One of our Steam Group members(nabeelburney) offered me a a great trade this morning, two cheaper games for Shank. When I looked it up here on WoM, I realized that we only had a pre-release article. Since we needed a review here and I couldn’t pass up a chance to play Shank (I had been eyeing it before release), I made the deal, and got it downloading as soon as possible.
The game follows Shank, a man with a mission for revenge. His love taken from him, and left for dead, we watch as he finds and destroys all those responsible. The story is cliche, but who cares? It flows well, and does a great job of getting you involved. While I was playing, I couldn’t help but think of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
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The graphics imitate a comic/manga styling. I love this style of presentation because it made me feel like I was playing through a graphic novel, and Shank can pull off some super human badassery! Every time I turned around, I was making more and more blood.
At first glance the game feels a lot like Viewtiful Joe, Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and other Beat-Em-Up titles. But Shank pulls off a few slick moves that make him different than the rest. Wall jumps, climbing, swinging, and grappling moves all help in combo creation. A skilled fighter will find themselves all over the environment slaughtering the bad guys.
One thing I really enjoyed about Shank was the weapons. You start out with a shank, a chainsaw and dual pistols, and as you progress you find other weapons to help you in your path of carnage. Each weapon has it’s own attack style, some can be used to create longer combos, while others are better for grab attacks. Enemies can be easier to strike with some weapons, while others might leave you wide open for a counter attack. Learning which weapons to use in what situation is the only way to push through.
The game is just BRUTAL, the violence is disgustingly enjoyable. I loved pouncing on people, stabbing them in their chest and face, slamming their head into the ground and then finally ending it with a chainsaw to the face! Sick, just SICK!!
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The game didn’t take me very long to complete on normal mode, but I can see myself playing this over and over again. The game is just great. I had a few friends stop by while I was playing, and they were instantly drawn in. The level of violence is really what makes this title shine. The last side scroller that I remember being this violent was Blackthorne on the SNES. Shank takes everything great from our old school side scrolling days, and combines it into a package well worth the 15 dollar asking price.
<I enjoy graphic violence in my video games, it doesnt make me hurt people>
