Killer Is Dead - New Game of the Day #46

What? A new assassin game from Goichi Suda, creator of Killer7 and No More Heroes, that focuses on love, life, death and the moon. Yep, the moon.

When? 2013

Where? PS3 and Xbox 360

Goichi Suda, or Suda 51 as he's also known, really likes Assassin stories. Killer7 and No More Heroes focused on the tales of hired killers and while his more recent works have focused on Demon Hunters (Shadows of the Damned), high school zombie killers (Lollipop Chainsaw) and cyberpunk detectives (Snatcher inspired radio drama Sdatcher), Killer Is Dead sees the inimitable designer return to the world of professional man murder.

Set in the near future Killer Is Dead casts you as an 'executioner', a Dexter of sorts who is on a mission to eliminate S ranked criminals. Your character reportedly has someone to look out for, meaning this could be Suda's most humane story to date. Well, humane in that respect, all those S-Ranked criminals will likely bring fresh perspective to the definition of 'mental'. Just look at this concept art, big blob man stomping on a nuclear plant? A village ravaged by gigantic icicles? Fantastic.

Gameplay is described as a mix between Killer7 and No More Heroes. The No More Heroes inspiration is clear, what with swordplay being the main form of combat, but quite what Killer7 ideas will translate are less obvious. The game apparently has some similarities to James Bond so we assume the Killer7 concepts will emanate from a stronger puzzle focus and possibly larger, interconnected environments. Hopefully it doesn't mean our lead man will have a sometimes abusive, sometimes helpful psycho bint looking after him. Or a ghost gimp telling him about tight spots. Brr.

Killer Is Dead looks to be Grasshopper's most ambitious title to date, with huge cities and varied locales. Whether it will tie into the Zaka-verse alongside Killer7, No More Heroes and the recent Diabolical Pitch is unknown, and largely geeky, but this is certainly one to keep tabs on.

Developer Legacy: Grasshopper Manufacture know their way around a video game. Especially a video game about assassins. From Flower, Sun and Rain though Killer7, to No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw, the Japanese punk developer has had a while to iron out its unique brand of strange. Sure, gameplay has gotten slightly more conventional as time has gone on, but narrative, characters and scenarios have retained that extraordinary flair.

What They Say: “However, this time the killer is not a hero, it is a point to appear as an enemy. In the profession called "Boondock Saints" hero, you will be going one after another to get rid of the S-class criminals around the world villainy. It signifies "kill the killer" means that title.” Famitsu interview fed through the incredible and completely faultless Google Translate.

What We Say: The great thing about a Grasshopper title is that you never really know what you're getting until you get it. With an emphasis on a non-hero, this should be Suda's darkest title to date, and that's saying something.

Can't wait? Play This: No More Heroes is the groundwork for Killer Is Dead's combat, and it's still a dang fine game so track down a copy and get your Wii on.

Website: http://www.grasshopper.co.jp/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/grasshopper.manufacture

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Grasshopper_EN/

Words by James Bowden (Twitter: @Dalagonash)

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