4-Jul-2005 Mental illness may not sound like a great jump-off point for an action game, but Killer 7 begs to differ. It's not just odd, it's mail-yourself-to-Cuba, gin-on-yourcornflakes, wear-a-Victorian-weddingdress-to-work odd.
Do you want to know exactly how weird? Main character Harmon Smith is a wheelchair-bound man who has seven split personalities (all with his surname) which he can manifest in the real world. Each has ever more insane skills. For example, Mask De Smith dual-wields shotguns, while Garcian Smith picks up the dead bodies of others and then brings them back to life.
Con Smith can run silly fast. Coyote Smith is an expert lock-picker. Kaede Smith is female and can slit her wrists to open doors - no, we're not kidding. And Kevin Smith makes artistic indie films for the geek generation. Oh, no, sorry, this Kevin Smith can evade enemies by turning himself invisible.
All this takes place in a world so patently insane it makes the lead character look almost well-adjusted. Ghoulish enemies creep out from the walls to slit your throat, and a strange puppet-man drops from the ceiling to dole out advice. Severed heads talk, crazy stuff appears out of nowhere, everything is generally one slice short of a cheesecake.
Not mondo weirdo enough for you? It gets even stranger. How about this: you don't control your character's movement at all. Instead you choose which path to take, then shoot at enemies as you walk down it, only choosing which way to go when it branches off. Gameplay-wise, it's something like a cross between a firstperson shooter and a light-gun game; visuals-wise, it's like a demented cartoon. This could be the game that defines the term 'acquired taste', but we're thinking it could end up breaking a few boundaries, trying a few new things and giving gaming a bit of a kick up the arse. If there's any method in the madness, that is.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
This is weeeeeeeeird. Good weird or bad weird? Maybe a bit of both. It's pushing the graphical envelope in new ways, but we'll need more persuading as regards the gameplay.
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