Analysis sought: death. adrenaline in the vein

Today in Xbox Space, it’s all about adrenaline, action, shooting, katanas and carnage. Yes, today we bring you, Wanted: dead, a game that puts in the shaker, action, shooting and a sharp sword that will cause real carnage among the most unwanted. Will you come with us in this cyberpunk future that we analyzed on Xbox Series X?

History, genre and intentions of Wanted: Dead

promotional and marketing material Wanted: dead They describe it as a “love letter to the sixth generation of consoles”. In other words, we are talking about PS2, Xbox, Dreamcast and Gamecube. The intention of this version is to pay homage to the first 3D action games and the frantic filming that was done to show the advantages of the new consoles.. The game is precisely a work of veterans of this period. The developer, Sun, was founded by the former member of the mythical Tecmo, Takayuki Kikuchi. Responsible, among other things, for the first Gaiden ninja. Now that you know this information, many of you will surely find the similarities with the title we are discussing today.

We will control the lieutenant Hannah Stone. We are in a cyberpunk future in which cyborgs and inorganic body parts seem completely normal. We lead thezombie squad», an elite team that works outside the framework and limits of the traditional police and with very expeditious methods. We will discover a plot that will lead us to face mercenaries and cyborgs from shadow societies.

Graphically, remembering past generations

The cyberpunk aesthetic and the the graphic framework has two clear references. First of all, again we see here the influence of the film Robotcop (Paul Verhoeven1987), for the future cyberpunk and the big corporations that dominate everything. But the other very clear is the world of anime and more specifically of manga artist and writer Masamune Shirow.

This author is recognized for his science fiction stories set in a cyberpunk future with the presence of police forces or workers trying to enforce the law. He is also considered a master in designing futuristic machines and gadgets. Perhaps his most iconic works are Appleseed, Dominion Tank Police or the most famous work taken in the real image does not do much: ghost in the shell. The aesthetics of police forces, streets, illuminated signs, etc., are totally reminiscent of his work and seem to be a more than obvious influence.

As for the graphic quality, there remains something fair. And it is that the homage to past generations seems to be too faithful in this sense. The game has unremarkable graphics. Added to this are the cinematics, crude for the current generation, with facial expressions and movements that are a little unnatural. The settings, which look good and their 60 fps (albeit with occasional drops) are the highlight of the title in this regard. Despite this, object destruction and particle handling aren’t the best we’ve seen either.

Shooter, hack & slash, mini-games…

the game is a mix of shooter and hack & slash. But it’s true that once we start playing it, we’ll realize that the the shooter component is relegated to the background in front of the pistol and katana combos. Our protagonist can use guns, but the really fun part, and the best done, is the hack & slash part.

And it is that heshooting option is not too optimized. In the first place the cover system is not well implemented, it takes a few seconds to crouch in cover. And then there is the problem that some enemies are real bullet sponges Or it makes our bullets look corked, as they seem to do little damage depending on the enemies. Of course, all this is increased in high difficulty levelwhere coverage issues and bullet resistance are further challenged.

The part of using the katana, mixed with a gun, is more fun and impactful due to the combos and the ability to cover up. Additionally, we can do executions that can end the rival to pieces, literally. But in this case, unlike our character, enemy shots affect the health of the protagonist. This is why it is mix of genres it offers Wanted: dead We can say that it failed.

Minigames are part of the break between so much action and give another incentive to play. We will have a Shooting Gallery (with 4 other modalities inside), Crane Game, Ramen, Karaoke and Space Runaway. A very touch of other sagas like Yakuzawhich give a little more vidilla and variety to the game.

To emphasize in gameplay how beautifully the protagonist responds to commands. Something that, if he had failed, would have plunged the title into hell in conjunction with the rest of the failures. But this, due to his good response, becomes one of the best arguments to defend the title.

Shots, katanas and guitars

Something as full of adrenaline as this title needs music to accompany it. No sooner said than done, progressive rock guitar playing leads the protagonist’s actions with great sounding metallic melodies. The dubbing is also quite well done, in English, yes, although we will have subtitles in Spanish.

On the other hand, the sound effects seem too generic and clearly taken from a sound library. For example, PUBG fans will recognize the same grenade explosion sound from Wanted: dead.

Findings Sought: Death

Despite the significant number of flaws, there is one thing that is undeniable. Once you get over its glitches and get used to it, the game can be really fun.. Being able to participate in multiple fights, i.e. using the sword against one enemy and shooting another enemy behind at the same time, is a joy. We intersperse blows to the various rivals, and make bids to end up destroying the enemy.

The game is a decent if somewhat poor action title that attempted to blend the two genres without success. It has issues with its graphics, which are a bit poor, the cameras aren’t the best either, leaving you exhausted at times and there are frame drops, especially after the checkpoint.

Despite this, and once you dwell on it, it has a few virtues like its frenzied rhythm and its playability that make it Wanted: dead a very entertaining title.