So, say your girlfriend is kidnapped by the king of all the demons—you have a few options. You can run and find a new girlfriend, perhaps creating a tearful tale of how the original girlfriend left you for a more powerful person (its kinda true) so you can gain some sympathy. That probably wouldn’t make for all that entertaining of a game though. Secondly, you could attempt to save her, while quietly creeping through the levels of Hell, constantly paranoid of attacks, and always conserving your ammo, ala Silent Hill. Or third, you can just go with a “what the hell” approach, and kick any demon foolish enough to look your way square in the jewels. Developer Grasshopper and EA have opted for the third option with Shadows of the Damned.
Based on a grindhouse style and citing Quentin Tarantino as an influence, the game stars Garcia Hotspur, a tattoo sporting, motorcycle riding ass-kicker, who rather than being frightened (by the truly wonderously named Fleming, King of the Demons) just gets mad and goes into Hell to get her back. Aided by the demon Johnson, Garcia destroys his way through several levels of undead and monsters, and leaves a trail of demon parts in his wake.
The game is designed by famed Japanese developer, Suda51, and Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series, who decided to make a title together. It took a few years and at least one aborted game along the way, but the pair have said that they want to bring a “punk rock” edge to the survival horror genre.
The gameplay is based on a third-person shooter style, and an assortment of weapons, both supernatural and standard, are at your disposal. Don’t expect to be cowering in corners and frantically searching for ammo. No, expect to blow the crap out of any demon that wants a piece.
Look for Shadows of the Damned for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 7.
[Warning: Trailer may not be suitable for all ages]
