Originally Written for: destructoid.com

Suda 51 is to say the least, a very prolific face in the game industry. Ever since the release of Killer 7 back in 2005 Mr. 51 developed something of a cult following that has slowly grown over time. The man takes inspiration from the strangest subjects; icons of pop culture, pulp serials, and anime ephemera are all fair game. It is for this reason that many people (myself included) recognize Suda as sort of Japanese Quentin Tarantino. It is with this mindset that I looked forward to Killer Is Dead, Suda’s latest tale of love and execution told through the eyes of an emotionally dead assassin who wields a Katana. The comparisons with Kill Bill are immediate as far as I was concerned and the prospect of experiencing something like that through an interactive medium was too good to resist. Only after playing it do I realize that while Suda’s passion and love are on display, his actual execution leaves a lot to be desired. Triumphing in certain areas and misfiring in others Killer Is Dead is definitely the most polarizing game Suda 51 has ever put out.

Following in the footsteps of Suda’s past games Killer 7 and NO MORE HEROES, Killer Is Dead is centered on the bizarre stigmatized life of a contractor killer. The game stars Mondo Zappa a contract killer for the Bryan Execution Firm, an organization built around government-sanctioned assassination and monster extermination. Mondo is a man jaded by the trials and tribulations of his world, even though “his world” happens to be a place where cybernetic enhancements are readily available, celestial icons of mythology walk amongst ordinary citizens, and travel to the moon has is commonplace. The world of Killer Is Dead is one steeped in the surreal and the nightmarish. Players need only play a few seconds of the game’s frankly stunning film noir style opening in which Mondo decapitates a shifty eyed gunman and then watch the moon absorb his misty malice and they will know that the world they play in is not a friendly one.

That is not to say the story is without levity or indeed the story is forgotten at all, in fact that narrative as a whole progresses quite well. Presented mostly as a sequence of standalone vignettes, or case files, the player will encounter an Alice in Wonderland spider alien, a deliciously evil Mozart consumed by malice, a giant neon baby monster, a runaway locomotive given sentience, and David, the flamboyant king of the moon and the main antagonist of the game. In terms of creative characters Killer Is Dead knocks it out of the park. The entire main cast is well designed, nicely developed, and well acted thanks to a great cast of voice actors including veterans Patrick Seitz and Liam O’Brian. There are some problems to be had with the dialogue through. It is by its very nature cheesy and serious at the same time, but it does get rather redundant. I have no problem with Mondo saying the trademark “killer is dead” phrase before killing a killer. But saying it at the start of almost every mission as well is unnecessary.

Typical to Suda’s style though, all of this strangeness is nothing more than a red herring made to distract players from the story’s true meaning. Mondo and David are essentially two men fighting for the sake of their love and their past. But just as absolute power corrupts absolutely so too does true love truly corrupt. Forces clash in this eternal dance until eventually this malicious love reaches its breaking point and blood is spilled.

The thematic payoff is indeed heavy, made even stronger by the utterly gorgeous art direction and level design. Bringing back his trademark style Suda and his team give us a gorgeous game to play through. Vibrant shades of colors mix with pitch-black shadows and shimmering whites to create one of the most beautiful cell-shaded games I have ever played. This is to say nothing of the actual level design. Levels range from a wonderland inspired clock towers to a self-referential military base (titled area 151).

As the player progresses through these levels they will have to fight through waves of enemies in a traditional hack and slash gameplay format. Fortunately while the combat is not quite anything innovative, it is polished to a mere shine. This is easily one of the best combat systems Grasshopper has ever done, putting more of an emphasis on building combo chains through consecutive sword slashes while avoiding getting hit yourself. Mondo is also armed with a cybernetic left arm that can shift into various deadly weapons for long distance combat. Every successful hit builds up Mondo’s blood gauge that players can use to power up their sub weapons or execute an adrenaline rush attack, instantly slicing the enemy in two. All of these elements can be upgraded throughout the game at any time ensuring that obtrusive menus never inconvenience the player. The camera does have some focus issues and could present a problem to more seasoned action junkies. Personally though I had no trouble adjusting the camera even when it got caught in tight spaces.

Either way, players will be accompanied by the game’s eclectic soundtrack the entire way through. From swinger lounge music to heavy metal to symphonic strings, composer Akira Yamaoka never disappoints in his compositions.

With all of that said I would like nothing better than to slap a five star rating on this game and call it day. Unfortunately I cannot. While Killer Is Dead might have some little problems here and there they never detract from the experience. Rather it’s the one big problem that spoils a good chunk of the game. At certain times Mondo will be called on to be a gigolo. I wish I was kidding but no, Mondo Zappa actually plays the role of a gigolo and is called by women to come and escort them. Suda 51 said he wanted these missions to bring to mind the scenes in James Bond films, where Bond swaggers up to the bar and makes a lady his. If that’s what he was going for it pains me to say that he utterly failed.

“Mondo’s Girls” are encountered on gigolo missions and are ogled through gigolo vision while they are not looking in order to earn guts points. After gaining enough players can give the girl a present to win her heart. What’s really painful is that this system came so close to making sense. The whole idea of James Bond was that he slept with women to ignore the pain he kept inside. They were disposable pleasures and nothing more. Beneath all of the frankly uncomfortable ogling I can see the glimmer of that concept. Mondo is the darker equivalent of Bond. A man not just haunted by malice but one consumed by it, so it would make sense that he would crave disposable pleasure. It’s worth noting however that Bond was smooth, a ladies man that would actually talk to the ladies and (in his own way) get to know them as individual people. Throughout all of these missions though, the ladies sit down, look pretty, and say the most vapid fetishistic dialogue born straight out of a bad romance film. Meanwhile, Mondo presumably sits across from them, says nothing, and somehow works his way into their pants. What’s worse is that the player has to do this gross minigame to unlock more sub weapons and upgrade points. So what was a creepy exercise in ogling has now become objectification as these women are reduced to walking weapon caches.

Still, I would be remiss to not mention Mondo’s partner Vivienne, his long lost friend Moon River, and his kooky assistant Mika. All three are strong characters in their own right. Moon River and Mika in particular actually carry some thematic weight to the plot and while they are not terribly interesting themselves, their stories are.

Despite their presence however I cannot forget the fact that there is a sexy nurse character that hands out combat challenges, and offers sex and x-ray glasses as a reward. This is why it is so hard for me. Speaking as someone whose perception of video games was changed by the likes of Suda 51, I find it incredibly disconcerting that he would stoop to the low that are the gigolo missions. What I see in these side quests is nothing short of cynicism, a token attempt to be weird and risqué. It boggles my mind as Suda has tackled sexuality well before; the aforementioned NO MORE HEROES stars Travis Touchdown, a character that is literally the biggest pervert alive, and even that game could boast some of the greatest female characters of two thousand and eight. But Suda has undeniably made a bad call with this one. He failed to remember that when sex is there for its own sake it is not an exploration of sexuality. It's just porn.

In the end I do like Killer Is Dead. It is by no means my favorite Suda game; still for fans of surreal stories of personal growth, love, and malice there is a lot to see here. The soundtrack is stunning, the visuals are gorgeous, and the combat is tight and stylish. At the very least it is something new and exciting as opposed to the generic releases that roll of the shelves most months. For non-Suda fans however, well I’d be lying if I said this was the perfect starting point, such a thing couldn’t be further from the truth.

© 2013 Jared "I.J" Steinberg. All Rights Reserved.

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