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killer7 Review

Chris Leyton

14/07/2005

Shrouded in mystery, Capcom's latest title splits opinions with its individual take on the action/adventure genre...

It seems a long, long time ago when Capcom first pledged their full allegiance towards Nintendo in 2002; a time that saw the prominent announcements of both Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe, alongside the slightly less memorable P.N.03 and the cancelled Dead Phoenix. Arriving long after the others and with a Playstation2 version joining along the way comes killer7, a joint collaboration between Shinji Mikami, Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Gouichi Suda that promises a lot but is most certainly an acquired taste.

Iâll hold my hands up here and admit I like âweirdâ; anything that is slightly stranger then the norm is good in my books which probably explains the obsession with anything from David Lynch. Right from the start Iâve never played or seen anything like killer7; whether itâs detached heads in tumble-dryers or pink-outfitted gimps dropping down to provide helpful clues and hints, videogames like this generally never escape Japanese shores.

Another note that is worth bearing in mind is the unfortunate timing of the European release, with material that includes references to suicidal-bombers, holy wars and global terrorism. Although thereâs little denying that modern-day issues have influenced the development of the game, the fantastical anime styling and narrative push the game beyond any real-world comparisons.

Describing killer7 in a nutshell is a troublesome task although the fact it splits opinions is immediately apparent. The game can essentially be described as a third-person action/adventure title, switching to the first-person to intensify the action and integrating traditional Capcom puzzles to plenty of head-scratching effect.

Set in an alternative 2003, a time in which a new wave of terror known as Heaven Smiles is spreading fear and panic through every continent, led by a psychopath known as Kun Lan and his army of walking bombs. The only person to stand up against Lan and the Heaven Smiles is Harmon Smith, a wheelchair bound assassin, feared as a âgod-killerâ with seven different personalities that he can transform into at will.

Despite its larger connotations the game is very much a story of these two menâs fateful confrontation, with hints throughout of a mutual respect between the two and a previous friendship â“ Moriyaty to Sherlock Holmes, Magneto to Professor X. Although the story twists and turns in a similar fashion to Se7en or Memento; constantly throwing the player off course and generally in the dark, those who enjoy intrigue and the almost chess like battle between the two protagonists will find themselves completely enwrapped in the story.

In a day and age of too many uninspired, âme-tooâ clones, killer7 comes as a welcoming change, a dramatic one at that, equivalent to having a lemon-wrapped breezeblock slapped around your face repeatedly! Again itâs not for everybody, refusing to walk the player through the game and strictly holding on to the frustrations of games gone by â“ itâs been awhile since Iâve seen a Game Over screen so frequently, yet those whoâve grown up with Capcom will appreciate its aspects that turn others off. Common concepts such as character/camera control and movement are thrown out of the window; despite a veil of mystery surrounding the title during development, one particular aspect to come out was a startling new movement system dubbed âtravellingâ that would feature in the game. As previously said and likely to sprout up at least one more time before the review is finished, itâs an acquired taste and something that feels âtooâ different, too ârestrictiveâ for many. On the other hand it ensures the highly-stylised, cinematic look is prevalent throughout the entire game and not just limited to cut-scenes; more importantly itâs fluid and fast-paced nature ties in with the otherwise rudimentary combat system masterfully, providing the means to make quick getawayâs from the incessant onslaught of the Heaven Smilesâ many surprising attacks. Essentially itâs on-rails; you hold a button and move forwards, press another to make a 180° turn and run the other way. Along the way cutouts provide a means of selecting between different paths, which require a quick flick of the analogue stick to choose between. The system maintains the fluid nature of the game, resulting in a fast-paced, graceful set-up thatâs as far removed from traditional third-person titles as perceivably possible with a system thatâs not too dissimilar to a racing title.

It doesnât take too long after rediscovering how to walk before the agonised, screeching laughter of a Heaven Smile troop becomes apparent; once again killer7 refuses to do things by the numbers, with a combat system thatâs largely different to anything before. Combat or more specifically identifying the threat, largely begins in the ears, with the aforementioned cackle the first sign that something is coming straight for you; a click of the right shoulder-button instantly switches the view to first-person, whilst the left trigger must firstly be used to scan for the opponents weak spot. The various forms in which the Heaven Smiles manifest feature a number of varying attack patterns, ranging from joggers to twitching psychopaths and helps to intensify what could be labelled as an otherwise mundane yet frustrating experience; the surprise nature of the attacks and the importance of listening coupled with the fluid movement system however should quickly establish killer7 as a favourite within the hardcore community.

The seven split personalities of Harman Smith each offer varying characteristics, abilities and agendas, with part of the games challenge stemming from knowing which character to use in certain situations. Harman Smith is naturally the wheelchair bound orchestrator behind the events who also packs a particularly powerful anti-tank rifle holstered to the back of his wheels; Garcian Smith is the leader of the killer7, providing the means of resurrecting fallen members and the possibility of âGame Overâ if he dies; Dan Smith a gruff and aggressive personality with a big attitude and a custom magnum to match; MASK De Smith, a mysterious former professional wrestler hidden by a mask, and with a grenade launcher to blow open cracks in the walls; Coyote Smith a thug who grew up on the streets and can pick locks and access secretive areas; Kevin Smith an albino who uses knifes instead of guns and can disappear into thin air; KAEDE Smith a deadly female assassin with a sniper scope and the ability to summon deadly spirits by blasting out a shower of blood from her wrists; finally Con Smith, a blind assassin whose exceptional hearing allows him to visualise sounds and to attack with intense speed. Switching between characters happens with startling affect via a menu system or at various TVâs, however youâll often have to wake them up by killing a certain number of Heaven Smiles opponents or resurrecting them with Garcian if theyâre dead.

The penalty of death is relatively pain-free to begin with, simply requiring Garcian Smith to discover the fallen memberâs head in a brown paper bag within the customary chalk outline; however death while under the control of Garcian will bring the appearance of a Game Over screen â“ a rare occurrence in this day of guiding gamers by the hand. Eliminating the Heaven Smiles rewards the player with Blood points, which can be used to enhance the assassinsâ attributes and access special techniques. The various techniques are often linked to solving a particular situation, while others intensify or expand upon the characters attacks.

Whilst the gameâs strengths will be evident to some, thatâs not to say that killer7 doesnât have its fair share of misgivings. Despite its linear tones thereâs a great deal of aimless wandering to begin with, highlighted by the speed in which you can zip through events once the various solutions are apparent. The puzzles can at times be a little too cryptic and not helped by the even more obscure narrative, while the âsimplisticâ nature of combat akin to arcade light-gun titles could be a little too restrictive amidst the current popularity of impressive first-person-shooters. The aimless nature of the game will also see players facing up against the same opponents as theyâre respawned whenever an area is loaded; itâs an old feeling and leaves the impression that opponents which could fully chase the player throughout the entire level would have dramatised the nature of combat within the game.

Before the game has even started the anime inspired, hard-edged graphical style is immediately apparent. Replacing intricate object details with shadows and highlights, the graphical imagery of killer7 signifies the different experience that the game presents. The game is a visual feast and will be popular amongst fans of manga; much like many of these movies, graphic violence is often present with startling results. Sadly the Playstation2 version is prone to slow-down during anything that borders on intense, while the longer load times do impede the otherwise rapid nature of the gameâs progress.