PAX-East Impressions – Shank

At the inaugural PAX East convention in Boston this past weekend, attendees had a chance to demo several upcoming games in the expo hall. Of all the games I played on the show floor, the one that I enjoyed the most was a future Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network/PC release from Klei Entertainment called Shank.

Shank is unique as it is a wildly violent 2D platformer (with a tinge of Prince of Persia acrobatics) with a spaghetti-western flair and a visual style so striking and well-defined it rivals the animation quality of most cartoons on TV. It’s bold, colorful, and perfectly establishes the dusty western mood of the game the moment you play.

Gameplay is fairly simple to pick up and play. Shank has several different attack options at his disposal, including quick close-range knife attacks, long distance gun attacks,  powerful chainsaw attacks, and grenades on top of it all. Each weapon is mapped to a different button on the controller, and they can be mixed and matched to create different combos, including the ability to launch enemies in the air Devil May Cry-style. Enemies can be grabbed as well for vicious close-quarters stabbings or a nice shotgun in the gut, among other things.

A unique feature is the “Pounce” button , which causes Shank to literally pounce like a lion onto unsuspecting enemies, giving you a chance to unload your close range attacks without that pesky walking-up-to-them-to-grab-them business. Acrobatics came into play throughout the level, as poles marked with skulls could be swung from and billboards in the background could be run across to help you access higher areas. Shank could also use his namesake shanks to help him climb walls as well. All of this made navigation fairly smooth.

The demo ended with a boss fight against Toro, a giant roughly three times your size. Toro uses his size to his advantage, grabbing you by the head and tossing you unceremoniously to the ground even you even try to pounce upon him. However, if you can dodge his charge attack, Toro will dizzy himself by crashing into the wall, leaving himself open. From there, Shank can climb Toro like the oversize bull that he is and drive his chainsaw deep into his neck. A few more hits and the player is treated to a gorgeous cutscene of Shank feeding Toro some live grenades.

I came away from Shank thoroughly excited to play more. The fluid high-definition animation is a beauty to behold, and the controls work exactly as they should, making brutal badassery a breeze. The wild and bloody world of Shank is one I can hardly wait to revisit.

Shank is due out on XBLA, PSN, and PC the summer of 2010 from Klei Entertainment and EA Partners.

Check out the Shank trailer on YouTube!

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