The dust settles on the barren wasteland of the destitute planet, with the sun blaring upon the craggy, alien surface. Rivulets of sweat flow downwards the valley of his spine, and sharp scents of strange, tree-sized fungi pilfer his nostrils. His hands squeeze tight on the grips of his pistol while he walks, his red mantle sandblasted and coarse from the fierce gusts. He finds a foothill, and reaches the peak. He spots his target, and switches the safety off of his pistols and pulls each of them out of their holster. It’s time to make some money; It’s time to deploy the Killsquad.
Killsquad is a twin-stick shooter RPG-esque cooperative experience, published and developed by Novarama, that truly satisfies each prerequisite the genre mandates. With its punctuated and discernable style, Killsquad feels like a combination between Borderlands and Diablo, and it is nothing short of a blast to play.
The gameplay of Killsquad is confined to an isometric view (like Pillars of Eternity and Diablo) which overlooks the player character, but thankfully movement isn’t confined to point and click. Killsquad also boasts a variety of 5 different heroes, each with their own playstyle, and they are unique enough to merit leveling each of them up respectively, much to my surprise. Honoring the nature of the twin stick shooter style, the gameplay leans towards swarming the player with mobs of enemies, requiring each player to utilize their mercenary’s abilities if they hope to survive. There is also an inventory system that allows players to take specific gadgets that provide various boons when on a mission, such as a health kit that allows for a portable heal. What is interesting however, is the story format that the developers decided to employ when creating the game; It follows a non-linear mission board that increases in difficulty with the more missions you complete. With a total of 26 missions, Killsquad should at least take quite a while to beat, however would it be fun?
Even though the frontier-esque alien-oriented society provides a fabulous aesthetic and each hero being diverse enough to be played in different sittings, the game is far from perfect. The combat is incredible and functions with ease, but there are flawed layers to this game as well. While the intro to the game boasts an electric guitar rift and an appropriate punk like soundtrack, the music in the game soon grinds into nothingness. Throughout my experience in Killsquad there are moments of blankness that only exacerbate the flaws in the game; for example, a mission has you investigate a cargo ship that went dark and during my entire run I heard nothing save for Troy’s (dual wielding gun-oriented character) one-liners. The game has the perfect ambience for a rugged soundtrack, but for some reason Novarama decided to neglect this critical aspect.
Another issue I had that coincides with music is the sound effects, or lack thereof. I had recently started playing Kosmo when I began playing with a friend, and while he was rewarding enough to play, there were no sound effects when hitting robotic enemies. This provided a muting effect upon that character, making him feel flimsy and feeble, which is the complete opposite one should think when playing a towering, hockey-mask wearing titan that carries around a giant maul. It just makes this otherwise potential-filled title feel empty, and that leads to another critique I had of the title.
The level design of games like this usually don’t require intense amounts of structuring or planning, and in that obvious deficit, developers usually aspire to make the areas pleasant to look at. In contrast to this however, Killsquad does the complete opposite; Not only are the beginning levels very similar looking (with slight color changes) but the areas look incredibly bland and stagnant, much to my dismay.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the cooperative aspect of the game, and it’s the perfect title that a group of friends should play (granted, only if they are fans of the genre).
Overall, I enjoyed Killsquad enough to score it a 8/10, and while I hope Novarama continues the mountainous amounts of support they have already given, they try to add more aesthetic to their future levels.
Check Out the Killsquad Gameplay Trailer:
Killsquad is available for $19.99 for PC via Steam.
Related: KILLSQUAD Co-Op ARPG Hallowtide Event Brings Spooky Celebrations
Steam Review
Whether it be diving deep into uncharted oceanic depths, wading through knee-deep pools of demon blood, or taking a leisurely walk through a fictional western frontier, I am always eager to explore previously unknown sectors of the creative space, impatiently overturning every stone begging to be flipped over. Dabbling in both speculative and realistic fiction, with a sprinkle of journalistic fanaticism, I enjoy any game that displays narrative magnificence, or if it's just plain fun!
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