PAX 2009: Shank Impressions

I am gradually becoming more and more interested in smaller, download titles on the XBLA and the PSN. Smaller dev teams have a real knack for making some really beautiful games with some really stellar gameplay. I found myself wandering through the download hall today and stopped by Klei Entertainment to play their new XBLA game, "Shank", a fairly straight-forward 2D action game with a sweet comic cel art style.

The game features simple jump and climb platforming with some addicting combat thrown into the mix. Players are armed with a knife, a gun, and a chainsaw that can be switched on the fly mid fight for some rather brutal kills. A quick tap of the triggers allows the player to pounce on his enemies or grapple with them. These basic attacks can then be turned into a variety of different combos using the various weapons at your disposal. Did I mention you can also stuff grenades into peoples mouths and then blow them up? Well you can and its beautiful. The game has a lot of personality to it and is standing out as one of my favorite download games so far.

I asked if there was an expected release date and price but was informed that the team has none of those details nailed down yet. You can expect some footage from the show floor and a bunch of screenshots once I have received them.

Thanks,
Nick

P.S.- Thanks Joseph for the awesome photo op. You can expect my picture up on the site once they send it to me.