A Game that makes you think? Unbelievable!
At first, the game is easy enough to understand. You play as the Harman Smith, a top rank assassin who can split into 7 different personalities, all with the name Smith. You're main rival is Kun Lan and his army of a monster called "Heaven Smile," named because of the smile they have on their face before hugging you and exploding you into little pieces. The Heaven Smile have been attacking different countries, who have been blaming it on each other. Harman Smith must stop the Heaven Smile and Kun Lan before World War III happens.
That's how the story starts, but then it gets thrown into a high powered fan and splattered all over the wall. The thing is, though, that all those splatters mean something. Early on, Killer7 looks as though it de-rails from it's own story. The fact is, the story is very deep and well thought out. Instead of giving you the plot on a silver platter like most games do, Killer7 makes you think. Any and everything is a symbolism for something, and through figuring out those symbols, you uncover the story. A great one at that.
The gameplay is also different from the norm. It plays just like a rail shooter - that is, you can only move on a predetermined path. Hold A to run forward, B to turn around, and when you reach an intersection, select which way you want to go and press the A button. Moving around is as simple as that.
Combat is straightforward too, but still challenging enough to make you a but on edge. Combating the Heaven Smile requires you to first "scan" the area, as enemies are invisible at first. Once you scan the area, they all appear, and you can begin cleaning up. Heaven Smile's limbs can be shot off, but the best way to kill them is to shoot their weak spot (which is random. It could be on their shoulder, head, hip, etc.). This is how you collect blood.
Blood is essential for everything. From buying upgrades to healing you (your health gauge is an eye that closes as you get hurt), to using said upgrades. The game almost forces you to shoot the weak spot, because any other method yields little to none.
The Heaven Smile are a very dangerous enemy, and come in many different forms. Some are big, some are tiny, some walk, some run, but they all have one objective: to kill you. If they get close enough, they will latch on to you and explode. I don't know about you, but the first time that happened, it scared the crap out of me.
As I stated before, Harman Smith can "split" into 7 other personalities. In fact, you'll always be using one of the personalities instead of Harman. The Smiths are as varied as the Heaven Smile. Dan Smith, for example, is your regular bad dude with an attitude, while Coyote Smith is a thief, and Mask de Smith is a retired Mexican wrestler.
The Smiths each have their own unique weapon (with infinite ammo) and ability. The abilities are mainly used for getting past puzzles (i.e. Mask de Smith can break through walls, Coyote Smith can jump high, etc.), but they have a use in combat as well.
The graphics are cel-shaded, just like in the Wind Waker, but they take on a much more mature tone. Some of the graphics are a bit disturbing, which makes sense as to why it was cel-shaded. If these were put to "real life" graphics, I doubt most retailers would carry it.
The music and sound fits everything as well. The laugh of a Heaven Smile is creepy, the sound of a gun firing is gratifying, and the voices match the characters. Granted, the voices are a little different, but it fits the tone of the game.
All in all, Killer7 is a great game. the only flaws I can think of is that the puzzles are a bit difficult at times, and if you don't start looking at symbols right away, then by the end of the game you'll be at a huge disadvantage. Other than those two little incidents, I recommend you buy this game, as it's a great add-on to any collection.
May the Lord smile, and the devil have mercy. ~Killer7