Shank

 

Although with releases of 2013 cluttering up a gamer's PC lets take a look at an old and released long back but not to be missed game , The Shank . Developed by the Canadian developers Klei Entertainment who were also responsible for the Mark of the Assassin . Thanks to my friend Sid who was the one who mentioned this game to  me when I released my Mark of The Assassin Game Review, I came to know of this awesome game which on the other hand I would have missed completely . As soon as he mentioned it  , I goggled it and had a look at the gameplay .

What I saw impressed me, that I got the game immediately and logged in  . My God! I was blown by the brutality of the game at the first opening level itself .Even though its a side scrolling 2-D action Game and the story is the usual Revenge where you aim at killing a Gang Lord along with his Loyal Subordinates who were responsible for the death of the Love of your life and who at that moment was carrying your unborn child , the Epicness of the game lies in the hack and slash gameplay . 

People who love God of War are definitely going to like this . Because for one its exactly like the PS3 Exclusive Brutality level No.1 Game, except that its a miniaturized version . Like Kratos , Shank too has two short knives , One big weapon which can be used for heavy attack and the similarity is seen in the grab and stab techniques along with the ferociousness with which Shank tears his enemies apart  . Unlike Kratos , Shank has a dual wielding pistols which can be used to take down enemies from long range and also those guys who are unreachable . 

The game just throws you hordes and hordes of Enemies at you whom you have to slash and kill before they finish you off  .Because I have to remind you that this game , unlike the new games , does not have a regenerative Heath system . You have to depend on Beers which you find on the way to get your system to replenish . This is where the entire challenges of the game lies . Bcos enemies can come at you from both directions . And simply mashing your X button is not going to be of much use . 

You have to rely on Combos , Like X,X,X and Y and then B for Guns . The more varying your combo is the more damage an enemy will take from your attacks  . The Light +basic melee weapon is your shank which can be used to for quick attacks and cannot be changed . 

Heavy Weapons ::

You initially start with a Chainsaw and then to A Huge Bad A@@ chain that you drape around your fists and then to dual Arabic Swords and then to Evil looking Katana . Out of which I loved the dual swords the best as I found it more lethal .

Guns: :

You start with the initial dual wielding pistols and then progress to s short Gun which is effective only in close range and not useful at all in the heated battle moments . And finally to a small Ingram which fires bullets in short bursts or if you aim and time it right it can be used for continuous burst too .

The grenades act as a huge life saver when the situation gets too ugly when the enemies jump upon you from behind or when they crowd you all around . I t can also be used to put a stop to a charging Bully . 

Bosses :: 

Boss fights are hugely frustrating and hard until you find out the trick to bring the guy down . Usually  you will get a hint when you die once in the boss fight . And the most common thing is to let the Boss charge at you and then you give him the slip thereby making him to stun himself or get stuck and wherein you lunge upon him and get real closer for a heavier and nasty attack that will siphon of your  enemy's life blood. 

And the video you get at the end of each boss fight  is hugely satisfying . Some bosses don t come with any special attacks and you just have to wait for an opening by executing a perfect Dodge  in their attacks to get a hit on them  .Very difficult even in normal mode that you may want to try it once or twice before you slice up his throat . Like Angelo and the final Boss especially . 

Enemies will be varied and each will have a special mode of attack . The girls are the most hard to kill and their attacks are the most lethal and very deadly to defend . And the Doberman , god ! I hated him to the core . That guy was deadly when he pounced . And if you don t block him he will maul you on the ground like anything . You do get to use a enemy weapon like the Gatling gun and Grenade Launcher sometimes . And believe me they are satisfying to use when the bodies start flying and they drop . But the minus part is you will not be allowed to carry them for not even ten paces . 

The acrobatic movements are a little challenging . Like the Wall run and jump and swing across the skeleton heads  or scurrying across hanging pipes and walls , they do force you to be on the tip of your toes sometimes .

Pro's : 

1. Hack and slash loads of enemies with brutal kills and perfectly timed deflections .

2. Boss Fights are hugely satisfying and even comes out as tough at some places .

3. A nice and challenging gameplay after playing the easy to complete games of now a days .

Cons's ::

1. The continuous button mashing can become a little irritating and too strenuous at some times . 

2. Same gameplay throughout and lets just say that you will feel mentally tired after even 1 hr of gameplay due to the amount of concentration required to finish a level without dying .

Overall :: A must play game for all Gamers who love Action Games 

Rating : 8.8 / 10 

Regards 

Ram