Sexually confused ghosts, talking decapitated heads and a schizophrenic assassin -- all from the minds of Japan!
One of the many things that makes Killer7 so unique is the very artistic graphic style. You'll come to admire the darker tones in its otherwise cartoony/anime style look. This creates a mature atmosphere, which adds to the violent and sexual themes that are present in Killer7.
The Heaven Smiles are a violent group of terrorists, who chase down their unfortunate victoms, and explode -- killing both the victom and the Heaven Smile. The Heaven Smiles are interrupting a UN World Security Treaty that holds world peace and prosperity in an effort to rid the world of terrorism. Fortunately, the US turns to Harman Smith, the leader of a group of seven deadly assassins called Killer 7. Harman can telepathically summon the other six personas into the physical world. Your job is to alternate between all seven assassins to eliminate the terrorist threat.
But it isn't just the presentation and the story that is unique about Killer7. The gameplay is unlike anything you've ever played before, a blend of a third-person adventure and a first-person shooter all while being on rails. While this may sound hard to chew, Killer7 has perfected this insane mix of gameplay styles.
Progressing through the levels in Killer7 can be a tough task in it's own right. Heaven Smiles are littered around every corner, and they can be a little tricky to take down. There are lots of sub-species to the Heaven Smiles. Some will fly at you, most will run at you; heck, others will roll at you! Naturally, shooting them is the only way to harm them, and it takes alot of lead to finish them off. Add that to the fact that the Heaven Smiles are invisible, that is until you "scan" them. Also, the levels have plenty of puzzles, and most puzzles can be solved by switching characters.
While some games struggle to keep up with one character, Killer7 has many and manages to make them all intriguing and knee deep in mystery. Every character is controlled in a unique manner. Kaede, the only female persona of the lot, can slit her wrists and remove obstructing items by bleeding on them, while Mask de Smith, a former wrestler, boasts grenade launchers to break through walls. Coyote Smith, on the other hand, is quick and nimble, and can fit into small spaces and pick locks. The game seizes this opportunity and sets up a wide variety of puzzles. Earlier puzzles are easy to solve, like lighting a set of candles in order, but some later on are bound to test you. A puzzle that you'll run into later in the game features a set of trip wires mounted on the surrounding walls. When activated, the wires will close the door shortly after. You'll need to switch to Kevin Smith and turn yourself invisible to glide through the wires. However, if you get stuck at any point, you can buy a clue from a wandering NPC ghost.
But no, you don't pay with money. You pay with blood, collected from fallen enemies. The blood you earn can also be used to heal or upgrade your characters. The upgrades aren't anything unique, just the usual firepower, accuracy and recoil. This doesn't add much to the gameplay, but gives a certain depth with the characters that is fun to mess around with.
Unfortunately, it will take you between twelve and fifteen hours to complete and because the replay value is low there is little reason to go back, unless you want to experiment with Harman Smith's different personas, or test your skills in a harder difficulty.
Regardless, Killer7 is a unique experience that almost creates a new genre in itself, and provides a decent but complicated story. But, the story is always placed before gameplay in Killer7, and sometimes it shows, with it's clunky controls and jarring camera movements. But that doesn't mean Killer7 isn't an enjoyable game. It just means that if you're looking for in-depth and fast-paced gameplay, Killer7 shouldn't be the first place to look.