Introduction

Killer is Dead (KiD) is the newest installment by Grasshopper Manufacture, Suda51’s shop. Although some folks say that Suda took a backset-role on the game, it still has a bit of his charm. Adding on to that, Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame did the music, much like with Shadows of the Damned.

Why am I LPing it? Well, let’s be upfront here: in spite of being a hacky-slashy type game, it’s a far cry from your average Platinum title. Yamaoka did the music, sure, but nothing stands out track-wise. Its storyline is weird with random parts/ideas that don't go anywhere; there’s some sort of Killer 7 vibe, but it’s just, well, off.

I really enjoyed playing this on my first playthrough and can’t put my finger on one main reason why. It has the same sort of artsy approach used by Killer 7; namely, lots of shadows and darkness with bright colors crammed right in the middle of it all. Also, the overall flow of the story scratched an odd itch. Each episode is self-contained with an occasional reference to the major story-arc creeping in the back. There are also some little touches (be they bizarre or serious) that really gel nicely at times.

((Post-LP Edit: I DON'T KNOW WHY I DECIDED TO LP THIS. The luster and charm completely vanished on the second playthrough and oh god no))

Joining me for this venture is judge reinhold of the Men Drinkin’ Coffee group. In spite of his warnings otherwise, I’m dragging along in to this weird tale, where he will serve as the blind co-commentator.

As a heads-up, this will NOT be a 100% LP. There are challenges/unlockables, but almost all of them either lead to a creepy costume for female characters or super-awkward sexy-time cutscenes. If you want to see ‘em, look them up on Youtube. Personally, I think they’re tacked on and rob the game of its charm. There is also some weird mini-game (which really caused this game to get roasted by reviewers) to unlock sub-weapons. I’ll be editing most of that out.