Adrenaline fueld gameplay in an absolute unique Sci - Fi universe!
What makes this game so great? It seems strange in some ways. The graphics, if you take a look at some screenshots, appear some kind of surreal. The character Kurt Hectic, also doesnt fit right into the hero scheme(also does not his name). Your companions, the six armed dog Max, or your instructor the Doctor ar far from whats usual. There are many other aspects, that lift this game above others, and which at the same time are maybe the reason why it wasnt the big selling success it should have been.
In MDK you take control over Kurt Hectic, the hero and at the same time Janitor of the Space Station of the Doc. You never get to see Kurts face, because he is permanently suited in an
super awesome Suite. This Suite provides Kurt with a machine gun, instead of his left arm, a helmet with a sniper function, and a built in parachute.
These 3 gadgets, are the most important ones in the game. There are some other upgrades and special weapons you can collect, but with one of these 3 gadgets missing, the game would be unsolvable.
Now how does MDK work? It may sound like a complex tactical game, if you havent played it yet and have to imagine of how the machine gun, the parachute and the sniper are to be used.
The story is simple: Aliens invading earth with giant "minecrawlers"(with wonderfull alien cities on them), trying to steel ressources. On start of a level(each one represented by a minecrawler), Kurt jumps from the Docs Space Station down on earth, directly on one of those gigantic "crawlers". This is where the game starts.. while headin towards earth, you ll have to get through the air defence of the minecrawlers. This means youll be shoot with lasers and bombs. After this short gliding sequence, youll find yourself on one of the minecrwalers.
Basically you will run around holding the shooting button pressed, which makes your machinegun arm with infinite armor shoot, as you are beeing attacked by an overwhelming
number of enemies. You can compare it in these moments to Serious Sam. Enemies try to shoot you down, to overrun you. Space ships will fire at you and even let more aliens land on the battlefield.
The levels are built up as arenas connected by corridors. There are no enemies in those corridors, then as soon you ll get out of one, comes the part where the real gameplay comes in action. You will find yourself in hard to describe parts of the level, often arena like with strange surreal built architectures. The levels are built this way:
Jump from outer space to one of those giant minecrawlers-corridor-arena-corridor-arena-corridor-arena....... endboss. Dont get too hooked up on the description of the levels as
arenas. Like i said the shape of this varies from normal big flat areas, to completely surrealistic, fantastic multi etaged parts, that youll probably have never seen before.
While some of those areas are mastered with shooting, strafing to left/right, jumping and trying to avoid beeing hitted, some other areas can only be passed by solvin simple puzzles with your sniper(like shooting at targets in far distance). Because the level architecture is beyond what gamers are used to, the parachute is an indespensable gadget for getting through them. F.e. you have to climp up plattforms, to get from the bottom to the top of an area, and
then maybe glide down the other side with your parachute open.
After getting through an whole level, you ll be facing the commander of the minecrawler, who is also the endboss of the level at the same time. Every endboss needs an different tactic to be beaten. Also every endboss has a different look. So you have small endbosses, half as big as Kurt to real big colosseus.
Its the combination of these elements and the essential skills of Kurt that make a adrenaline fueld gameplay that is fun, stylish, cool and engaging all at the same time. Nothing in this
game is average. The level design is hilarious, except for the corridors, which are basically used to load the next part of the level in the background, so that there will be no loadingscreens while you are playing a level. Anyway, the developers brought variety even in those monotone parts of the game. In one level you just run through an corridor, in the next you slide(on your butt) down, and in one level you are even on a snowboard sliding down these "corridors".
The places between these corridors, are as colorfull and fantastic as you can imagine.
Transluscent plattforms over and under you. Alien cities of epic scale in the background of the levels. The architecure itself is unbelievable. Each level has a different set and a
different unique look. Its hard to describe those fantastic worlds. Just take a look at the screenshots.
I really regreat they didnt do the movie to MDK, they were speakin of, when this game was released. The setting would make a really good Science Fiction universe.
This game will leave you breathless, till every enemy is down and you find yourself in safety in one of those corridors. You will feel the adrenaline, when you cleard an are with maybe
that few health, that the next shot would mean Game Over. This game had no quick save option when it was released. This means the game made an autosave only if you cleard an minecrawler completely. Some would say this sucks, I think this made the whole experience alot more challenging. Anyway there was a patch released shortyl that made quicksave avaiable.
You cant hardly descripe the thrill of jumping down from a higher point of the level, gliding down while shootin at enemies and them at the same time shooting at you. In the background
gigantic cities, grotesque level architecture appearing and making you imagine the epic scale of this Sci-Fi universe.
The whole action is accompanied by a good soundtrack, in the style of Blade Runner or Total Recall.
MDK was the first and only game to make me loosing contact with reality. I remember at a point where i wanted to look to the right of a corridor, and instead of turning Kurt to the right i turned my head. Theres really nothing bad to say about MDK. Everything is done right.
I guess there is only one thing, that maybe was also the reason, why MDK wasnt the big success it deserved to be. This game is completely nuts! Maybe to much for some players.
Theres nothing wrong with the crazy level design... but they should have keept the game more serious. I would have apreciatted it if the game was more serious, without any kind of humour. The characters are cool and could also fit in a serious game. I dont understand why Shiny decided to give the game a funny touch. The whole experience could have been much more intense without.
Anyway a great game. I hope they ll make MDK 3 and focus on this games elements. MDK 2 was not what i was waiting for after playing this part. This part belongs to my all time favourite games i ve ever played. I m giving it only 9 out of 10, because of its funny elements, that dont seem to fit to these One of a kind Science Fiction game.