Killer is Dead

Overview

Despite its title and similar theme, developer Grasshopper Manufacture made clear that Killer is Dead is not a sequel to Suda 51's GameCube/PlayStation 2 game Killer 7. The game is launching in Summer 2013 across the globe with XSEED publishing in North America and Deep Silver publishing in PAL territories.

Story

The game stars the character "Mondo Zappa", who works as an "Executioner" - an agent who travels the world in order to take out "S-level criminals" - working for the Bryan Execution Agency. In a Famitsu interview, Suda revealed that the protagonist is fighting to protect someone, and that one of the game's story themes is how far a person is willing to go to do so. The dark side of the moon is another theme of the story, with many enemies associated with the moon, as well as Mondo traveling there to assassinate a target.

Suda maintains that the game is not science fiction, but instead is set in an enhanced modern reality.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Killer is Dead incorporates a mix of 3rd person hack and slash and 3rd person shooting mechanics. Mondo wields a katana, but his bionic arm can also transform into a gun, as well as other weapons such as a drill. The player will be able to perform a number of types of finishing moves, tying into the game's theme of "execution", four of which are the "Final Judgement" moves which confer different upgrades onto Mondo after they are performed. Mondo's sword, "Gekkou", can absorb the blood of enemies and increase in power.

Development

Development of the game started in Spring 2011 while the planning originally started as far back as 2009. Yoshimi Yasuda is the executive producer of the game, with Suda 51 working as the executive director and scenario writer. Suda has stated that he was inspired by thinking of the dark side of the moon in conceiving the game's premise. More specifically, he has said that the game is a darker take on Ian Flemming's James Bond series, dubbing it a "Dark Side 007". He also cites "Hissatsu Shigotonin" - a samurai drama show about hired killers - as a source of inspiration, and compared Mondo to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.