Developed by Klei Entertainment, the masterminds behind Mark of the Ninja and the Don't Starve series, comes Shank; a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up game with tinges of platforming. The title is now a semi-forgotten relic from the bittersweet early days of Xbox Live Arcade, though the port did only take two months for PC, as it did not garner much affection from critics. It's a shame, because the game is an explicit, bloody tale of love and revenge that is crafted with simple yet amazing visuals, and tied together with equally as polished gameplay.
The story of Shank is told through beefy animated cutscenes that are delivered in a thick-lined comic book approach. It's split up into two parts, meaning that you will get a totally different story depending on if you play single player or co-operative mode; the latter is not only a prequel of events to the former, but it's also filled with a lot more vulgarity and violence. So it's worth it to grab a friend for your first playthrough, or at least watch the co-op cutscenes on YouTube. The game has a basic story of love and revenge; you play as a guy named Shank who is a hitman for the mob, and he's out to avenge the murder of his girlfriend, Eva. She was killed while in Shank's care, at the hands of a man known only as The Butcher, but the tale runs much deeper than killing a simple lackey.
The backgrounds and overall presentation of each level are stylish to say the least; in order to starkly contrast character models and blood, the backdrops are monochrome in color, though extremely bright, vivid, and smooth. There are some areas where silhouettes are used to make a lasting visual impression on the gamer, and this was done at a time before the side-scroller market was saturated with the effect. While each level has its own unique tone and vibe, granted also through the subtle yet effective soundtrack, there are also a generous amount of enemies to face off against; each with their own name, akin to Streets of Rage and other similar beat 'em ups. The handful of boss enemies are equally as diverse, though they're usually gargantuan in comparison to the rest of the foes.
When it comes to mechanics and gameplay, Shank is well groomed; the controls are fluid and easy to use, and the title didn't come with any bugs or glitches in my experience. There are only two difficulties, normal and hard, with the difference being that the latter has no mid-level checkpoints, and the bad guys hit harder. As far as the beat 'em up aspect of the game goes, Shank has a lot of moves and weapons under his belt (technically on his back, rather). You can grapple and lunge at enemies, slice them with a knife, hurl grenades, or use an assortment of melee weapons and guns to batter and bruise them; you start off with a chainsaw and shotgun, respectively. In later levels you can pick up dual pistols, an Uzi, a machete, katana, and more. Combos are also possible and encouraged.
Though not a simple beat 'em up, the game does come with some platforming elements as well. In nearly every level you will be tasked with jumping from poles to hanging skulls, running across billboards, taking leaps of faith, and more. This aspect can be brutal if you're playing on hard mode, as it's very easy to misjudge a jump or get dislodged from a pole mid-air due to enemy projectiles. Even though the platforming can be tedious and irritating on a couple later levels, it's an ingredient that makes Shank really stand out from the rest of the beat 'em up crowd.
The final verdict is that Shank is still a game that is worth spending a couple of hours with. It's an explicit, tough, vulgar, bloody experience that you won't forget, at least I haven't in the last six years since its release, and it does have a small replay factor if you choose to play both co-op and single player campaigns. There are also about a dozen costume unlocks for Shank if you meet certain criteria, so it helps to keep the visuals fresh. The animated cutscenes are still a pleasure to watch, even though the story is a bit simplistic, but hey... sometimes simple is better. For $9.99 CAD you really can't go wrong with this 3-5 hour title.
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