from all of the killing, there is a “Gigolo Mode”, in which Mondo attempts to seduce women, or as Suda51 himself calls them, “Mond Girls”.
Releasing on PS3 and Xbox 360, Killer is Dead will be available in Japan in early August with a tentative late summer release for North America and Europe. Fans of Suda51’s quirky, crazy, over the top style, and those who love a fluid, fast paced, stylish action game will definitly want to put this on their must play list.
