The Down and Dirty

A hitman with seven different personalities finds himself caught in the middle of some seriously shady business.

The Goods

Ok, I know that description doesn't actually say much about the gameplay, but Killer 7 is like nothing I've ever seen before. Though it does have a well developed story at its core, that's almost incidental to its appeal. Killer 7 is so fresh and different, it's incredibly difficult to describe. I'd love to be able to say "Just play it! Trust me!" but that's not what they pay me for, so…here goes.

Killer 7 is sort of like a shooter on rails. Instead of being free roaming, the player can only move forward, backward, or stop. At various points in the track, players will have the option to choose a new path, but ultimately the game is very linear. The view is in third person until the player encounters an enemy, at which point it can be switched to first person for aiming purposes. The enemies, however, aren't the typical lowlifes we've come to expect. In fact, they aren't even human. Enemies aren't fully visible (and therefore can't be hurt) until the player switches to first person view and "flashes" the area. Not only does this make the bad guys visible, it also highlights their particular weak spot. Hitting the weak spot leads to a one hit kill and explodes the enemy into a shower of blood, which the main character collects to maintain his health.

As if all of that weren't weird enough, the main character has seven distinct and varied personalities, such as the woman in a mini-dress who can use a scope to snipe her victims, or the dual wielding blind man who can shoot and reload with lightening quickness. One of the personalities is a medic who can revive any of the other personalities, should they die, but since both his defensive and offensive capabilities are very low, using him is risky. Personalities can be swapped out on the fly, and blood that one character collects is shared by all for healing purposes.

The visual style of Killer 7 is cel shading with an attitude, similar to Shin Megami Tensai: Nocturne. As more and more games focus on creating a sense of realism, it's refreshing to see one take a chance on creating a style and look that sets it apart and makes it stand out as not just a game, but actual art. The rail movement takes a bit of getting used to, but the controls are simple to learn and easy to execute.

The Verdict

Due out in June, Killer 7 should end up clocking in at 20-40 hours of slick, innovative gameplay. Just play it. Trust me.