Greetings gamers,
Greg Vander Velde here to talk about John Wick Hex by independent developer Bithell Games, publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment, and global content leader, Lionsgate.
That’s right – everyone’s favorite dog lover is back for a new adventure. I say back but really this is a prequel and for the first time we get to experience what it’s like to be inside John’s head.
Unlike what we all would expect a John Wick game would be, a high octane real-time shooter, this game instead is a time-based strategy game. That, right away, makes painfully obvious that Wick is accounting for every second. The whole game is governed by the timelines at the top of the screen showing john wick’s first and then enemies below. It breaks down the duration it takes to complete tasks for John and his enemies. the timelines will automatically pause if a new adversary spots the boogieman, John Wick.
With a realistic level of health, limited bullets, few very precious bandages, and a focus meter, John has to make it through swarms of enemies on his quest to save Winston and Charon from a new villain aptly named Hex. Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprise their roles while Keanu is sitting this one out and letting the infamous Troy Baker take the mantel of another legendary action hero.
So with all the amazing foundation going into this game what works and what doesn’t?
What works: The timeline strategy game is heart-pounding and challenging in its own way and the more you play the game the more fluid it becomes. The actual gameplay mechanics and governing principles of the game are really what shines the most here. The audio is also extremely good including great sound design, the music is cinematic, and the voice performances are fantastic. The replay at the end of each level gives the animation style life as if you watching a graphic novel unfold.
Which leads us to what doesn’t work: Though the animation style is fitting for this type of game adaptation of john wick. It does feel a little unpolished especially when the animations based around hex movement shows off John’s movements only in six directions. The level cinematic could have fixed a lot of this in my opinion. it would have been wonderful to see the team show off a smoothed out version of what the player just did in the level coding some type of rhythm and humanity into the people’s movements on replay.
What this all means is the game is fun for what it is but is somewhat of a let down when it’s attached to the John Wick franchise.
The game itself is not a let down as long as the style of game strikes your fancy. John Wick Hex really is an interesting deconstruction of how a well trained gun-fu master would mentally enter into combat with legions of enemies. Which is why I’m going to give this action thriller rethink, a 7/10.
The game itself works and is a fairly challenging shorter game, but does include fun mechanics and artful execution with some flaws.
John Wick Hex is available for PlayStation 4 and for Windows PC and Mac exclusively via the Epic Games Store.
For more details, visit JohnWickHex.com, and follow @mikeBithell and @GoodShepherdEnt on Twitter.
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PlayStation 4 Review
I've been a life long nerd and video game junkie known to associate with the likes of Link, Nathan Drake, Batman, and Master Chief. I'm a filmmaker by profession, but spend lots of time behind a controller escaping the real world. @GregVelde on Instagram/Twitter/YouTube
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