Like a lightsaber, Wanted: Dead is a relic of a bygone era. This game is a genuine love letter to the fans of Japanese action games.
Wanted: Dead is a game of choices. Creative choices, political choices and game design choices.
Let's start with game design. Wanted: Dead is hard as nails. The combat is where the game shines the most. I managed to beat the game in 14 hours and I experienced no dull moment. The mini games are absolutely amazing and worth spending time with. The claw machine is especially addictive.
Political choices. Anyone with their eyes open, and I don't mean mainstream journalism, can see the social commentary on numerous issues. One of the key characters Vivienne provides world exposition in a cooking show. Comedic, obviously, but also prophetic. She's teaching the audience how to cook synthetic pork and describes the world where she lives in - no fresh fruit, half-sapient vegan friendly cloned beef, human flesh flavored dog cans. China rules the world in Wanted: Dead and military convicts are the police. Good or bad but Hong Kong went completely nazi, ruled by a corporation. America, obviously, lost the war, hence the reversed American flag on Herzog's body armor. Hannah wants to quit her job and raise a boy she orphaned but is denied of doing so. There's a lot hidden under the blanket of extreme violence, corn and wacky presentation. Am I the only one seeing all this?
Creative choices. Hiring a non-English speaker to voice the protagonist is a creative choice. It's not a fake accent. Putting a "censored" sticker over a gruesome chainsaw kill is a creative choice. A shower scene that deconstructs the entire idea of Japanese fan service is a creative choice and a bold one. The female lead literally washes away the gore from her body and you get to see the scars and bruises she got during the operation. Everything in this game is made for you to think about what every other action game out there does wrong. Wanted: Dead is the Robocop of character action games. Think about it.
Last bullet point should be called pink. Wanted: Dead is like no other game out there. The minimalistic artwork with bright pink background screams style and a a degree in graphic design. It immediately draws your attention. I purchased the collector's edition that comes with Design Works. The attention to detail is absolutely incredible. Wanted: Dead is my most memorable gaming experience since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Wanted: Dead is a game of choices. Creative choices, political choices and game design choices.
Let's start with game design. Wanted: Dead is hard as nails. The combat is where the game shines the most. I managed to beat the game in 14 hours and I experienced no dull moment. The mini games are absolutely amazing and worth spending time with. The claw machine is especially addictive.
Political choices. Anyone with their eyes open, and I don't mean mainstream journalism, can see the social commentary on numerous issues. One of the key characters Vivienne provides world exposition in a cooking show. Comedic, obviously, but also prophetic. She's teaching the audience how to cook synthetic pork and describes the world where she lives in - no fresh fruit, half-sapient vegan friendly cloned beef, human flesh flavored dog cans. China rules the world in Wanted: Dead and military convicts are the police. Good or bad but Hong Kong went completely nazi, ruled by a corporation. America, obviously, lost the war, hence the reversed American flag on Herzog's body armor. Hannah wants to quit her job and raise a boy she orphaned but is denied of doing so. There's a lot hidden under the blanket of extreme violence, corn and wacky presentation. Am I the only one seeing all this?
Creative choices. Hiring a non-English speaker to voice the protagonist is a creative choice. It's not a fake accent. Putting a "censored" sticker over a gruesome chainsaw kill is a creative choice. A shower scene that deconstructs the entire idea of Japanese fan service is a creative choice and a bold one. The female lead literally washes away the gore from her body and you get to see the scars and bruises she got during the operation. Everything in this game is made for you to think about what every other action game out there does wrong. Wanted: Dead is the Robocop of character action games. Think about it.
Last bullet point should be called pink. Wanted: Dead is like no other game out there. The minimalistic artwork with bright pink background screams style and a a degree in graphic design. It immediately draws your attention. I purchased the collector's edition that comes with Design Works. The attention to detail is absolutely incredible. Wanted: Dead is my most memorable gaming experience since the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.