Posts Tagged ‘Suda 51’

For me Shadows of the Damned achieved a sublime mix of creative talent. If I were to compare it to the classics I would see it as a mix of Shakespeare, Mozart and Da Vinci coming together for a production. To my Japanese centric mind, with a propensity for horror and narrative, the pool of creative talent EA pulled together was breath taking. Suda 51 brought his spin to the story, with Shinji Mikami handling game play and Akira Yamaoka on drums… I mean writing the score. Honestly there is nothing in this mix that could possibly go wrong. Right? Well, in theory yes, but as I proved one time when I made ramen with a beer and cheese, sometimes the whole can be far less than the sum of its parts.

Meet Garcia 'Fucking' Hotspur and his faithful friend Johnson, the talking and conveniently transforming skull.

I will confess before I begin that absolutely Shadows of the Damned IS better than beer-ramen with cheese topping, both in flavour and overall experience. Every member of the Japanese trio that had me so excited certainly delivers on their promise, with the outlandish plot, supported by solid gameplay and music that is both evocative and unique. But it is hard to ignore the feeling that none of the group are on top form. That, similar to the England football team, each of them was brought in at the top of their game and then became unable to produce their best performance.

To shed a little clarity for those unfamiliar with Shadow of the Damned it is a grind house inspired trip to the Underworld with the fantastically named Garcia ‘Fucking’ Hotspur (not sure if that is his real middle name but he seems to like to). Garcia is a demon hunter out to liberate his girlfriend, Paula, who had been captured by the king of the Underworld, Fleming, who is repeatedly killing her to teach Garcia a lesson for killing all of his minions. This may not sound too odd when I explain it, but I promise it is with all of the odd flourishes that Suda 51 is famed for making an appearance to make you utter befuddled and amused sounds constantly.

A light and dark mechanic allows somethings to only be hurt when in shadow, unfortunately this also hurts Garcia.

Supporting Suda’s story is more than slightly familiar game play, as Mikami reverts to his Resident Evil 4 roots, and a score that thanks to Yamaoka oscillates between appropriately odd and out right peculiar.

It should all add up to my dream title, but the amalgamation just never quiet meshes. Every time the team comes close to the harmonious chorus I long for it goes wrong. There is always a distraction from total enjoyment; a strange music choice here or a loose camera movement there; there is always something elusively that stays just outside my perception, distracting from my enjoyment. Perhaps it was that each of the creative minds involved work better when not constrained by others creative diversions, truly a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

Here is the girlfriend, Paula, being killed by Fleming hundreds of times seems to be taking it toll.

Of course there could be dozens of reasons Shadows of the Damned not reaching the lofty heights I had hoped for. A troubled development, difficulties in any number of areas, time restraints or simple lack of inspiration could have all contributed to the game’s underperformance. None of this changes the end result however, which is that Shadows of the Damned does not meet my (unreasonably?) high expectation. None of this is not to say I don’t like it, just where I was expecting a cheese board with a nice red wine I instead received a hearty ploughman’s with a pint of Stella, and I am not that keen on Stella.

Welcome to my fourth rewrite of this, and really I am still not 100% satisfied. In my first draft I went through describing the gameplay in detail, then it was the plot, before finally I realised what I wanted to say. If you take nothing else away from this article take this; if you have never played Killer 7, and are interested in extending you understanding of gaming outside the standard main stream offerings, you should find a way to play this game.

The Killer 7 Syndicate assassins, plus Harman (center) and Kun Lan (center top).

Killer 7 is an oft over looked game, yet it stands as one of the most interesting titles of its generation, and remains refreshingly different to this day. It has been so long since I played the Grasshopper Manufacture game that I have to confess it is something of a blur. But despite the haziness of its details, the concepts (I feel) it touched on and its commentary on gaming have stayed with me, and continue to inform my view of games.

From the start Killer 7 defies expectation. Looking at coverage of it before release I expected a third person action game, instead what I got was an on rails experience. ‘On rails’ is a term that conjures preconceptions of arcade light gun games, controlled experiences that move players through the world as though on a conveyer belt. Killer 7 differed from this format, placing me as a train driver on the track rather than a passenger, but constrained none the less.

Killer 7's third-person camera and linear nature allowed for some dramatic framing of action, which accentuated the games cell-shaded style.

The importance of Killer 7’s guided play mechanic went beyond simple gameplay, speaking to an underlying theme, the predetermined nature of gaming. Each of the seven playable characters is manipulated by powers greater than themselves. Be it the player or the games omnipotent forces, their lives are not their own, indeed they do not even control their existence. As the player I was also subject to this control, as the game and designer manipulated me, determining my actions and their outcomes.

Ultimately the subject of the game is control and predetermination. Within Killer 7’s universe there are no powers greater than Harman Smith and Kun Lan. Established in opening scenes as old friends and rivals, these two are shown in a conflict that dictates the balance of world power. Locked in this endless battle (implied by the games near identical opening and closing scenes, set some hundred years apart) these two omnipotent characters manipulate governments and events in their struggle, assuming control of numerous individuals to achieve their ends.

To my mind these two characters represent Killer 7’s designers. Directing every act, the designer’s presence is rarely felt, but ever present. Like the almost god like Harman and Kun Lan, they influence every event toying with me as the player, setting me up and watching the events play out.

Harman and Kun Lan locked in their game of chess.

Sat below the battling forces sits the larger political events of Killer 7’s world. In the games alternate history the Earth is close to peace. With all militaries nearly eradicated, when the UN is hit by a Japanese terrorist attack they have to enlist the help of a private group. Harman Smith’s Killer 7 Syndicate (made up of seven top assassins) are the called in by the West to defend from the terrorist group named Heaven Smile.

These events form the board for Harman and Kun Lan’s ‘game’. With Harman backing the West and Kun Lan driving events in the East the two players are set to begin (again an idea mirrored in cut scenes as the two sit calmly playing chess). If these two forces represent the designers then the world events of Killer 7 are the game itself, leaving only the lowest level of the game to be established, that of the pieces.

It is the seven members of the Killer 7 Syndicate that form Harman’s pieces (while Kun Lan operates the Heaven Smile). This cast of seven characters formed the drama and emotional anchor that drove me forward as a player. Individual chapters focused on different members of the team and provided me with a back-story to build attachments. From the masked Mexican wrestler Mask De Smith, to the blind rollerblading teen Con Smith, each character had a story to tell that also shed light on their unique skills. Much like a pawn or a solider on the field, these characters knew little about the powers manipulating them but followed their path to its conclusion.

To enable me and my assassin to see enemies it was necessary to switch to first person, though I still don't know if the deliberateness of this represented how unnatural all game interactions are.

As I followed the games path I was manipulated. Slowly I began to see the correlation between the team of assassins and myself. Only able to see what was presented to me, I focused solely on how the stories events affected me. I felt a bond with the assassins, because they were in the same predicament, only able to see what was presented to them. Occasionally I would perceive the board behind the narrative, like the characters would see world events, but this did not concern me. It was only my own manipulated motivations that coerced my involvement. My attention was never focused on the director as I played. Perhaps this is why, after the final scene with Harman and Kun Lan, a screen splash appears proclaiming ‘Written, Designed and Directed by Suda 51’ to emphasis his connection with the two forces and highlight his power over me.

I appreciate how disjointed this may all seem. With so many interwoven elements it is a testament to director Suda 51’s initial vision that it hangs together as well as it does. Offering a peculiar narrative experience it has the feel of a David Lynch film rather than the typical disjointed Japanese story.

Killer 7 altered my view of gaming. From the self-awareness I perceived it having, to the realisation of how completely the director controlled my experience, it made me think differently about how I consume gaming media, and what it is capable of conveying. It is a shame the game didn’t reach a larger audience, no doubt a casualty of its own deviations form accepted norms. It offered a fascinating diversion from the status quo and while much of what I took from it may be due to an over active imagination, it is remains a thought provoking title.