Killer is Dead, Long Live Suda 51
Suda 51 is my favorite “personality” developer. There are better teams of developers out there, Bioware leaps to mind, but Suda 51 is one of the few developers who has truly earned the right to have a such a cult of personality follow them around. Not only is the man proud of being called crazy he spends his time making games that reflect his often antagonist and anachronistic view of the world, one where punk sensibilities never quite died and where blood apparently shoots through the human body at near super-sonic speeds. And I love it. So of course I was instantly aroused when I heard that Suda 51 was making a new game called “Killer is Dead.”
Killer is Dead takes place in the near future, including such technology as lunar tourism and cybernetic enhancements. The main character is an executioner named Mondo Zappa who receives jobs from the Brian Execution Firm. This firm, run by a cyborg named Brian Roses, tasks Mondo with killing dangerous criminals and assassins from around the world. Mondo wields a sword with his right hand but his cybernetic left arm can be converted into many different weapons including guns, drills, and other objects. Although Mondo travels the world as part of the game, Suda calls it a “personal story” of “a man who doesn’t show himself much in the public world but still worms his way into society and mercilessly eliminates the evil dispersed in it”. “Love and execution” and “how far can you protect someone” are also central themes of the story.
Mondo? Cybernetic body parts? Assassins? Swords? That all sounds like the Suda 51 I’ve come to know and love. But if that isn’t enough to convince you, check out the trailer here.
(And don’t forget to go play No More Heroes, it’s the best reason to own a Wii!)
