It's fucking insane, but it's the *way* it wears its insanity that makes it so ravenously compelling to me. It has a voice, it has something to say, it wants you to take it seriously! - but its voice is either yelling over some of the most absurd events or setpieces you'll ever see, or yelling its point directly *at* you in a way that sometimes manages to be even more unbelievable than the former (they did NOT just call a guy TREVOR PEARLHARBOR?????). Whisk in a healthy serving of spectacle that doesn't mean anything and is just thrown in for the hell of it, and you’re sent on a wild ride where you spend as much time finding meaning in absurdity as you spend *trying* to read into meaningless absurdity.

It's that razor's-edge balance of sincerity and stupidity that defines this game, and it extends further than the plot itself - something I find incredibly interesting is its relationship with gore and death. You'll spend most of your time blasting off the limbs of nondescript humanoid monsters, absorbing streams of blood that billow out, and giving it to the lovely man in the TV to turn into experience points. Yet despite its revelry in cartoon bloodshed it’s still able to pull back and use gore more disquietingly when it wants to - and manages to do so successfully, over and over again - even when the gore itself still borders on the absurd.

Its lace of intent and earnestness is what makes its batshit absurdity really stick. You desperately want to carry on and see what the hell it’s gonna throw at you next, but in a way where it gets you genuinely invested in it. Back that with its strange-yet-satisfying gameplay and a killer aesthetic and presentation, and there’s no way it won’t leave a hell of an impression.

We are constantly swirling in the stew of misery, confusion and powerlessness of capital. Every conspirator answers to someone else infinitely until the end of time, and nobody's even sure what they're conspiring toward. Enter the survival horror masterpiece, Killer7.

Few games shock me to my core like this one does. Every design decision is on-point, to the extent that explaining the game's intricacies gives too much away. Somehow an on-rails Playstation 2 shooter is the most liquid and heart-pounding shooter I've ever played. Any enemy encounter can be trivial or heart-pounding depending on the layout of the area and configuration of enemies. The fact that Ulmeyda's town or the final school level aren't mentioned in the same breath as the Spencer Mansion or RCPD is a travesty. Especially so considering the sheer expressionistic brilliance of the levels herein and the enigmatic beauty of its characters.

Suda51 gets written off as "janky weird fun" and other nonsense pretty frequently, but it's only half true. Sure the games are weird but the weirdness, like Lynch's weirdness or any other auteur's weirdness, exists to further express the themes. Suda51's characters speak gibberish and dress like anime characters because they're forcing you further into a state of bewilderment and alienating you from the world just as much as the characters do. He's so constantly forced into the "ooooo quirky" mold that his later titles feel forced into doing, losing their thematic weight. Killer7's reception made Grasshopper the most exciting studio making games at the time and may also have sealed their fate.

All said, I am so thankful games like this exist. It's rare a game matches its gameplay's depth with real narrative depth that feels so tied to gaming, especially now as more and more major releases ape prestige television's episodic-but-not structure. Killer7 is a rare game that makes me rethink and reevaluate games as an artform, and truly speaks to how wonderful the medium is.

Whenever people bring Killer7 to the conversation, the ambiguous story and political themes will be always on the table. The way it's presented will be confusing if you don't pay attention or, piece the puzzle that is the narrative in your head. It demands the time to be known, but it gives you little glimpses of what it is or what wants to tell. It's not incoherent nonsense spitted by the writter himself Suda51 to make you feel smarter once you understand it, it's about context and knowing what do with the tools and information you currently have. That in itself is hard, the game will be full of contradictions albeit on purpose and things that will get you the wrong idea, either your mission is to interpret those contradictions or outright not use them to form your narrative on the story. Not many people seem to have a clear idea of what it is, or what objectively wants to tell. Honestly? Me neither, it is surrealism after all and a work of art that can be interpreted in various ways.

It's the battle between west and east for world dominance, good and evil, old and new, the battle between the tiger and the dragon, Dracula vs the Belmont family? Probably, it's a cycle. "The World doesn't change, all it does it turns". It's the cycle that keeps on going, this can be seen in the "Lion" chapter where it recreates the last bit of the "Angel" chapter. 100 Years, on different places the world spins around. It doesn't matter the place but what happens in it. It's all the same, the conflict keeps on going. What matters are the actors and the people who perpetrate those actions. Than itself can be a contradiction on my end. But we can change the narrative for you liking. America can take the evil role, while Japan takes the good sided role. But it's not that easy either. Law and Chaos. It's about individualism and collectivism. Maybe all that I just said can be wrong, or truth but this is just my personal interpretations sort of throwing concept at a wall to see if it sticks or that can land in a agreement with someone else.

Compared to any rail shooter, Killer7 wants to take your time to stop and think whenever you hear a maniacal laugh or the simple puzzles that require more than anything simple memorization. Shooting, and puzzles this is the premise for gameplay. Most mechanics believe it or not are part of the story itself. Having 7 type of borderline personalities will give you the advantage to use them at will. These are the Smith Syndicate, comprised by believe it or not 7 members including it's vessel Harman Smith. While all this might seem like I'm spitting nonsense it start to once you start playing. So if this is a rail shooter, shouldn't be any space for puzzle? You got it all wrong. This is 2000's Capcom, this is Mikami's Capcom era which means there are puzzles, and by that definition multiple paths to take. Puzzles can range from fairly obvious to very tricky but nothing that could leave you hanging for a long time. It really is just a Resident Evil game, that it might be why people consider it a "Horror Survival" game. It has the bases for a horror survival game without the survival aspect of it, has horror elements sure but not enough to specifically fall into the genre.

While this game might seem like a chaotic mess for the ones that look from outside. It's actually structured like a proper era video game. Not that I thought less of it, but seeing how outageous differently visually is from anything I've seen and for the looks from the trailers themselves I swear I was expecting something much more wild. In fact, the very same structure of level selection can be streched to as far back as Mega Man boss selection. 7 people, killer7, right? That streching things too far, but my point is don't be scared about it's structure. It start to get very comfortable once you get the loop, once you know what to do, once the puzzle start to feel but mere obstacles in your way. Art-sy game tend to break the mold as far as they can, but this wasn't the era nor the time to do it. Though it will play with your expectations more often than not so expect to see weird stuff regardless.

It's the style, which helps having a great sense of substance. As much as SUDA51 loves to put his art over really...anything? It stands up for something incredibly unique and obtuse first time playing it. Can't really say I've experience something like these before, outside some arcades I usually stopped by after school as a kid. None other game that I personally know has been inspired by killer7 specifically (outside of Killer is Dead but I'm yet to play that one). What other game at the time had the balls to not put real texutures into already basic geometry? These are flat colors, makes characters and objects pop-up much more while keeping the visuals simple and not obstruct with any post-processing effect like particles or not. Only gave that came up in my mind while I'm writting this is MadWorld from Platinum Games on the Wii.

What is killer7 then? I took the ideas that stood up the most to me. I can say that this is a rail shooting game with horor elements but that is keeping it short. It's an action game with deep political themes but that is selling it short. You start to get the idea, different people have different interpretations. It's the same as in this page there, is not a real truth and we can only but interpret what a work and it's purpose to the exist it. Specially as something as surreal and unique as killer7. Whenever I tried to write something about this game I always think I'm selling it short or I'm not doing enough justice. It's complicated, but fascinating to talk about.

You'll never find another game like this if you live to be 7,000! killer7 is a mind-bending piece that never stops taking turns you won't see coming! The gameplay, the mechanics, the story, the visuals, it's all so insanely creative and unique!

The game benefits from multiple playthroughs as well, especially if you want to understand the story better. This experience was made with the Gamecube in mind, but the recent Steam port is a fine substitute with considerably better controls. Avoid the horrible PS2 port at all costs, though.

A obra-prima de Suda51. Contém variação constante, level design interessante, jogabilidade pesada mas tensa e uma das maiores experiências de horror que já vi.

O jogo de humor negro/horror/ficção política/drama do Suda51 é um caos esquizofrênico criativo. É uma bad trip alimentada por uma história pós-moderna muito a frente de seu tempo, gráficos psicodélicos e trilha sonora do Masafumi Takada, famoso pela trilha de Danganronpa. Pessoalmente, eu considero um jogo perfeito. Divertido, interessante, e com fator replay alto simplesmente pois a história é bem ligada com a gameplay e entender a história exige zerar várias vezes. Jogue agora, ou that wonderful smile will be forever lost.

The best-looking game of all time. Every frame a painting but a goddamn video game. Sitting there in awe of that art style for 13 hours. Making Killer7 on rails was a stroke of genius because it let the devs go crazy with cinematic camera angles. Honestly, all it really needed was those visuals to win me over, but everything else is amazing too. Grasshopper did the whole "no, your choices actually don't matter" thing years before anyone else, and accomplished it better by incorporating it into every aspect of their game design, but that's also far from the only thing they were trying to say.

Like all Kill The Past titles, Killer7 is a dense text with an overwhelming amount of stuff going on in its narrative, abnormal game design, and extreme dedication to creating a specific atmosphere over anything else. It's uncomfortable from start to finish, from the creepy enemy designs and sound effects to the disturbing subject matter to the uncertainty of what's truly going on behind the scenes. It's not really horror and is funny more often than it is scary, but it certainly made me feel uneasy in a more effective way than most games.

I'm still trying to process a lot of what happened in the absolutely bonkers story, but holy hell is it good. Suda51's take on US/Japan relations is bizarrely apt and the mystery of the titular Killer7 never stops being interesting. I wanted to read people's theories regarding certain things I was unsure about, and upon a quick Google search discovered that a book explaining a lot of this stuff in detail apparently released alongside the game. I think this takes a lot of the fun away from developing my own interpretations, so I will be ignoring it much like the similar Drakenier side material, and instead proceed to spend the next year theory-crafting and thinking about how utterly brilliant Killer7's surreal storytelling was.

It took a while, but yeah, I can see why people like this so much.

Killer7 is hands down one of the strangest games I have ever played, and even after having played the Silver Case, Killer7 took a lot of time to grapple with. Extremely distinct cel-shaded visuals that somehow look way more gritty and daunting than any of its peers? Check. Strange controls and concept of your usual gameplay mechanisms (the shooter, but now it's a rail shooter where you can somehow aim everywhere?) that feel really screwy and kooky at first but after finishing it, you come to the conclusion that there's no other way this game could be played? Check. A bat-shit crazy story that includes some variety of guns, nukes, blood, global relations, and the human psyche? Check. It's SUDA51 distilled at its core, and somehow even after some familiarity with his works this game was so strange yet alluring to me.

Perhaps the only major criticism I have is that the game's mechanics aren't super well explained; you have to sit in a room and listen to Iwazaru prattle on for a solid half hour if you want to understand EVERY game mechanic (and you actually will need to, because this game pulls every trick out of its bag and is not afraid to maximize every tool). I feel like this could have been alleviated somewhat if the game mechanics were introduced in an interactive tutorial (such as the special abilities being used for the first time, or healing with thin blood), and this was admittingly one of the barriers that caused me to put down this game for an entire year. That said, while I was feeling quite lukewarm at first, I really warmed up to how the game played and what it demonstrated as I went along, and needless to say this is one game that is now embedded within my permanent memory and will be quite difficult to forget, if at all. It might seem like one of the most out there games (and it is, in many respects), but I recommend that everyone at least try it out and put aside their reservations and expectations; just let SUDA51 take you for a ride. It's quite an adventure.

SUDA51 is another one of those video game auteurs whose body of work looked really interesting to me, but aside from playing the first level of No More Heroes years ago before losing access to both my Wii and the game, I haven't been able to really get into any of his games. Much to my surprise, though, I managed to get access to Killer7, and while it only took a little over a week for me to beat it, I always looked forward to jumping back into the game and playing through it. Killer7 was a game that I knew was going to become my newest obsession long before it was over, and now that I've finished it, I can see myself thinking about it even more often than I already do.

Whenever people talk about Killer7, one of the very first things that gets brought up is its presentation, and for good reason. Pretty much every element of this game is unconventional in some way, but the cel-shaded artstyle, striking colors, energetic and stylistically varied cutscenes, and the superbly eclectic music by Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda made all of its different methods of experimentation come together naturally and beautifully. Killer7 features a stripped-down, minimalistic control scheme and on-rails-esque gunplay, and while it took me a bit of time to get used to how this game worked, I honestly loved how Killer7 felt to play. Not only did the combat itself feel great, but I also found myself switching between the titular assassins quite often, as they all had their uses while still being fun to toy around with on their own. Along with shooting Heaven Smiles and battling some really creative bosses, playing Killer7 also consists of exploring each area in order to solve puzzles and gain a better understanding of the game's world and characters, and this other half of the gameplay in Killer7 also really worked for me thanks to how it made exploration feel rewarding.

On top of having some terrific gameplay and an intoxicatingly chaotic style, Killer7 also features a fascinating, thought-provoking and thematically rich story about terrorism, violence, and Japan's role in American politics whose breadth of details and intentional obfuscation added to the game's neo-noir mood and over-the-top tone. Granted, I didn't grasp absolutely everything about it during this playthrough due to just how complex it was, but I still loved how the plot blended an international conspiracy with elements of surrealism, and piecing details together through details that I picked up on from the cryptic dialogue featured in both the cutscenes and the characters in each level made the experience of trying to understand the full picture feel that much more engrossing. Not only was Killer7 one of the best games I've ever played, but it was also one of the most wholly unique and idiosyncratic games I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and I don't think that the game industry will ever see anything like it ever again.

out of all the games ive been weirdly and significantly obsessed to the point of where i had dreams about THE FUCKING BETA OF KILLER7, i can forgive myself for being so. suda himself said out of all the games hes made this is the one hes the most proud of making and i gotta say id be damn proud too if i made this my life would be complete. incredibly ambitious, striking visuals and sound that smacks you across the face, and anxiety inducing cutscenes this is one game a true gamer must experience

this game that was developed in the land of the rising sun is so immersed in its politics it doesnt have japanese voice acting, english voice actors only and subtitles for japan i cant think of another game that does that

i went into this scared shitless and came out of it with one of the most cerebral thrashing experiences ive ever had in a video game.

It's NOT an understatement when I say this game would be in my top 5 favorite games of all time if it personally hit the same merits to me as my actual top 5, but that is saying something because this game embodies everything that I love about the medium in its own way.

You know the usual with Killer7 if youre reading this, yeah each smith is really fun to play and they have their own unique weapon and weird little superpower going on but what really nails it all
what really brings this all together
is the SOUNDS
the sounds of heaven smiles laughing as they march towards you and you immediately start mashing your button trying to locate where they are
the sounds of the music being gradually sifted out when they approach closer and closer
some with panting breaths and others with weird little indicator noises

That feeling you get when you miss a shot, anxiety hitting you as it marches closer and closer flinching only as if the heaven smiles were stung by bees and not even taking a bullet to the head
their weakpoints sometimes not even being fully apparent and the sound of your reload and empty rounds dropping like marbles on the floor praying you can hit the weakpoint and recenter yourself to deliver that sweet blow
and THAT is what EVERY encounter feels like in this game, its a consistent mix of weird intrigue and unsettling adrenaline swirled together like peanut butter and chocolate bro
It's the palpable atmosphere you can taste thats followed by political critique galore, yet it never even fuckin dwells any particular take or statement for Too Long
Like the game itself was made full in the intention that some dialogue you just mull over, you get crumbs of information and if youre like me and you only played No More Heroes 1 or NONE of Suda51's games, i think youre in the perfect position to be knocked flat on your ass

Some say the story purely doesnt make sense & honestly i could totally see how someone could play start to finish and just be confused the whole time, but i was actively trying to piece things together through the remnant psyches, every cutscene in this damn game felt like a drop of fiji water in my mouth after dragging my tits through a mile of hot asphallt
I genuinely dont think ill ever be playing something this good or this interesting ever again in my entire life

(ErrRMM SO WHY NOT 5/5 STARS? IF U LIKE IT SO MUCH?? ERMMM?)
WELL
the nitty gritty of the gameplay Does have its flaws, like certain smith personalities' upgrades are totally left in the dark to you, and while thats just a given
sometimes that IS annoying,
because every boss in Killer7!! is actually pretty piss easy (in the default modes)
Like yeah youll die maybe once or twice on a couple later ones MAYBE??????? but.. I personally found some smile encounters harder since i prioritized weakpoint above all

And that segways into my other gripe
the map in this game kinda sucks mammoth cock im ngl, I think it Gets The Job Done but i doubt im asking for a lot when i say i wish there was atleast a little dot indicator or something to better display
I was especially wishing for this in the Alter Ego target more than any of the other missions really bc of the backtracking in that one LMAO

And my final gripe is just how turning your fucking head around to look around can't be adjusted, there's no sensitivity toggle for smthin like that and while most of the time its not a Major concern, theres times in the game where theres a smile that drops down..
im mashin scan
i look everywhere mashin scan
I still cant find the smile
and then i get blown tf up
this happened like atleast twice but again, it didnt happen all the time just kind of a pain in the dick. hell i got a game over like maybe three times at most while playing the game too, pants shitting aside i think its actually pretty easy on normal which is a good thing because that means the higher modes offer better skilled players which i am uh.... not sure i am but COOL

Overall uhhh ahah if u havent played this game and ur reading this u should absolutely try this game, ATLEAST do yourself the solid of playing the first mission in full because there is nothing like Killer7 in style, game vibe or anything in the way that it conveys
i am So glad my lil bro pointed me at this shit

If you still like this game, your kids are about to go to college.

I spent a good chunk of my adolescence playing this stupid game. I've only beaten it once throughout my many playthroughs! It starts off strong with Angel! Kinda slows down in Sunset but still a moderate pace. The shit peaks with Cloudman. Andre Ulmeyda stays goated. The game never comes close to getting as good as that. Everything else is just vapid, tedious, and obnoxious in comparison. Also, I just don't give a shit about this guy's nerd culture! note: I don't care about nerd culture in general, but especially here.

Perhaps I've just lost the appeal to a lot of this game's charm, I've out grown it or some shit. Which is why setting this bs as "retired" is more fitting to me. I COULD set it as 'complete' but nah. Who cares. Anyways.

Suda LOVES video games, I fucking hate them. This is the difference between us.

I don't think I will ever play another game in my lifetime that is so stubborn and insistent on defying convention every time it gets a chance. When an opportunity to abide by convention presents itself, Killer7 simply says "no", turns in the opposite direction, and walks away.

This game is the essence of Suda's entire "punk" attitude towards game directing and for me, his masterpiece. Everything down to how it's stylized, the control scheme, the general esoteric nature of the game is handcrafted to the tee.

Also, this is by far the most quotable video game ever made, like it's not even close. Sorry Metal Gear Rising.

This is one of the most confident games I've ever played god damn

Every single aesthetic choice is a masterstroke. It manages to be equal parts funny, disturbing, and thought provoking. I don't even have much else to say other than I'm blown away by this.

Oh yeah and the games industry needs to get its shit together in regards to sound design. This runs circles around almost every game coming out nowadays, make some bold choices! Drown your voice actors in reverb + bass! It's fucking cool!!

In the name of Harman...