Artificial intelligence has been a popular sci-fi concept for decades that's beginning to become more of a reality. This difference between classic works of fiction and reality is that in the former things such as sentient killer robots aren't uncommon while in reality the issues caused by AI are debates over whether or not a blasphemous images of Jesus Christ eating a hot dog with ketchup that was generated by AI should be considered real art. As is the case with most things, the fictional events are much more exciting. Wanted: Dead is such a game where the mundane debates of today's social media are no where to be found because some sentient androids have fallen under the control of nefarious evil doers and it's up to the player to de-sentientize the sentient killbots.

Wanted: Dead is set in a cyberpunk dystopian Hong Kong in the distant future recent past of August 2022. The player controls Lt. Hannah Stone, a woman who lost her memories and an arm who is currently locked up. She gets let out of prison to lead Hong Kong Police's Zombie Unit to take down a corporate conspiracy. Their assignment will pit the squad against an endless horde of gang members, mercenaries and military personnel over the course of an extremely bloody week. Story development isn't drawn out considering the main appeal of Wanted: Dead is the high-octane gameplay, but there are plenty of documents hidden throughout each area that can provide greater insight into the characters and some of the events.

Stone doesn't have to fight alone as she has a few companions that provide varying forms of assistance and help breathe life into the Zombie Unit. Herzog might not be the warmest of companions, but his skill with a gun can be of great assistance in separating an enemy's head from their body. Doc is able to give Stone a single revive, which makes his absence in certain parts extremely noticeable. Gunsmith doesn't actually go into battle with the Zombie Unit, but her expertise in customizing Stone's weapons is always helpful. Plus she keeps way too many cats at the precinct which make it a much more hospitable environment, though it's clear when she reached the point of excess and just gave up on naming them.

Stone is armed with a pistol, automatic rifle and katana which seems like it would be the standard loadout for a shooter/slasher hybrid. As the story progresses more modifications for her guns become available, but these always offer some sort of trade off. Recoil, accuracy, stopping power, damage and reload speed are all things to take into consideration, but none of the upgrades offer only improvements. There's a skill tree where one can purchase upgrades through acquired points. These can be passive bonuses to damage or defense, increased hits in combos or new moves. The gameplay is challenging and success is dependent on the player learning the system and mastering timing. Use of cover in gunfights is essential, but so is constant movement. Using parries and gun counters are also of critical importance as simply hacking and shooting will lead Stone to an early grave. There is modicum of mercy as the early stages allow player to get by on the basic combos, but mastery of the advanced techniques is essential later on.

For a game that's primarily about dismembering one's enemies as quickly as possible, there are a few minigames that do a 180 on ultraviolence. There are a couple different rhythm games that serve as team-building social activities such as competitive ramen eating and karaoke duets. Classic arcade games never go out of style and there's a 2D space shooter called Runaway Space that's a decent Gradius knock off. There's a claw machine where the grip is about as weak as real world claw machines but unlimited quarters makes it relatively easy to collect all the figures. And for players that feel the need to be productive there are training minigames in the form of a shooting range and hands-on simulated combat.

There are four different difficulty levels in Wanted: Dead, though when starting a game for the first time only Normal and Hard are available. With the exception of the players who have the ability to do no-hit Dark Souls runs, most of us regular folks will die. A lot. After dying enough times the game will give the player the chance to play on Neko Chan mode which makes things substantially easier. If the implication is too subtle in conveying the sense of shame of having to reduce the challenge in order the progress, however, the game hammers the point by affixing decorative cat ears to Stone. Conversely, players who think the Hard difficulty isn't challenging enough or are just simply masochists can unlock the Japanese difficulty to experience the ultimate Wanted: Dead challenge.

Wanted: Dead is a straight up gorefest and that's one of the main selling points. The story is good enough to hold interest but isn't the most memorable part of the experience or the main reason to play. The combat is over-the-top mayhem and pulling off some of the sword and gun combos are satisfying. There's stray weapons that can be picked up including submachine guns, grenade launchers and chainsaws. The chainsaw execution animation adds a great tongue-in-cheek quality to show that Wanted: Dead is fully self aware of just how gratuitous its violence is. Dismembering the standard enemies is so common it doesn't take long for the player to get desensitized to it, which is probably for the best since each level is crawling with a seemingly never ending supply of gun-toting soldiers and sword-wielding killbots. Some boss battles require some specific strategies to take them down, like incapacitating a spider tank with Stone's sword or having to master parries and counters for a sword fight. The challenge is steep, but patience and practice will impart the skills necessary to overcome it.

During the review, Wanted: Dead performed admirably. There weren't any framerate hiccups or crashes, but sometimes the camera movement was less-than-advantageous where it could lead to situations where one enemy is being dealt with and suddenly Stone gets stabbed in the back by on off screen enemy. The controls are tight and responsive which is a good because with the precise timing required for the defensive maneuvers, poor controls would have ruined the experience. There are only five levels to complete, none of which are terribly long. If there was an invincibility cheat, completing Wanted: Dead would only take a few hours, but most players will take a few tries to get through each area given the steep difficulty.

Closing Comments:

Wanted: Dead is a punishingly-difficult bloodbath that's a joy to play. The stages are a brutal mix of swordplay and gun battles with a combat system that's rewarding once the timing is mastered. In between stages there are several minigames that offer a sense of levity to help break up the violence against the corrupt corporate overlords, whether it be through karaoke, an eating contest or a good old fashioned arcade game. The style of gameplay feels like a modern take on third-person action games from the early 2000s which isn't a bad thing at all. Wanted: Dead pulls no punches when it comes to challenging the player, but that's what makes finally completing it feel so satisfying.