Bask in the Glory of the Killer is Dead Trailer

Earlier this week, I expressed my concern over Cyberpunk 2077's announcement teaser. Although undeniably beautiful, the CG trailer featured no clues as to how the game will actually play when it's released in, at the earliest, 2015. In my article, I bemoaned the fact that video games are announced far too early, leading to lengthy hype trains that have a tendency to derail during their long and arduous expedition. Well, it's just a few days later, and I find myself looking at the first trailer for Killer is Dead, the newest effort from Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture, and saying to myself, "This is how it should be done."

Although we had a name and a few pieces of concept art when the game was announced last year, details on Killer is Dead have been kept close to the vest until now, which is great considering that this trailer gives us everything we need to know along with the fantastic news that it's set to release this summer. Yes, you heard that right -- you won't have to wait until some sort of strange future-year to get your hands on this one, which is all the better when you see just how great the game looks. Killer is Dead seems to exist in a space between Killer7 and No More Heroes. While the cast is filled with over-the-top assassins and the action leans towards the blade-variety, the visual style is a direct evolution of Grasshopper's earlier work on Killer7. 1UP/IGN art guru Eric Sapp described it as Suda moving his stark, vintage imagery into the world of HD and viewing it through the lens of Lomography. I'm not entirely sure what that art-talk means, but damn if it doesn't look all sorts of pretty.

I feel like Suda's efforts to create interactive grindhouse in Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw came off as an artist dabbling in a genre that he enjoyed, but didn't quite understand why. You can't just make something strange, violent, and lo-fi and magically call it "grindhouse." Thankfully, this trailer seems to signify a creator returning to a decidedly Japanese world that he truly understands. The two minutes of footage feels like a Japanese neo-noir injected with a healthy dose of Vitamin Violence. As with a Raymond Chandler novel, the women in this world seem to be as dangerous as the pointy edge of a sword, and though the visuals suggest a whole mess of bloodshed, the voice-over points to an underlying melancholy involving love and loss.

Only adding to the fantastic style and atmosphere is the impeccable use of Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony No. 9," which somehow grows a pulsating dubstep bassline. I never realized I wanted to hear the union between Skrillex and the Czech composer, but damn if Grasshopper doesn't make it work. The music swells to the point of bursting, giving the trailer an impressive sense of grandeur. Even though it's filled with cyborgs and decapitations, the entire thing comes together with a sense of...I don't know...class. That's certainly not something I can say about Shadows of the Damned or Lollipop Chainsaw.

The trailer ends on a note that evokes Cowboy Bebop -- after the credits, we're treated with a short "Next Time on Killer is Dead" vignette that shows off the game's hero Mondo Zappa, a strange emphasis on the words "Love & Kill," and a femme fatale with oodles of arms. I might not really understand what's going on, but I'm damn sure stoked to play it this summer.

See all Killer is Dead Previews >