You are a lethal, seducing, young up and coming assassin; Mondo Zappa. Mondo works for a firm known as the Bryan Execution Firm (no subtlety in that companies title) and your commander and chief is the cyborg badass Bryan Roses. It’s Bryan’s duty to hand Mondo the assignments to assassinate known and dangerous criminals from around the world (though some assignments do become a little less local then others) and Mondo will stop at nothing to see his job through.
I’m sure you’re aware that Killer is Dead is a Suda 51 game and if you’ve played games such as No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned and the recent Lollipop Chainsaw, then you will know that nothing is as straight forward as it seems in a Suda game. Just when you think that our Assassin’s Creed heroes and Agent 47 had some tough and crazy tasks, just wait and see to what Mondo’s universe has in store for you. You are an assassin assigned to kill the killer, hunt down the creatures that kill, simply known as The Wire’s; it’s your job to make sure that the Killer is Dead.
Killer is Dead’s visuals are somewhat of a Marmite in the video game industry, and they are none other than the always topical cel-shaded visuals. Whenever I see cel-shaded game I always think back to the then (and still perhaps now) controversial visuals of the Nintendo Gamecube classic; The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. There were a few games before Wind Waker (such as Jet Set Radio), but for me that was the game that broke the main stream mould. This look is no stranger to Suda 51 and throughout the history of his games, it’s a look that he has favoured and that is certainly the case with Killer is Dead.
Mondo is an assassin in the samurai mould, aside from his sub-weapons (which I’ll get on to a little later); his weapon of choice is the deadly samurai blade. You will Hack ‘n’ Slash your way through each enemy and boss, and if you are a fan of this particular genre, then this is a game that you just might like, Suda 51 fan or not. The controls to Killer is Dead are very simple, which is perhaps one of its appeals. Square is your basic slash, hold Circle to block and whilst holding the Circle button, move the analogue stick to dodge on-coming attacks and Triangle will break through an enemy’s guard (though this may take a few attempts depending on the difficulty of that particular enemy).
As I’ve mentioned, the controls are basic, but they do advance somewhat as you progress further into the game. You can upgrade your move-set and weapons by collecting ‘Moon Crystals’. Moon Crystals can then be spent on various upgrades, such as more powerful moves, weapons and even add new killer moves into the mix.
Collecting Moon Crystals is not the only way in which you can upgrade Mondo, collecting ‘Health Gems’ will not only top up your health bar, but by collecting enough of them, you can permanently increase your health bar too. Aside from the samurai sword, quite possibly your most powerful and much used tool against the demonic scum, will be that of your ‘Blood Gauge’. The Blood Gauge acts as the main function to some of Mondo’s main powers and weapons. It’s the gauge that powers your sub-weapons, and many other abilities. For example some of the first sub-weapons that you’ll acquire in the game is the Bullet Shot (basically a cannon type gun) and a Drill, which is fairly self-explanatory.
The bullet shot is very handy at picking off enemies from a distance, especially those pesky snipers. If you time a headshot just right with some enemies, they’ll be dead on the spot. The Drill is used for, well drilling the enemies and is very handy on the much larger enemies, but be warned, this is a slow weapon and you can at times leave you vulnerable to attacks. The Drill has another handy perk, other than disposing of the enemy. Through certain parts of the game, you may see some areas that may seem unreachable, pathways blocked by a big chunky rock. Well never fear, because the Drill is here and you can gain access to such areas that could lead to treasures such as Moon Crystals, Health Gems and ‘Bloody Roses’ (used to top up the Blood Gauge and increase your maximum health).
Now let’s get back to that trusty samurai blade shall we. Even though the bare principle of this weapon is to slice and dice through the common enemy, it does have some very cool features that you might not expect. For one, by pressing R1 and Square, you will utilise your Adrenaline Burst, which will unleash a manic flurry of attacks, which quite frankly leaves the common foe no chance what so ever and in many cases will result in a gruesome beheading. Speaking of beheadings and executions, when you unleash a ‘Combo Streak’, just before you kill the enemy, you will be presented with a timed QTE. This QTE will give you the choice of four executions, depending on which you choose, your foe will come to a gruesome, but yet stylish end.
As cool as the stylish combos and gruesome ends will be, you won’t get very far without using the basics. While the samurai sword is a very handy slice and dice weapon, timing the perfect counter can also be as deadly as any other weapon in the game. Just as an enemy strikes, if you time a parry or dodge just right, you could deal a devastating counter that will all but kill the unfortunate enemy. If you’re familiar with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, you should have a good idea of how this parry/counter will work. But if not, no need to worry, because unlike Metal Gear Rising, Killer is Dead’s parry/counter is much more forgiving and easier to master.
With all his swords, guns and drills, Mondo wouldn’t get very far in his world without the ladies of Killer is Dead. Pivotal to Mondo’s survival especially, is Vivienne and Mika. Vivienne is the main form of Mondo’s transport, as she rides in style on her powerful hog bike, but more importantly, she has a habit of swooping in just at the nick of time to save Mondo in the heat of the battle. Vivienne is every bit a vital part to the firm as Mondo, as you will no doubt find out for yourself. The other lady in Mondo’s life is the cute Mika, Mika has a unique way of seeing things and in her humble way, helps to keep Mondo’s feet firmly on the ground and reminds him that life is not always so serious. But beneath that cuddly exterior is a lady that literally plays a huge role in Mondo staying alive whilst on a job.
When Mondo is down and out (which will happen a lot, especially later in the game), she will be there to revive Mondo and return him to the battle field in an instant. Having Mika around is so much easier than relying on the handy ‘checkpoint’ system, because once revived, you will rise on the exact spot in which you had fallen, so there’s no falling back to the last checkpoint save. But be warned, Mika will only be at hand to revive you, so long as you have a Mika Ticket, which can be purchase via the in-game gift shop.
It’s always difficult to keep track of a Suda 51’s storyline, sometimes they’re easy to follow, such as Lollipop Chainsaw and some not so, such as Killer is Dead. When you first start the game, everything seems simple enough. You get a contract, you track down the target, kill it and job done. It’s not until a few hours into the game that events really start to unravel. Now I won’t go giving too much away, but events soon become complicated. It’s the kind of varied depth to Suda’s storylines that perhaps give him the greatest acclaim.
I know it’s some comparison, but it’s the reason why so many think of Suda 51 as the gaming equivalent to Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez. When you play Killer is Dead and you see how each episode presents itself from the opening title and the way in which the story is presented, movies such as your Kill Bill’s, Machete and Planet Terror came to mind on more than one occasion during my playthrough. It’s fair to say that each and every character in Killer is Dead is memorable in their own way, regardless of whether they are friend or foe.
The soundtrack is something you would expect to hear from a Grindhouse movie, with a hint of the orient and it’s no wonder that such a good job is done with the soundtrack, as its composed by none other than Akira Yamaoka (notably the Silent Hill series, and numerous Suda 51 games). A little element that is also worth mentioning is the choice of dialogue that you have available to you. I know some English speaking Manga fans prefer to remain a little more authentic and choose to have the dialogue in Japanese with English subtitles. Well you’ll be pleased to know that you have the option of your native language and Japanese with the according subtitles to accompany.
Right, let’s get to that Gigolo mode and let me start off by saying that it is nowhere near as bad as some websites are making. I can see why some people may be offended by this mode, as some people are offended in different ways, but let’s be frank, the chances are that the people that are so dead set against this mode, I doubt they will ever play Killer is Dead anyway. If you’re a fan of Suda games (in which case you should know his style of humour), the Gigolo mode is 100% optional, and in fact to play it, you have to navigate through the options to access it. So if you think it would offend you in some way, just don’t play it and enjoy the rest of the game.
Now that elephant in the room has been addressed, let’s talk about what the Gigolo mode involves. Mondo is a ladies man and ladies love Mondo, but seeing as he’s not actually James Bond, he has to work a little harder to get the lovely ladies attention. You will meet a lady in a number of locations and you will attempt to win her over. You do this by admiring the lady and her best assets, but if she catches you glaring at her too much, she will not be impressed and she will slap the taste out of your mouth. The more you admire the lady (without glaring too hard), the more you will fill up your gauge and when the opportunity arises, you will be present her with a gift. These gifts can be purchased from the gift shop and you can buy anything from bubble gum, bouquets, perfume, expensive jewellery and more. If the lady is impressed with her generous gift (and she won’t always be), hopefully you should win the mini game and you will be rewarded with in-game items, such as weapons and so forth. Should the lady not be impressed and you get slapped to often and run out of gifts, then its game over for you.
Throughout the game, you will also bump into a nurse named Scarlet. She will be hidden away and you can usually find her by smashing up loads of objects during each mission. When you find her she will literally get your blood pumping, by filling up your ever so important Blood Gauge. More importantly she also unlocks extra bonus missions for you to participate in and each will require you to complete tasks with certain stipulations; such as defeat a set amount of enemies within the time limit, defeating a set amount of enemies using certain methods, etc etc. It’s kind of like the Challenge of the Titans from God of War 2 or Combat Arena for God of War 3, only with the Suda 51 twist. Your times and scores will then be uploaded to the global leaderboards. Your overall mission score from the campaign will also be uploaded to the global leaderboards.
In total there are plenty of reasons to come back to Killer is Dead long after the campaign has finished, as I’ve mentioned, you have the Gigolo mode, Scarlett missions, not to mention various other bonus missions available to you and you can replay each and every mission in an attempt to beat your previous scores with a New Game+. All in all it took me just under 10 hours to play through the campaign, some missions took and few minutes, so took closer to 20 plus minutes, but the campaign is all about the cinematic experience and frantic gameplay. Killer is Dead is truly an enjoyable experience and in my humble opinion is Suda’s best work on the current gen console.
While Suda 51 games are not everyone’s cup of tea, Killer is Dead is most certainly an acquired taste. It’s a game that you can tell the developers have taken very seriously as it’s obvious that a lot of time and effort has gone into making this game what it is, us gamers can always tell whether a game is a quick fix to make a quick buck or if it’s a game that has had real effort to make it stand out from the crowd. I would urge fans of the Hack ‘n’ Slash genre to give this game a go, as it’s a game with a rich storyline and a contrast of unique characters.
While its humour will not sit well with many, it’s a game that’s a whole lot of fun, but has still managed to have a serious side to it. There are a lot of games that play it safe in the video game industry, especially to those that like to pump out a money spinning sequel. Killer is Dead tries something different in its genre and in this day and age, it’s somewhat of a rarity. So if you dare to break away from the mould, you can’t go far wrong with Killer is Dead, just make sure to keep an open mind when you do.
You can also checkout my playthrough of all the missions from Killer is Dead by clicking HERE.