Killer 7

[The NZA]

 

Honestly, this game is so much of a mind fuck I can't tell if my mind is being raped or if it's consensual.

 

I really dont want to say too much until i get further along/tie it up, but my growing love for Suda 51 (and talk on GAF about this game as an example of art) finally got me to give this one a proper go. For those unfamiliar with the premise: you're a serial killer with at least 6 other personas, and you do wetwork/hits when called upon to do so. The best advice i think ive been given so far is to just play/experience the title and not try wrapping my head around it/sorting shit out too much till the end, where im told even the odd design choices are explained. Ill say this from where i'm at, though: the game does have a hidden depth, id had no indication when starting out that there'd be so much religious/political undertones; i was expecting a more crazy boss-fight game like No More Heores, and im certainly getting that but there's more going on.

 

As said before, it feels off-putting/esoteric to a fault initially, as the controls are basically on-the-rails but you control the pace. This can and will leave you near enemy spawn points, sometimes hating life if you didnt put enough power into whichever persona you're using. The game's puzzles thus far are fairly well done, and borderline clever in some instances - each persona has a special non-combat ability to familiarize yourself with, and if you find yourself stumped by some of the trickier puzzles as the game progresses, you can appease the True Mask for hints, and a fair amount of berating in the process.

 

Suda's trademarks abound - there's punk references, Lucha Libre, all of it, and im loving it. An example of the over-the-top shit i love from this guy is this scene with said luchador when he's trying to take out something behind a sushi chef, who nervously fires on him...cue the slow mo, holding back the double-shotguns so he can rush in and headbutt the fucking bullet. In between the game's heavier moments, i gotta say i really love shit like this out of nowhere.

 

Again, too early on to say much, and im not going to pretend to fully grasp what's going on, but im loving it so far. This one's got the potential to bump Suda up to my personal favorites if it keeps delivering.

[The NZA]

...meant to revisit this one now that id finished it.

 

holy shit, this game was somethin'. The 2nd half of the game (Handsome Men battle & such) were classics, last 2 acts really brought the mindfuck full-circle, even if some of it shouldve been more obvious, looking back.

 

this is not to say that i fully grasped the entirety of the plot. i mean, damn, there's apparently a lot to it.

 

This game did indeed cement Suda51 as one of my favorite devs, between this and No More Heroes i definitely want in on anything he puts out. Mind you, his design choices here - just as the first impressions'll give - are off-putting, and there's times i wanted to throw the goddamn controller (unlimited enemy spawn points right next to a goddamn puzzle?! @#$%), but he's clearly on some other shit with the plot. To give you a window into the madness, check out this scene (Spoiler, obviously...not that you'll know who's who for a while).

 

 

....one of the more brutal scenes last gen, id imagine. stuff like that could happen almost outta nowhere. This game really was an experience.