E3 2013: Killer is Dead: Combat Evolved

Killer is Dead, Suda51's newest creation has all the style you would expect from the man responsible for games like Lollipop Chainsaw, Shadows of the Damned and Killer 7 -which many are considering this the spiritual successor of- but there is one important difference that sets this game apart from at least a few of those titles. Namely, the fighting and core mechanics are stellar, well polished and well designed. You heard me...and I haven't even been drinking yet.

Believe me, I'm in no way trying to denigrate the work of Mr. Suda51, but I think we can all be honest with the fact that his games, though fun, usually suffered somewhat in the technical department. Shadows of the Damned was an exception of course, most probably due to the influence of Shinji Mikami, but Lollipop Chainsaw suffered terribly in combat and camera areas. Fighting in Killer is Dead, on the other hand, is worlds better and wholly more satisfying than I've experienced from a Suda51 title yet.

Combat is mainly accomplished through two mechanics, sword play and a mechanical arm that can shoot as one of four different weapon types. Defensive maneuvers consist of both a block and a dodge which, when executed with precise timing, will enter the player into a slowed-time mechanic similar to “Witch Time” from Bayonetta. In this mode the player can execute multiple attacks on his enemies or pull of execution type moves that result in instant kills. While not as responsive as Bayonetta -lets admit things are- it still feels great. The main character also has a tendency to go for the nearest enemy as you tear through enemies, allowing the player to effortlessly handle group combat without having to focus on adjusting the camera to get a view of the action. Again, another problem that plagued Lollipop Chainsaw badly.

The graphics, through highly stylized, are also well defined. Meaning that the player doesn't get lost in the action when things start to heat up. Admittedly one of my first worries when I initially saw the game. And the boss fight I encountered was fun and challenging without being frustrating. Of course Suda bosses were always entertaining.

I hate to admit it, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how well Killer is Dead played, and this is coming from someone who is a fan of Suda games. This one is an an entirely different level in terms of mechanic execution that blows previous Suda51 titles out of the water. Now if only Lollipop Chainsaw could have come out after this.