Take LSD, Cowboy Bebop, Quentin Tarantino, and David Lynch, mix them all together and what do you get? Killer7!
Killer7 tells the strangest, most intelligent story since…say…Silent Hill 2. You play as Harman Smith…sort of. You play as Harman Smith, the leader of a government-contracted group of assassins called the Killer7. They are hired by the government for one reason, to kill a terrorist group called the Heaven Smile. The Heaven Smile are grotesque, mutated, walking bombs hell-bent on destroying everything in their path. Everything. The Killer7 discover that behind the Heaven Smile is a man named Kun Lan, who is creating them with a special power he has called the God Hand. Kun Lan is a very good friend of Harman Smith. The situation only escalates from here. Oh, and now is probably a good time to tell you that Harman Smith is at LEAST 70 years old, and is in a wheelchair. Then how exactly is he so dangerous? He can harness the power of his multiple personalities. They have their own distinct personalities, powers, and bodies. That’s right, bodies. It’s as if Harman Smith changes forms, if he is even there at all. I’m itching to give away this plot right now, and give my interpretation on everything, but I won’t. Maybe I’ll make a Killer7 plot analysis someday. But I will say this, Killer7 is full of symbolism. It’s the kind of over-the-top surreal experience that only calls to mind surrealist filmmakers like Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fano y Lis, El Topo) and David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive). Unlike those two filmmakers, who tackle religion and social issues respectively, Killer7 is all about politics. It’s an interesting take on subjects such as WWII, the Japanese Diet, and other East vs. West landmarks. Complementing the wicked story is Killer7’s notorious gameplay. It’s strange, and there’s just no other way to put it. It’s a very original take on several different genres, which in the end forms its own little niche in the world of gaming. I don’t expect anybody to start copying the formula, though. At its most basic, it’s a rail-track game. You hit A and your character moves along a set path, eventually coming to junctions, and then you must decide which way to go. When you hear a strange laugh, it’s time to get serious. Hitting R will take you to a well designed, responsive First Person mode, which really adds spice to the game, as well as being the gameplay’s major conceit. Once in First Person mode you must scan for the enemies using sophisticated visual equipment, because the Heaven Smile use optic camouflage. Once you have them nice and scanned, it’s time to kill them. You can either blast away, blowing off limbs, heads, etc. (if you play off their legs, arms or heads, that won’t stop them from coming at you, by the way) or you can find their weak spot. It works basically like Heaven Smile-ish creatures in Resident Evil 4. Find the weak spot, blow it away. In Killer7, though, you collect their blood. Blood from the Heaven Smile can be used for several things, like doing special abilities with some of the characters (which I’ll get into in a minute), healing yourself, or leveling up your characters. There are some light RPG functions to this game. Your characters overall stats can be raised using serum refined from the blood. Things like power, Criticals, Waver and other things for certain characters (for instance Kevin Smith can power up his invisibility ability). There are eight members in the Smith Syndicate, and they all have their own special powers. Harman Smith is the only playable character with no ability. Garcian Smith, the middleman and leader of the Kiler7’s strike force, has the ability to see the Heaven Smile without scanning them, and resurrect the other remnant psyches from the dead. That may be why he is known as “The Cleaner”. Dan Smith, who bears a striking resemblance to Spike Spiegel, can shoot super-power bullets from his gun, called the “Collateral Shot”. Kaede Smith, the only girl in the syndicate, can slit her wrists in an effort to destroy barriers or collect blood. Coyote Smith can also shoot charged shots, even if they aren’t as powerful as Dan’s, pick difficult locks, and jump high distances. Kevin Smith can turn invisible. Con Smith can fit in small spaces, a sonar ability, and super speed. Mask De Smith is a luchador who can pull off some sweet wrestling moves. Each of the characters is very distinct, has a distinct personality, and is a blast to play with. My biggest complaints are that there is no easy way to heal or switch characters, you have to go to the Pause screen for both, and only about five of the eight members of the Killer7 (eight including Harman) really have any meaningful plot time. Kind of a letdown. And as far as the story goes, it’s the only one.
The graphics in the game are very distinct and original. The graphics are cel-shaded a la The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The graphics are beautiful to look at. There is artistry galore; I’m surprised this game didn’t win more awards for its artistic beauty. From a technical standpoint the graphics don’t hold up quite as well, but by no means are they bad. You will see a lot of arms melting through walls, or inappropriate shadows, but chances are you’ll be taken with the insane art-deco surrealism of the rest of the visuals. There is also a distinct lack of interactivity with the environments, but considering you’re moving on a set path, there aren’t too many chances to interact anyway. At the end of the day, it’s true that there may be a few problems with Killer7 graphically, from a technical standpoint, but the truth of the matter is, it’s breathtakingly beautiful, and hard to be turned off by.
The sound in the game is equally brilliant. The laughs of the Heaven Smile are enough to drive you mad, and the oddball quirks of the game’s soundtrack are also quite fun. Not to mention that occasionally the composer kicks into high gear and offers some seriously weighty, affecting music. The voice acting is sublime. It’s the best, par none. Killer7 and Eternal Darkness probably house the best voice acting of any game ever, and it’s also great to hear such great acting over such great dialogue. There’s also the metallic whispers of the remnant psyches Iwazaru, Travis, Yoon-Hyoon, Susie, Kess, and other’s. They are the ghosts of people killed by the Killer7, and in an Odd Thomas touch, they can’t help but stick around you, offering hints, important and clarifying bits of story, or just to harass you.
You wouldn’t think a game like this would offer great replay value, just looking on the surface, and I wouldn’t blame you. But I’ve played through this game 4 or 5 times in the year that I’ve had it. It’s because of the originality and the story. Just like I’ve watched Kill Bill and my entire David Lynch collection numerous times. This game is a blast to play through on just the brilliant, complex, shattering story alone, and I find the gameplay quite fun. Not only that, it isn’t too long (maybe about 15 hours on your first time through), and it gets shorter on repeat plays, using your leveled up characters and knowing what to do on most of the puzzles beforehand.
Killer7 is a very ambitious game that succeeds on every level. Its equal bits original, hard-hitting, funny, scary, and just plain fun. It’s a wild dose of style that’ll keep you glued to the edge of your seat! (Wow, Peter Travers just called, he wants his line back.)