Killer is Dead Review

NOT

Story Lacks Depth
Suda51 has pieced together some oddball stories in his time, and maybe that’s why Killer is Dead feels so lackluster. The game switches from straightforward and bland to head-scratching confusion. The setup is simple enough: assassinate the specified target. Once Mondo’s past and the various aspects of the Moon come in to play, everything goes off the rails, and not in the good way. As you progress through the ever-growing madness, you’ll find that the narrative lacks any real depth, depriving you of a a greater experience. There are moments of fourth wall-breaking commentary and some dryly delivered quips from Mondo, but they’re all hit and miss. The ears-on-chalkboard assistant Mika is definitely a miss.

It all comes to an end around the fix or seven hour mark, which means you’ll reach the disappointing finale fairly quickly. It’s the combat that will keep you around in the end. The challenge rooms unlocked along the way by locating the nurse called Scarlett in each level will help you test what you’ve learned throughout the game. I can see these slightly extending the play time once people complete the story. It’s not like the plot is going to have anyone rushing to play through a second time.

Gigolo Missions
Mondo Zappa is more than just a killer; he’s a lady-killer. Due to this fact, he’s constantly putting the moves on women in hopes of bedding them, much like our beloved James Bond. And that’s the kind of vibe Suda was going for when he crafted the Gigolo Missions and the Mondo Girls. Unfortunately, the end result is something more perverted and awkward than Dead or Alive Paradise on the PSP. Gigolo Missions are unlocked as the player progresses through the game, unlocking new women to woo. Selecting one of this missions puts the camera into a first-person view from Mondo’s perspective as he oggles the woman sitting next to him.

The goal here is to stare at their naughty parts while the woman is looking away. You’ll have to press a button to enter “Gigolo Vision” while staring at their lady lumps to fill Mondo’s “Guts” meter. When the woman turns back and looks you in the eyes, you better be looking up, too. You can use “Gigolo Vision” while looking them in the face to increase the mood. But the second they turn for a sip of wine, its back to locking on to those fun bags. Once you’ve filled your “Guts” meter, you can give them a gift that has been purchased from the Gift Store in hopes of winning their favor. The end result is an overwhelming sense of perversion and awkwardness. It only gets worse once you get the special glasses that allow you to see the bra and panties residing under the clothing.

Even worse, these women are not the intellectual type. They can’t carry on a conversation for the life of them. The first Mondo Girl I had the displeasure of sitting down with wouldn’t stop repeating the lines “Fascinating” and “Are you nervous?” the entire time I was forced to sit there and look her over. Now, these missions are optional, but I say I was forced because some of the sub-weapon unlocks are directly tied to completing a couple Gigolo Missions. If you want Mondo’s full arsenal, prepare for things to get a little uncomfortable.

Technical Issues
I was surprised to find out how unstable Killer is Dead is during gameplay. There are two main aspects in which the game falls short of expectations. First, there are the abundant loading screens. Given that the game’s scale is nothing unbelievable, it’s hard to understand why the game needs to load so often. Loading screens can be seen invading nearly ever aspect of the game, showing how poorly optimized it is on platforms which have been around long enough for developers to get comfortable with. Then there’s the ever-present screen tearing. The sheer amount of screen tearing was surprising, and that’s putting it nicely. You wouldn’t expect a 2013 game to perform like this and it isn’t a high or demanding expectation.

Verdict

Killer is Dead is the latest adventure to poor out of Suda51’s imaginative and bizarre brain, one that has its fair share of flaws. The combat is a huge step forward for the developer and its something we’re looking forward to them expanding on in the future. It’s simplicity and brutality are sure to win over those that have played previous Grasshopper games. In addition, the art style is second to none, with its cel-shaded presentation and unforgettable locales housing even more obscure bosses. However, all the eye candy in the world can’t save this creation from the flat storyline and awkward, out-of-place Gigolo missions. What may hit harder is that games of this generation shouldn’t perform as poorly as Killer is Dead does over the course of the six-hour experience. Killer is Dead is going to appeal to Suda51 fans because there’s definitely a gem buried beneath all of its glaring issues, but non-followers won’t find much here to sway them into giving it a shot.

[Editor’s Note: Killer is Dead was reviewed on the PS3. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]