Sometimes I feel like the only person who really liked it Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days. Sure, the old third-person shooter isn't exactly the most fun to play, but that's the point.
under the radar
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It's the bloody swan song of two disgusting men, presented entirely through the low-resolution lens of a handheld camcorder that intentionally leaves you disoriented as you navigate Shanghai's towering concrete skyscrapers. The game does its best to overwhelm, with its fragmented plot told almost entirely in a language you can't even understand.
The entire experience is dedicated to being as miserable as possible, and that's exactly what makes it so appealing. Like a dirty horror movie, you just can't look away. In my opinion, there has never been an experience like this. That is until now.
pure rage
When an advertisement Better than dead I found my Instagram account and instantly knew it was just what I was looking for. The perspective of the camcorder is the most obvious similarity, although unlike Kane and Lynch 2, the camera on Better than dead is being held by the protagonist, so everything It takes place in first person.
The narration is just as raw. The game begins with an image of a bright blue sky, distorted by the fisheye lens and film grain effects. This serene scene is nothing more than an ingenious visual trick, a poster stuck to the wall of the cell where our young protagonist has been confined.
You look around and discover a blood-covered mattress, discarded food scraps, a dirty, squat toilet, and an attractive side table bathed in the light of a small lamp.
In it is a gun, accompanied by an unknown message in Chinese and a drawing of a bird escaping from a cage. You don't need a translation to know what's at stake: something horrible is happening here and this weapon is your only way to escape.
From there, your rampage begins, running through the hallways of what turns out to be a dodgy porn studio, shooting members of the triad before finally hitting the streets.
After this, in each level you will have to infiltrate other locations affiliated with the triad, such as seedy restaurants or suspicious alleys, to eliminate every gang member in sight. It has an almost first-person rhythm. Miami Hotlinewith dense layouts and complicated enemy placements that require at least a few attempts to learn the ropes, and an emphasis on speed and brutality.
You have a deft slide that helps you dodge incoming fire and offers a bit of bullet time, vital to success since you die in just two hits.
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However, the gunplay isn't exactly simple. Although our protagonist is fueled by pure rage, she is not yet trained with firearms, with swinging hands that make it difficult to hit her target. Fortunately, ammo is unlimited, so throwing a full magazine in the general direction of the enemies is the way to go.
Can it be frustrating? Incredibly, but that only adds to the satisfaction of carrying out the perfect massacre. If we add to this the fact that the game is not afraid to touch on quite dark themes, I feel the same emotion that I fell in love with so much. Kane and Lynch 2.
I can't complain about the presentation either. If you can look past the simple menu UI, the game's complete lack of on-screen icons gives the action a cinematic, realistic feel. The strong camcorder effects and the wise decision to pixelate the characters' faces (facial animation is often a sticking point for low-budget games) do a great job of softening the images. If you squint, you might even mistake what's on the screen for real video images.
Look
The sound design is also impeccable. The shots are meaty and enemies scream in pain when shot, often falling to the ground and moving around a bit before you finish them off. Given that this all comes from a solo developer and costs just $14.99 / £13.75 / AU$20.95, it's a pretty impressive achievement.
Better than dead It is currently in early access through Steam and receives frequent updates. There are only a handful of levels now, but since I've had the game, the developer has already added the beginning of a hub world with a handy practice shooting range and is constantly tweaking things based on player feedback.
Kayne and Lynch 2 fans (I know there are potentially dozens of us out there), this is one to watch.
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