Killer 7 has much more style than substance but still qualifies as a good game.

User Rating: 7.7 | Killer7 GC
Killer 7 has much more style than substance but still qualifies as a good game.

When it comes to style, Killer 7 just bleeds it. You have 7 odd personalities that make up one truly messed up assassin squad; Killer 7. You are tasked to make hits for about 8 levels with each level involving a number of rooms with puzzles to solve and freaky "Heaven Smiles" to kill. The Heaven Smiles are the main enemies in the game and they come in a number of varieties. They definitely keep the tension up by having the ability to blow up in your face if they get too close. While ratcheting up the tension, it can lead to cheap deaths since you can't even see the enemy until you "scan" them. But even if you die the game has a twist. You can gather up your fallen assassin using the cleaner of the clan. This character will go and pick up you remains from which you can resurrect your character and continue playing. Its a very strange experience and, unless you read the manual, you will probably have a hard time understanding just what's going on. Fortunately, you can also just restart from you last save point.

This constant scanning of enemies seems like a tack-on gameplay mechanic that adds more to the frustration then the fun in Killer 7. Despite that, that combat is still very satisfying at times thanks to the stylish ways of taking them out and the strange fixation on collecting you enemies blood. Yes you actually collect and use the blood of the Heavens Smiles to power up your character and enable certain special charged shots. All in all, the combat is a bit clunky and takes a bit to get used to and its not that deep. It turns out that just aiming for the week spot, which is highlighted after a scan, and fire.

The puzzles are also pretty shalow but like the rest of the game, are very stylish. Some are so obvious that you assume the puzzles meaning was lost in its Japanese translation while others are rather obscure. In fact they are so obscure that the map has to point out exactly where the puzzles are and in some cases the exact characters special ability needed to figure them out.

Where Killer 7 really stands out is the way the game tells its surreal story and the very artistic nature of all the characters, music, and sound in the game. The presentation is not for the squeamish and not for the young. Its sort of like mature anime with a very dark edge and some political musings. While not for everyone I found myself very intrigued by the story and definitely wanted to see how things progressed.

Unfortunately, Killer 7 does stumble with the combat and stupefying puzzles. Simply put, you need to be able to just ignore some flaws and just enjoy the presentation of the game. If you can do that, you will probably have a great time with Killer 7. I picked up Killer 7 for 10$ brand new and its definitely worth it. If you are an adult with a game cube and you like your entertainment a little off balance, you should give Killer 7 a try.