Killer7 (PC) Review

A killer ride worth taking.

 A tense game of Russian Roulette, a talking dead corpse, and a wheelchair-bound man with seven personalities, all that and more is present in Killer7, the cult classic from the minds at Grasshopper Manufacture. Released in the heydays of the PS2 and GameCube era, Killer7 was a unique game unlike any other when it came out. I've longed to play it for years and when it finally saw a long-awaited remaster a while ago, I couldn't be much more excited to dive into what's considered to be one of developer Suda51's greatest title of all-time. Without any further delays, it's time to finally dive into the twisted world of Killer7, now on PC! 

 In the distant future, world peace has been achieved. Just as when things start to finally settle down, a mysterious terrorist group known as the "Heaven Smile" plunges the world into chaos. To combat this threat, the United States government enlists the help of assassin Harman Smith, a sickly man who has the ability to manifest into six other personalities, hence the name "killer7". Without ruining the game's heavy narrative, Killer7 is a wildly entertaining tale of conspiracy surrounding its world and that of revenge. Despite some favorites such as Dan and Garcian, I felt that the other personalities could have benefited from having their own chance at the spotlight, especially when there's more to them than meets the eye. Regardless, Killer7 packs a wildly outlandish political plot full of revelations and twist ending that even hints at a possible sequel.

The grand finale is one hell of a head-scratcher.

 Killer7 is a rail shooter where you control one of the 7 assassins across the game's multi-layered levels. I'll outright say that the controls are unconventional at first. You move around in third-person by holding the A button while quickly switching to first-person when engaging the Heaven Smiles. Holding R2 will enter first-person mode and holding L2 is will bring up a visor in which you can scan enemies to hit their weak points. The latter is a must as enemies will initially appear invisible. A cumbersome process, especially with the fixed camera system, after a brief while it became second nature.

The controls are unconventional and fresh,

despite it coming off as clunky.

 Health is represented by a large eye icon and as you take damage it will start to close. Enemies drop blood upon death and will drop tons if you hit weak points, which can be used to restore health and increase each of the character's skills including attack power, speed, and critical hits. At the cost of blood, Dan and Mask de can charge up their attacks at the expense of using blood tubes. All 7 main leads all have their own unique weapons and abilities to boot. For example, Kaede Smith uses a handgun with a scope for accurate shots while Kevin Smith uses throwing knives instead. In terms of abilities, Garcian Smith is the "cleaner" of the group, who will revive any of the fallen killers during a level and Mask de Smith can destroy any large objects using his wrestling moves. You can freely switch through all seven of them on the go as well. It was especially helpful against some of the boss encounters as how well you do depends on which character you're using.

The gameplay is varied as each character feels
completely different. 

 Speaking of the bosses, I found some of them to be hit and miss. Some favorites include a duel in which you must watch a bird's movements closely to quickly shoot your foe and when the killer7 must face against a Power Rangers-inspired team in 1v1 fashion, which was surprisingly entertaining. With that said, there are some bosses that plain sucked due to blandness. The worst offender was an insta-kill boss that can quickly end the fight and send to the previous save room if you mistakenly manage to bump into him. Most of the levels has you navigating through a variety floors to reach new areas, some of which include puzzles for you to solve. Some can easily be solved and upon completing some of them, you'll receive elemental rings that will help you progress further in the stage. Moreover, the game encourages you to switch between characters as segments of a stage can only be advanced by using a certain character's ability such as using Coyote to jump onto high platforms.

Get ready for some odd and over-the-top moments.

Killer7's age is apparent from it being a game from the PS2/GameCube era, however, the remaster polishes things up for current hardware. That and the game's cel-shaded visuals manage to stand the test of time well. While most of the level design require constant backtracking, the game compensates with a colorful palette and nice sceneries. The voicework is fantastic with many over-the-top and chilling performances that makes every encounter pretty suspenseful. The talented Masafumi Takada scores the game's soundtrack and it ranges from chilling, ambient tracks such as "Sweet Blue Flag" and Russian Roulette" to catchy and upbeat ones like "Rave On".

The game receives a boost to 60FPS and full screen support.

 As for the Steam port, it's so-so. The upgrade to 60 frames-per second and full screen support is commendable. Unfortunately, the game's anime cutscenes didn't receive any polish as they look blurry and low-quality. I found myself experiencing some crashes which made me lose precious progress in certain points of the game, which can be a source of frustration. Additionally, there were some sound issues during cutscenes as I was unable to hear certain conversations, which I feel that the option of subtitles would have remedied.

 There's a certain amount of depth that few games these days can achieve. Killer7's wide range of moody characters and suspenseful atmosphere manages to stand out in an age where all games are seemingly becoming more of the same. Coupled with a twisted storyline and art-style that has aged gracefully, and Killer7 is probably the most unique game out there, for me at least. Despite the average port and limited appeal, those scouting for an over-the-top surreal experience with few bits of surprising humor, Killer7 won't disappoint.