Capcom Production Studio 4
Released July 7, 2005
Reviewed August 4, 2005
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R E V I E W
by Mark Ryan Sallee
Games as art, a catchphrase of this gaming generation, describes no more than a handful of existing video games. Labeling a game art sounds complimentary, but the phrase often implies an effort of style over substance, where a game's art is its only redeeming quality. Without question, director Gouichi Suda's Killer 7 deserves the rank of art. But while unadventurous players will undoubtedly turn up noses to the game's unorthodox play, Killer 7 offers a compelling game to underscore the undeniable artistic qualities. Providing ammo to the supporters of games as art, Killer 7 proves that elegant style does not presuppose a vapid core.
| Killer 7 proves that elegant style does not presuppose a vapid core. |
It takes no more than a glance at Killer 7 to grasp the visual styling the game assumes. Each scene is striking from every angle, with solid colors and oddly potent gradients feeding the graphic idiosyncrasy. To say Killer 7 looks unique would be an understatement; Killer 7 looks like nothing before it, and the style does more for ambiance than identity. The odd coloring of the world augments the mystery of Killer 7's alternate reality, which on its own is sufficiently bewildering.
Cryptic babbling from alien personages marks the only semblance of explanation at the onset of the adventure. Freakish laughter, mysterious memos from courier birds, and a group of seven sadistic assassins compose the puzzle that begs for order. The game journeys through absolute oddity, delivering the most bizarre gaming experience in recent memory. The quirks become familiar with time, and while they remain mysteries, the ghostly characters that haunt the game's beginning grow comforting in the sea of ever-changing strangeness. In fact, the cast of Killer 7 contributes as much to the game's atmosphere as do the bold visuals.
As much fun as it is to hopelessly attempt description of the game's arresting style, there's more to Killer 7 that warrants praise. As already claimed, Killer 7 actually plays very well, though even the game mechanics dabble in aberration. On the surface, Killer 7 resembles classic adventure gaming, with emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. But hidden in this adventure game shell is a tightly paced shooter that demands precision aiming and a touch of strategic planning, with enemy patterns and gameplay rewards that encourage skillful
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execution. Both elements of the design combine seamlessly in spite of their unquestionable oddity, though the parts aren't equal in excellence.
| Few of the puzzles are genuinely good, and the rest add up to little more than key finding. |
Killer 7's adventuring, though good in its own ways, falls short of the quality the action establishes. The problem is not the on-rails movement that gives the game its most defining characteristic—the oft contended character controls are free enough to allow ample exploration and don't force pacing. Where the adventuring does falter is in the puzzle design; few of the puzzles are genuinely good, and the rest add up to little more than key finding. The absurdity of Killer 7's world creates plenty of freedom for creative puzzles to elevate the gameplay. Unfortunately, the game rarely exploits said freedom.
That's not to say the game refuses all creative liberties. On the contrary, Killer 7 makes some of the boldest design moves in gaming. The various boss fights demonstrate particularly strong imagination with some absolutely out-there ideas, including a brilliantly classic duel that pits player versus foe in a test of patience and reflex that's unlike any other portion of the game. The scene memorably executes urgency and raw perplexity in a way that perfectly defines Killer 7, a game rife with eccentricity.
This brand of eccentricity demands attention. From the moment the game begins, Killer 7 delivers a consistently powerful experience via dramatic style and rewarding play. A game this unique surfaces only rarely, and for that reason alone it warrants play. What further earns the game merit is its uncanny ability to turn the peculiar into spellbinding art. 
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