A Dull Blade
When my chainsaw made its final slice, I had killed 837 henchmen, including the 36 rabid dogs I was forced to put down. Grenades had been stuffed in mouths. Machetes had chopped off more limbs then I could count. The 14-year-old boy in me should have been giddy from the violence that Shank revels in, but all I did after the credits ended was shrug.
When you press start, Shank, the game and the like named protagonist, begins strong. The first cutscene that starts Shank’s Tarantinoesque quest for revenge is clever, bloody, and hilariously explains how someone walks into a bar empty handed and leaves with a knife, two pistols, and a chainsaw.
The cartoon ascetic that is applied to both the cutscenes and gameplay makes Shank stand out. Character models are sharp and well detailed and look as though they were cutout from the pages on which they were drawn. The cartoonish style that results in caricatured character models lends itself well to the bloodied gameplay and dampens the severity of mass murder.
The combat also starts off quite enjoyable. The side scrolling beat ‘em up action is fast and frantic. Shank is all about crowd control. The game will often pit you up against a dozen enemies all at once. Your job is to take a couple out at a time while you hold the rest at bay.
Shank starts off with a chainsaw that acts as a heavy weapon, a gun that acts as a projectile, and a knife that lets you shank quickly. Ohhh…that’s why it’s called shank—I just got that. You will also collect other weapons during the game. Much like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, linking one attack to the next is both simple and satisfying. By satisfying, I mean the pleasure that comes from jumping through the air, pinning an enemy to the ground with your knife, shooting you shotgun into a group of charging bloodthirsty goons, then finishing of your captive with a chainsaw to the gut. The character models don’t rip in half and spew intestine everywhere, which makes the pleasure that comes from cartoon murder a lot less disturbing
But that’s it. Shank tells you what it is from the start and never changes. Enemy tactics progress but at such a slow rate that you don’t even notice. I had to replay the first level to even realize that the enemies had gotten harder throughout the game. Boss fights require you to ignore everything you have learned from regular combat and instead, look for cheap tricks and tells in order to win. There are moments of platforming that break up the action, but these sections result in more cheap deaths than pleasure. Thankfully, the checkpoint system is generous.
Shank’s aesthetics made the game intriguing. The initial combat gave it promise. The three to four hours that followed relied purely on its initial impression. With almost no progression in the combat, wailing away on people with chainsaws and machetes surprisingly gets boring. For an engrossing game, I have no problem paying $15 for three hours, but Shank left me bored. If you have a friend, the local only co-op is fun but doesn’t change the games repetition. Shank never takes a chance other than with its art style. By the of Shank’s quest, I was just didn’t care anymore. With almost 1,000 dead at my feet, I guess I should expect to feel a bit dethatched.
