Our preview of Wanted: Dead The new title will be released on February 14th. Ninja Gaiden and Dead or AliveDevelopers for PS4 and PS5. We were able to take an early look at this futuristic action trip and in this review we'll tell you where the game's strengths lie, what doesn't work so well, and who the title is ultimately suitable for.
This is Wanted: Dead
In Wanted: Dead We take on the role of Lt. Hannah Stone, a member of the Hong Kong Police's Zombie Unit, who primarily fights the undead and corrupt cops with guns and a katana. It should be clear by now that the game doesn't take itself too seriously. The protagonist and her three colleagues are absolute action clichés, and the dialogue, aside from sparse information about the missions, consists mainly of "cool" one-liners and comments.
This style suits the game well and is one of its greatest strengths. A serious story would have felt forced, and the B-movie charm nicely lightens the fast and brutal gameplay. Wanted: Dead It's set in a cyberpunk-esque future, so there are powerful corporations that buy the police for their own purposes, and plenty of neon lights. While the game itself isn't visually stunning, the design of the environments, characters, and enemies is well done and creates a good overall impression.
Old-school action with minor flaws
Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't quite live up to the hype. The majority of the game consists of relatively linear missions. You arrive at a location, equip yourself, fight your way from checkpoint to checkpoint, and complete the level. You can customize your main weapon and pistol before missions and at save drones, fine-tuning them for things like increased accuracy or damage.
Playfully sets Wanted: Dead It's a mix of cover-based shooter and close-quarters slasher. You get to choose how you want to attack groups of enemies. The shooter mechanics are very basic. You automatically take cover behind barricades or around corners and can then fire blindly or with precision. Enemies use grenades from the start, so regularly changing cover is essential. You can also pick up the weapons and explosives of fallen enemies and use them yourself. There are also occasional special weapons like chainsaws, which are among the highlights.
Sooner or later, you'll need (or want) to engage in close combat. Here, you attack with the katana and use the pistol for support. You don't need to aim; you hit with the press of a button, allowing you to incorporate the handgun into combos. Two katana strikes are followed by a headshot, before you finish the whole thing with a stylishly animated finisher.
That sounds pretty cool, but unfortunately, it only feels that good sporadically. The combos only occasionally develop a good flow; more often, they feel a bit monotonous, and you can't manage to hit multiple enemies in a row, dying quite quickly. The difficulty level is generally challenging, and you only get a few attempts before you have to start from the last checkpoint. Since these checkpoints aren't always evenly distributed, this can definitely lead to some frustrating sections.
Fun minigames
Somewhat surprisingly, there's the option to explore the Zombie Unit's HQ between missions. There you can have short conversations, collect items, and start minigames. This once again highlights the charm of... Wanted: DeadKaraoke and ramen-eating contests may not be particularly challenging from a gameplay perspective, but they are all the more entertaining for it. The problem is that these little extras aren't the icing on the cake, but rather the game's true highlights. Too much potential is simply wasted in the gameplay itself.
Conclusion
