Shank:Single-player and Co-Op impressions

Coming out of Klei Entertainment, the talented team that brought us N+ and Eets, Shank is the kind of game that proves you can never have too much fun when running about with a sharpened piece of metal. For those who haven’t been paying attention, Shank is an action/hack-n-slash game in the same vein as Streets of Rage and Final Fight, except Shank is far more violent than either of these two classics. Of course, when you decide to play a game called “Shank,” you shouldn’t expect much else; this game ain’t about sewing.

This artistically pretty game is all about weapons and how to kill a lot of people using them. Mapped to the face buttons are several weapons: the shank is on the ‘X’ button (using the Xbox pad as a reference), the chainsaw is on ‘Y’, and your guns are mapped on the ‘B’ button. Weapons can be cycled via pressing the D-pad.

The challenge provided to players will be how to use each weapon in conjunction in order to quickly mow down legions of doomed baddies. Weapons can be used together in order to provide the damage needed to pass an area. For example, a player can whip out a chainsaw and start cutting deep into an enemy while pressing ‘B’ to fire the pistol at another enemy onscreen. Experienced fighters can easily link attacks into a long string of blood-soaked chaos. Grabbing is mapped to the right bumper, giving the player the ability to tenderize an enemy with the shank, or to simply throw him onto other badguys charging your way. Or shank him first then throw him, whichever comes naturally.

More weapons will become available over time. So far we have seen a shotgun and a rifle as extra weapons that will take the place of the standard pistols. On the subject of weapons, gamers who play through the single player campaign will gradually unlock weapons to be used the the co-op mode. The co-op mode is completely separate episode that chronicles the history behind the story of Shank. I’ll let my fellow sociopath, Greg(LaWiiG), fill you in.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CO-OP AND SINGLE PLAYER VIDEOS

LaWiiG: Why thank you Cam.

Wouldn’t you rather stab, blast, chainsaw-gas and just plain beat up bad guys with a friend? Me too. Shanks co-op was announced close to two weeks ago, but playing it was the only real way to sink teeth in it.

When I sat down to play with Klei Entertainment’s Jamie Cheng, just after Creative Director Jeff Agala drew me getting shanked from behind, he was able to give me a quick lowdown on the controls and then right into the action.

The co-op follows the main character and his mustached main man. Although it is a co-op adventure, it preludes to the Shank storyline. Playing either will only allude to the deeper story behind the blood bath. Think of it like watching Kill Bill out of order. Errr, reverse that.

Tearning through the streets does give a real old school beat’em up feel, but it adds the value of a great artistic style and co-op controls. Even in the demo, we some sick weapons, action, and team ups. Co-op jumps to pick up an item up on an overhead billboard, or taking down an enemy while the other dodges to pick up his gatling gun are uber fulfilling. Using the grapple along with your partners attack makes for some combos that you just can’t find in other games. The blend of creative design is embedded deep into the action on the streets as well as in the boss battle that was soon to come.

The masked thug attacked us both by throwing barrels from above his head and reining them down on us. The only way to beat this creep was to shoot down each barrel and then either you or your teammate jumped to take advantage. Cheng and I mashed the pistol blasts so that this pig in a mask couldn’t drop bombs down on us. We still had to dodge his charges and swings, but it gave the battle a great challenge. Giving this storyline importance gave the co-op more weight and we were only minutes into play. This was a true sign that Shank has what it takes cut the opponents down.

While Creative Director Jeff Agala sketched out my frightened face, I asked him if it was true that Comix Zone was one of the biggest influences for the game. Although he said it definitely held some weight, the other designers were the biggest influences on how the game turned out. Jeff admitted it was a little ways from creating episodes on cartoon network, Atomic Betty, but he was having fun doing so.

Well there you have it kiddies. If you have not already checked out their official site, you should do so. Many more trailers and art can be found there.

Make sure to look out for these dates:

Playstation Network: August 24, 2010
Xbox LIVE Arcade: August 25, 2010

Shank Official Site