Buy Killer is Dead

Initial impression: Oct, 25

Samurai Champloo/Cowboy Bebop directed by Quentin Tarantino on LSD with the visual style of windwaker

I feel like this game might be trying to parody or mock other japanese video games or some injoke I don't get.
Combat is unforgiving, you must be a fast learner.

Not many grapical options, only about 4-5 resolutions ot choose from.

-No idea what was going on 100% of the time
-Seriously, what the hell was going on
-talking trains, unicorns n ♥♥♥♥
-fourth wall doesn't exist
-That ending?
-Action game dating sim -- insta 10/10

It doesn't matter if you target is in USA, Europe, China or even The moon mondo can kill 'em all. this video game has a weird story but it has a great characters, great voices acting and the most important thing about this game is the gameplay yeah is AWESOME and easy to interact, this video game has beside the main mission has side quest missions, that could help you to progress in this game of course if you want to become a killing machine, about the graphics are so amazing this game use cel shading technique and is just wonderful to see that, but there are some things that i didn't like it such as this game has just only 3 graphic options vsync, resolution and graphic performance "developer team you could do better" and the another one is this game is too short really short

in conclusion if you like this game genres (hack and slash) you will enjoy this game I really recommended.
by the way if you have Intel core 2 duo or similar this game has a glitch in the chapter 3 so I recommended to play this game with a core i5 or better. I hope this little review may help you to decide if you buy this game or not

When Killer is Dead was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2013, it made waves for its striking art style and controversial gigolo side missions, but PC gamers didn’t want to sit idly by while they missed out on Suda 51’s latest surreal experience. Thus, Deep Silver and Kadokawa Games have teamed up to bring the sword swinging hack and slasher to Steam at an affordable, and very reasonable price. With even more refined visuals, keyboard and mouse controls, and a new difficulty mode, considering this is a new territory for the developer, they seem to have made out very well, all things considered.Killer is Dead stars an executioner named Mondo Zappa who has recently become a major cog at Bryan’s Executioner Office. The Executioner Office is the country’s first line of defense, banked on tax dollars and serving the state. Well, in theory at least, as most of its clients are individual citizens who come to the firm with a unique problem. There’s the man with a giant spider monster terrorizing his house, a musician who had her ears stolen and a woman in crisis from the dark side of the moon just to name a few. There’s never a job the office doesn’t take, and while Mondo is sent out on the bulk of them, he has assistance in the form of Bryan, Vivienne and Mika. Vivienne is a femme fatale with a dozen arms that shoot out of her back and fire guns, Bryan is the head of the operation who is one cybernetic implant away from becoming a robot and Mika is a young runaway that Mondo takes in because she’s good at making soft-boiled eggs. All the characters in the game are interesting, from the major players to the bit ones, with Bryan a standout outside of the protagonist. His cryptic messages and nonchalance helps elevate the surrealism of the situations.I’d go deeper into the plot, but find that difficult for two reasons: it would spoil the fun of unraveling the story and it’s incredibly abstract and difficult to put into words. Killer is Dead has a narrative that plops you into the middle of a mysterious world playing as a character you know little about. It takes place in the distant future as evidenced by Mondo’s cybernetic arm and the moon being inhabited. Indeed, the cover art is not just for show and the moon plays a significant part in the game. As the plot progresses, more is revealed about the characters and just what the hell is happening, rewarding those who stick with it and attempt to piece it all together. Matching the idiosyncrasy of the plot are the bizarre level designs. There’s a stage reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting as imagined by Lewis Carroll, complete with stairs on the walls, and one that takes place in a thousand-story building. This is a game that literally goes straight to the moon within the first few hours, so except anything and everything. The unique setting of areas helps the game from feeling repetitive, although they aren’t always the most inspired, with more indoor corridors than I would have liked. The boss designs are some of the strangest in recent memories, rivaling even the Slurm Queen in DmC. The gameplay is that of a hack and slash and somewhat reminiscent of Devil May Cry. Mondo’s main weapon is his beloved katana, Gekkou, which absorbs blood and boosts his fighting ability. Blood can be used for multiple things, the most notable being the “Adrenaline Burst.” An enemy can be cut in half (usually right down the middle) upon being stunned, destroying them in one hit. The most important use of blood is to grant the ability to harness the power of Mondo’s cybernetic left arm, which is called the “Musselback.” Multiple (some unlockable) sub-weapons can be loaded into the Musselback, including the Bullet Shot, Freeze Shooter and Drill. The Bullet Shot is basically a gun and can be charged for more damage, the Freeze Shooter fires frozen bullets to slow enemies down and the Drill is a giant drill. The Bullet Shot is the most practical out of the three, although each has its own advantage.Most of the time, however, expect to be hacking and slashing. Most of the action happens by the way of the square button, which creates lighting quick combos. Holding down the same button does a circular “Moon Slash,” while hitting triangle breaks guard. On the defensive side of things, holding circle brings Mondo into a guard, while tapping it makes him dodge. If an attack is successfully dodged, it brings up a prompt to counter-attack, which allows the enemy to be sliced and diced in slow-motion. While it’s a wholly satisfying combat system, it does feel a bit outdated after the smoothness of both DmC and Metal Gear Rising.Perhaps the most shocking feature about the game is that of the “Gigolo Missions,” which is surprising in a game that has a character sprout legs out of her back and crawl around the ceiling. These are mini-games that can be completed in-between missions, with the ultimate goal being to seduce a woman for pleasure and weapons. Every mission has Mondo approach an attractive woman and begin seducing her the “Gigolo Vision” and sneaking a peak of her private areas when she’s not looking. You can look at her face too, but as the tutorial states, “staring at her face won’t increase your Guts, go for the sexy shots!” Mondo can restore the mood by looking in her eyes, however, which is necessary as she’ll ditch you if it cools off enough. Once you’ve gained enough guts by staring at her, you give her presents until she falls in love with you and gives you a weapon. It’s hard to predict how people will react to this mode, and I’m not touching that with a ten foot poll, but it’s surprisingly entertaining and all in good fun.It’s surprising Killer is Dead has received a PC port, especially considering we’ve only seen one other game from Grasshopper Manufacture breech the open ended barrier. Unfortunately, Nightmare Edition is a little below expectations. There’s a lack of options when it comes to visuals as it’s summed up in a single quality meter ranging from high to low. That’s not the concerning matter – it’s actually more stunning a nine month old console port of this caliber had any graphical selections at all – but it’s the five supported resolutions and limited frame rate that’s worrisome. It’s only disappointing because the game actually supports more than 30fps and any resolution possible, but to unlock these, players will have to go into ini file and manually change the settings themselves. Besides that, though, the Killer is Dead really shines on PC, showcasing the studio’s beautiful artwork.Killer is Dead is not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s avant-garde, darkly humorous, hyper-violent and different from most every game out there. It’s like the weirdness of Killer 7, Lollipop Chainsaw, Anarchy Reigns and Catherine rolled into one game, but narratively removed from anything that’s come before it. Out of the box, the Nightmare Edition is a baffling package.

Killer is Dead: Nightmare Edition is a crazy hack-n-slash action game that feels similar to games like Devil May Cry 4 (and probably others in the series, which I have not played), in terms of gameplay. But, that's pretty much where the similarities end - KiD: Nightmare is a bat-crap crazy game - which has unique characters, unique look for a cel-shaded games, strange levels, surreal elements that feel right out of a David Lynch film, an over-the-top ridiculous story + plot, satire elements, 4th-wall breaking elements, and God knows what else. That certainly isn't everything, as this is the strangest + most unique game that I've played since Deadly Premonition. Fortunately for us PC gamers, this game actually received a decent PC port...unlike Deadly Premonition.

Without giving away too much on the story...well, it goes something like this: Mondo, who also has one bionic arm, works for an agency that assassinates people + does odd jobs. The story is just utterly over-the-top and ridiculous from there so I'll just leave it at that, plot-wise. The game is often very cryptic, not giving you everything in dialogue + in a straight-forward manner. Many of it, is in the visuals. Even if you cannot decipher the surreal + ridiculous story in its entirety, there is something else there that can help quite a bit - which I will get to later.

Mondo is a character who seems to have no real attachment to anything - and just does what he has to do, whether in a main-mission or side-mission, not asking many questions and just going full-steam ahead. And once you finally get the full picture (especially if you also check out Theatre Mode - which I will get to), you'll likely understand why Mondo is the way he is, once we are revealed so much about himself & his past. Once you see this all, it'll make more sense: no wonder Mondo is so screwed-up, as he goes about the main-quest and especially the Gigolo missions like he does, with little attachment to anything & just going straight-forward with full-steam ahead.

Once you finish the game + you want some things to be cleared-up, do yourself a favor: look + read over the unlocked Theatre Mode (which you can access in-game, in The Office). This actually tells the story + each chapter, in all of its ridiculous insanity, in a very straight-forward manner. If there's something that needs to be cleared up, there's a good chance that it's in there. Though, not everything will be revealed - as it's possible some things are meant to be left ambiguous to be interepreted or leave wide-open for (hopefully) a sequel.

This game ran on Ultra settings at a very consistent + solid 30 frames per second, most of the time. I had very few hitches + slow-downs on my rig (i7 950; 1 GB VRAM GeForce 560 Ti; 16 GB RAM; Win 7 64-bit OS) - namely, on one part on the final level for the main-quest, actually. Some PC gamers might complain the game is locked at 30 frames (since many here do prefer 60 frames per second for a frame-cap), but the game runs smooth as silk for the most part & looks really slick. I'd rather have it at a stable 30 frames 99% of the time than say floating anywhere at anytime b/t 30 to 60 frames often, IMHO.

Its art-style oozes nothing but unique-ness. The game has a cel-shaded look, but it still looks much different than other cel-shaded games such as the FPS game XIII + Borderlands series. While it may not be the most technically looking great, its art style is ozzing style, personality, unique-ness - and that style is completely fantastic, with its look, use of colors, and everything. No other cel-shaded games looks like this - period.

The game offers up main-missions and side-missions, on the game's world-map. You select a mission and then go there. Most missions, they're quite linear - as you'll often wind-up going from point A to point B, in a linear fashion - hacking- slashing, shooting, and chopping your enemies up. Some maps are quite open, as you might have to find a few items in this huge map. Finish a map, you'll be graded - and you'll earn more money for items you can buy + also earn experience as you play to upgrade your character's skills.

As you do more main missions, you'll often unlock other side-quests. Side-quests can vary in their nature. When you finish an Episode (to the main quest), you'll often unlock other side-quests in which you re-visit areas (from the Main Quest) and have specific challenges to do - which basically have side-quests often acting like challenge-maps that you'd see in other games. It could be a timed-event. It could be finding a specific item in the area and exiting the area. It could be just a specific new side-mission in that area. Who knows, roll the dice - as that is pretty much the kind of variety & insanity that comes with this game.

There are even side-missions where you play a Gigolo and try to seduce girls, in which they often up certain weapons + upgrades that you can only from doing these missions. As silly & ridiculous as these Gigolo missions are, where you have to check-out the girls, look at them, ogle them, etc..especially when they aren't paying attention - this just enforces plenty of the game's already often 4th wall breaking + satire elements, making Mondo seem like a very flawed James Bond-like type of character - and slickly also being a satire on the world of assassins and spies, as well. Simply put: this game is loaded with over-the-top sex (from the Gigolo missions) and violence (from namely the main-missions).

Even when you finish the game's main quest, you can re-do any missions you've done or not done - and continue in the game-world, which is great for players who want to master the game. Also, when selecting a mission from the world-map - the player can switch the difficulty of the even the level itself at any time. Since each difficulty had your best grade tied to it, people who want to master this game are likely going to replay it.

With the X360 gamepad (which is how I played the game) - the combat looks + feels absolutely awesome. While it does take a little bit to get going as it eases the player into learning the game early on - once the game gets going, it gets going. The game gets better and better with its combat, once you get more skills + upgrades and more different enemy types to take on. Also throw in some awesome finishing moves (cutting people's heads off & slicing people in half) & incredible boss-fights, the game is nothing short of an action-packed roller-coaster ride.

After the 12-13 hours that I appoximately spent with this game (on my 1st run), I was left with an often awesome, unique & crazy game. This over-the-top, utterly ridiculous, hack-n-slash game is an absolute blast, especially in the main missions. While some of the side-missions (challenge style missions + the repetitive nature of the Gigolo missions) are nowhere as great as the main-mission stuff + sometimes leave a little left to be desired here, they're still optional for the player to have things to do + challenges to take on, if you feel inclined. The unique art-style implemented in this cel-shaded game look great and the game runs extremely well (even if it is locked at 30 frames per second). Add onto this all that the game also has unique characters & a bat-crap crazy story + plot, satire elements, and 4th-wall breaking elements - this game is going to have its own cult-following for this stuff alone. Add onto it that gamers who might not care about the story stuff might want awesome combat, excellent boss fights - that is here, as well. Gamers who want it all - action, story, plot, insanity, you're not going to be left behind. There's just too much to like + love here for gamers to ignore; especially hack-n-slash action gamers. Killer Is Dead is the name of the game, but it's more like Killer Is Alive. This game feels alive, thrives (in so many ways) & is an absolutely awesome hack-n-slash action game.

Grade = B.

I only recommend this game if you have good computer. It has a problem with dual cores and it seems the developers have no intent to fix this problem. Your can't get past any part of the game where you talk on a phone, it will endlessly load.

Aside from that it is an awesomme game, I played this on ps3 when it first came out, but I regret purchasing this on steam and supporting developers who ignore the community.

Make sure you have a quad core and a good amount of memory if your interested in purchasing.

If you like Suda51 games get it just know what your getting before you purchase. I have to wait to play as I have to upgrade my computer even though I can run it on the highest setting.

Great game but bad port.

Playing this game is essentially signing a contract saying that you'll be willing to accept whatever strange insanity is going on in developer Suda51's head, and it's certainly a doozy. If you're willing to accept that you're probably not going to understand what the hell is going on (at least on your first playthrough), then you might be able to look past the veil and find a charming game worth loving. 8/10

Killer is Dead is a Suda51 title that might not live up to its predecessors like Killer7, but it does deliver a very strange and over-the-top experience you'd expect from him nonetheless. If you're willing to give the Hack and Slash sub-genre a chance, you'll witness a very stylish cell-shaded game with challenging gameplay and hot chicks.

The premise is similar to Suda51's No More Heroes and Killer7 in that you work as a hitman or "executioner" (in this game's terms) named Mondo Zappa. You're given contracts that serve as the game's main story mode, as well as side missions like dates and challenges. After every completed contract, you're paid an amount based on the difficulty and can unlock new missions, challenges, costumes, gear, and even gifts for you to use on dates.

Mondo's main weapon is a sword, it's upgradable via the Moon Crystals that drop after killing enemies. You're also able to upgrade a sidearm, literally. You're entire left arm is 4-in-1 weapon that is upgradable in the same way as your sword. You're also able to upgrade Mondo with new abilities such health recovery via blood and an upgraded dash.

Dodging and dealing consecutive damage is important in this game. You're rewarded for dodging enemy attacks at the last second with a counter attack called "dodge burst" with turns you into Kenshiro with a sword. This also becomes essential in later boss fights, where survival is key. Increasing your combo duration can also land you bonus drops from enemies like extra moon crystals for your upgrades. Overall, it becomes important to learn the enemy's movements.

Let's not forget that this game is a port. It runs at 30fps by default, but with a few guides in the game's hub, you'll be able to run it at 60fps or higher. The game also fails to provide a decent amount of video settings at all. If you have a computer that runs most games pretty well, you have nothing to worry about.

For $20, is a good deal. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a challenge or to any fan of Hack and Slash games in general. If the dating sim is your thing, just think: A delicious brown woman, a cute Japanese girl, a vampire lady, and a healthy nurse that speaks in sexual innuendos are waiting to be picked up by you right now!

Killer is Dead is probably the most fun I've had playing a game this year. Suda51 goes for a more darker, noir-like tone, as opposed to his more brighter games such as No More Heroes and Lollipop Chainsaw. Despite the darker tone, it's still one of those games that doesn't take it's self too seriously, yet still offers an interesting story; albeit a slightly incoherent one. This is probably one of Suda51's most cryptic games in terms of story, it has an open ended ending which can allow for multiple interpretations and many questions are left unanswered by the end of the game.


The game mechanics for the most part are simple, attack, guard break/circle around the enemies when they block attacks, and counter/parry enemy attacks. Despite the simple mechanics I never felt the game got repetitive. Every mission had a distinct design with it's own unique boss. And to break the monotony there are sub-missions and Gigolo missions you can perform in between the main story.

Pros:
Unique setting dripping in Suda51's style.
Lots of variety in missions.
Nice amounts of side content.
Simple yet still engaging fighting system.

Cons:
Issues with Dual Core CPUS.
Somewhat incoherent story, maybe to lead towards a sequel.
Occasional slowdown, didn't happen too often but at random times the FPS would dip.

9/10

From the finest hippie stoners, we have, Killer is Dead.
A game you will like, but understand only if you are tripping balls.
(honestly, look at my screenshots of this game)

+ Pros
Pretty unique
Interesting art style
Decent fighting mechanism
It has some old-school/retro feeling for some reason, don't know why

- Cons
A game with such recommended hardware , yet, no mirror reflections, INDEED IS SCARY.
Decent to horrible port, with tons of bugs.
It will make your brain hurt

If you are a basement hippie stoner, GET IT ABSO-♥♥♥♥IN-LUTELY NOW!
If you are a gamer, get it on a sale, i promise you, it's different from the rest of the games.

KiD... It's a hack'n'slash type of game that runs on the same principle as DmC. It's a somewhat short game, I was hoping it would go on for 2 more hours or so but it was still enjoyable. The story was great, even though it didn't make much sense and even when some parts were explained it still didn't make any sense, Maybe they were supposed to symbolize something I couldn't figure out. Art style was fairly unique and interesting. The only thing I didn't like about it was your partner Mika. Every time I heard her talk I wanted to drive a bullet through my head. She is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. But anyways it's hard to explain this one but buy the game if you see it on sale for $5~10. Just be sure to read up on the negative comments because I think the game doesn't work on some types of computers with... dual cores or something, idk here's the link so you can check it out. Also it normally runs at 30fps but this is a game that you don't really notice it so it shouldn't matter much.

It's nice to have Suda things

Dual core is Dead. It was fun while it lasted.

Devil May Cry Killer is Dead is a 3rd person action game about a man named Dante Mondo who works for a killer-for-hire agency specializing in supernatural threats. Dante Mondo fights using a sword and a gun against a variety of enemies to try to stop Vergil David, who uses a sword as well but does not use a gun and has more fully embraced the dark power they both wield.

Jokes aside, Killer is Dead is very much "what if Suda 51 did Devil May Cry". The game absolutely oozes Suda 51 style, from the art style to the completely ridiculous and over the top characters and bosses. The combat is quite a bit simpler than DMC, revolving (mostly) around a single attack button and a block/dodge button, but is quite enjoyable and fast-paced nonetheless. The plot of the game isn't much to speak of, it only really picks up during the last few chapters. Overall, KiD, while having very obvious influences, is a very fun game with that marvelous Suda 51 style.

♥♥♥♥ing Beautiful, Blood looks great, Hilarity at every corner, Mind-♥♥♥♥ign to the point where you are just like, "wait what?", Swords, Arm Guns, Arm CANNONS, Fisticuffs, And Gigolos.

Has a gamebreaking glitch that's still not fixed

The game is awesome ive played this on ps3 before but here on pc steam it keeps on crashing,i really want to play this game but unfortunately it keeps on crashing,i will write a positive review if the devs were going to fix this as soon as possible..

Chapter 1 Clear - Whoa! What a nice game!
Chapter 2 Clear - I want to play it moar!
Chapter 3 ~ummm...~ - Infinite Loading Bug

Definitely not recommending this game even on 100% discount.
Why you ask ?
Crappiest port i have ever played.

[accurate as of 27 Oct 2014]
Developers have not fixed a game breaking bug they have known about since June, and I cannot progress beyond episode 3 (which is only about 10 minutes into the game) because a door won't close.

Do not buy this game.

Shame on you, Deep Silver.

If you have a dual core DON'T BUY THIS GAME!!!
Game breaking bug on chapter 3 if you have a processor with dual core.-. funny, since the first two chapters ran smoothly
Seems like the devs aren't going to fix this... Fúck them!