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KILLER7 (PS2)
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Publisher: Capcom.
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture. Released: July 2005. Genre: Shoot 'em up. Other versions: GC. Posted 1st March 2019. By Shane Battams © 2019 |
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The coming together of gaming auteur Suda 51 and an experimental Capcom in 2005 appears a match made in heaven. The first game from the famed developer to be localised outside of his native Japan, with the assistance of Shinji Mikami as writer, Killer7 would start life as a GameCube exclusive before the console’s commercial troubles would result in a simultaneous release on PlayStation 2. Strange, uncomfortable and completely unconventional, Killer7 mixes striking style and a distinctive narrative with clunky gameplay and frustrating barriers of entry, leaving it more of a curiosity than an enjoyable game.
Harman Smith is a killer for hire, taking out targets he deems fit for execution. While a wheelchair-bound sniper may seem odd, he has some tricks up his sleeve, in the form of seven personalities that range from the cool Garcian, to the chaotic lucha wrestler Mask De Smith. His personalities will come in handy too as the psychotic Kun Lan has begun spreading deadly, cackling monsters known as Heaven Smile. But before long, the game unravels into a far wider, more convoluted conflict which touches on politics, spirituality and identity. It starts off rather intriguing, but eventually spirals into something strange and somewhat alienating, with cheap shocks and a bewildering ending.
Describing Killer7 from a mechanical standpoint is hard, as it doesn’t comfortably fit into a single genre. There are elements of Suda’s previous works, with adventure-game puzzles and exploration. But rather than navigate screen-by-screen, your character is locked to an on-rails movement, allowing you to move forward through the environment, change direction to return and divert to other areas by swapping at pre-designated points. It’s a strange system, and the controls are particularly odd on the DualShock. These troubles can be overcome, but it feels unintuitive. When you combine it with lacklustre puzzles that rely on backtracking rather than intellect, it’s an average adventure.
Harman Smith is a killer for hire, taking out targets he deems fit for execution. While a wheelchair-bound sniper may seem odd, he has some tricks up his sleeve, in the form of seven personalities that range from the cool Garcian, to the chaotic lucha wrestler Mask De Smith. His personalities will come in handy too as the psychotic Kun Lan has begun spreading deadly, cackling monsters known as Heaven Smile. But before long, the game unravels into a far wider, more convoluted conflict which touches on politics, spirituality and identity. It starts off rather intriguing, but eventually spirals into something strange and somewhat alienating, with cheap shocks and a bewildering ending.
Describing Killer7 from a mechanical standpoint is hard, as it doesn’t comfortably fit into a single genre. There are elements of Suda’s previous works, with adventure-game puzzles and exploration. But rather than navigate screen-by-screen, your character is locked to an on-rails movement, allowing you to move forward through the environment, change direction to return and divert to other areas by swapping at pre-designated points. It’s a strange system, and the controls are particularly odd on the DualShock. These troubles can be overcome, but it feels unintuitive. When you combine it with lacklustre puzzles that rely on backtracking rather than intellect, it’s an average adventure.
Killer7 is creative and unusual, though not all of its ideas come off
Things get worse when combat comes calling. Each killer comes equipped with a unique, infinite-ammo weapon, and each character also comes with special abilities. Kaede can zoom in while she aims, Kevin can turn invisible for a brief time and Dan can fire charged shots. Many of these not only are useful in combat, but also are required for some puzzles. The shooting, on the whole though, is clunky. Aiming has a slight sway which, while not an issue in some games, is frustrating for enemies that require precision targetting. Heaven Smile monsters take many forms, some of which require specific shots to take down. Some come suited in armour, others only take damage in certain areas and every enemy has a glowing spot which can instantly kill foes, but lining up that shot can be nauseating.
These elements all combine for a frustrating time. There’s a little bit of leeway, as Garcian Smith can revive any of the other personalities by finding their body bag in the location they died. But this is irritating, as you’re forced to backtrack through areas with respawning enemies to reach them. Until you do so, they are locked from use, often preventing progress entirely. Fairly-spread rooms allow you to save progress, use thick blood to upgrade abilities and swap characters. But these don’t alleviate the frustration, with some areas seemingly designed to infuriate the player. When you consider using hints to solve puzzles results in being flipped the bird, this theory might have weight to it, but whether intentional or not, it’s still a chore.
These elements all combine for a frustrating time. There’s a little bit of leeway, as Garcian Smith can revive any of the other personalities by finding their body bag in the location they died. But this is irritating, as you’re forced to backtrack through areas with respawning enemies to reach them. Until you do so, they are locked from use, often preventing progress entirely. Fairly-spread rooms allow you to save progress, use thick blood to upgrade abilities and swap characters. But these don’t alleviate the frustration, with some areas seemingly designed to infuriate the player. When you consider using hints to solve puzzles results in being flipped the bird, this theory might have weight to it, but whether intentional or not, it’s still a chore.
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And be prepared for a lot of it, as the game is uncomfortably long. Most players will probably spend close to 15 hours to finish the game the first time, and for the truly masochistic, Killer8 mode is unlocked. Despite the boon of an extra personality, enemies can kill most players in a single hit, lack any notable weak spots and take far more damage to kill. Why any player would want to subject themselves to such an experience is a mystery.
Killer7 earns a lot of points for style though. It’s a striking game visually, with a flat, shaded art style that almost always looks flattering. Environments pop with colour, cut-scenes shift in style ranging from anime to graphic novel and the violence is dramatic, with streams of blood spraying from enemies when vanquished. The only downer is an ugly looking red bar which invades cut-scenes and some severe slowdown in crowded areas which compounds the gameplay issues. The sound is just as impressive, with an offbeat soundtrack that works despite lacking sense at times, potent sound effects such as the horrifying cackle of the Heaven Smile and solid voice work that’s only undermined by a sometimes uneven script and canned lines which become repetitive.
Killer7 earns a lot of points for style though. It’s a striking game visually, with a flat, shaded art style that almost always looks flattering. Environments pop with colour, cut-scenes shift in style ranging from anime to graphic novel and the violence is dramatic, with streams of blood spraying from enemies when vanquished. The only downer is an ugly looking red bar which invades cut-scenes and some severe slowdown in crowded areas which compounds the gameplay issues. The sound is just as impressive, with an offbeat soundtrack that works despite lacking sense at times, potent sound effects such as the horrifying cackle of the Heaven Smile and solid voice work that’s only undermined by a sometimes uneven script and canned lines which become repetitive.
Suda51 is at the helm, so you can expect much in the way of philosophical musings
Killer7 is an oddball game that is as intriguing as it is infuriating. It’s unconventional to a fault, eschewing so many conventions that it crafts an identity all of its own. It’s a bold attempt to stand out in an industry which, at the time, was becoming stagnant, but it lacks the gameplay to maintain pace. The clunky shooting, dull puzzling and infuriating enemies make seeing out Killer7’s charms difficult to appreciate, to the point that it loses its lustre long before the dozens of hours of gameplay are over. Unless your curiosity completely overcomes you, Killer7 is an unusual game that doesn’t capitalise on its best traits.
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VERDICT
"...an oddball game that is as intriguing as it is infuriating. Killer7 is a bold attempt to stand out, but it doesn’t capitalise on its best traits." OVERALL: 5/10 |