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■ Game review
Engrossing storyline sure to
make game a killer cult classic
"Killer7's " plot centers on a mission to assassinate a
terrorist group Heaven Smile, who threaten the peace
BY ANDREW MCCOLLUM
FREELANCE REPORTER
It seems that every week another
generic shooter is released into a
market that is already clogged with
boring and derivative games. In early
screenshots and previews “Killer7”
had all the makings of another stan
dard shooter-survival horror game.
The fact that the game was being pro
duced by Capcom, the makers of the
hit-or-miss “Resident Evil” series,
didn’t help raise expectations. Then
Capcom released the incredible
genre-redefining “Resident Evil 4”
and “Killer7” suddenly looked a little
more promising. As it turns out,
“Killer7” isn’t a survival horror game,
or a shooter, but a bizarre genre
bending adventure game that is des
tined to be a cult classic.
“Killer7” is the most interesting
game that has been released in years.
It is a surreal, stylistic adventure
through a troubled world. "Killer7”
finds the Earth in a state of peace; all
Earth’s nations have agreed to de
stroy their intercontinental weaponry
and the world seems to be on its way
to greatness. Then the terrorist group
Heaven Smile reveals itself. Heaven
Smile is made up of monstrous sui
cide bombers who seem to be bent
on destroying the peace that the
world has worked so hard to create.
The game’s plot takes off from there,
touching on topics that have rarely
been seen in video games. “Killer7’s”
engrossing story is probably its great
est success; the strange twists and
turns will keep players tied to the
game until the end.
The game’s title is the name of a
group of assassins who are sent to
destroy Heaven Smile. Players control
the Killer7, seven assassins all led by
Harmon Smith, who uses a wheel
chair. But the assassins may not be
real people at all; they may be Har
mon’s split personalities. Players are
able to switch personalities at virtu
ally any time in the game, and each
personality has different abilities and
talents that help players make
progress through the game. One per
sonality can pick locks, another can
turn invisible, another has a scope on
her pistol and can summon a spirit
by letting loose a shower of blood
from her wrist. Sound weird? It is.
Lending to the bizarre storyline
and premise is “Killer7’s” amazing
presentation. The game uses a cell
shaded graphical style that looks like
a cartoon, but certainly isn’t childish.
Initially the game’s gritty graphical
style is somewhat jarring, but as
players grow accustomed to the game
they will appreciate the bold deci
sions the developer made. The
game’s sound completes the immer
sive experience; from the crackling
fires in a burning building to the
rusty hinges of a gate being closed
the game’s audio experience is some
of the best heard in any game today.
While “Killer7” succeeds in pres
entation and storytelling, it all but
fails when it comes to gameplay.
Movement in “Killer7” is confined to
preset pathways, one button makes
the character run forward, the other
turns the character around. When a
character reaches a junction, a flick
of the joystick sends the character
down the chosen path. Combat con
sists of shooting the various Heaven
Smile members that amble toward
the character. Most enemies have an
easy-to-hit weak spot; hitting these
spots means an instant kill. Boss bat
tles are generally simple, and there
are a few that seem almost impossi
ble to lose. The game’s puzzles are
fairly obvious, and there are always
characters that will offer hints.
“Killer7” is far from challenging. In
fact, it seems the developers didn’t
want “Killer7’s” gameplay to get in
the way of its story.
Players will know whether they
like “Killer7” within the first 15
minutes of gameplay. Some will be
put off by the game’s odd art style
and confining controls. Others will
see the game as a refreshing break
from the run-of-the-mill games that
the industry has been putting out
recently. Those who stick with
“Killer7” are in for an interesting
and unique experience that is unlike
any other video game.
Heads up Penny
I
headsuppenny.com
© Cat Baldwin 2005 7-14
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