The history of the beat’em up genre is almost as long as that of computer games. Over the years, iconic titles have been created, including Cadillacs and Dinosaurs , the Final Fight series and Streets of Rage . One of the heirs of the arcade age is Shank – a reticent avenger with a circular saw and tequila.
The series consists of two titles that are so similar to each other that it is a sin to talk about them separately. In both cases, the main character is the title ex-gangster Shank, and the whole is handled by Klei Entertainment, which is currently known from the Don’t Starve series and the space survival simulator – Oxygen Not Included . As in the case of other games from the Canadian studio, the title is characterized by drawn graphics that stand the test of time. The eight-year-old Shank 2 has nothing to be ashamed of even compared to, for example, Streets of Rage 4 , which debuted on the Steam platform at the end of April.
Demolition man
As the title suggests, the game does not focus on exchanging views with the characters you meet. Shank – a self-made knife in English, as well as the act of attacking someone with an improvised melee weapon (he could be called Mr. Tulipan in Polish) – talks only during short cutscenes. However, they do not put much effort into Shakespearean linguistic constructions and we quickly learn who our hero will take revenge against or whom he will be saving. The banal motivation, however, does not discourage the protagonist from tirelessly pushing forward, overcoming waves of enemies. To settle the score, Shank takes inspiration from Quentin Tarantino’s films and spills enough blood to embarrass the employees of the Regional Blood Donation Station.
Chair him, chair him!
The hero uses an arsenal containing a total of 10 items to release body fluids. In addition to the characteristic / title knives, the list includes examples of melee and firearms, grenades, mines and Molotov cocktails, and the possible shortages of inventory Shank makes up for what he finds on his way. This is important because our hero is not picky and willing to improvise – during our adventures we can use, among others from flamethrowers, harpoons or lying near the sink. Surprisingly, despite the fact that the hero uses tequila instead of first aid kits, the player is not able to make a tulip and use it on opponents.
It’s not easy
The difficulty level (especially in the second part of the cycle) is high. There is a lot going on on the screen and it takes focus to get through any stage on the default settings without dying. The most striking thing is that the game doesn’t offer many opportunities to fully heal the hero – I was surprised when I reached the checkpoint with all my strength before the final boss of the first (!) Stage and was not 100% cured before starting the final fight. Key opponents, although predictable, can take more than half of the health bar with one hit, so I had to be careful from the very beginning.
Dancing with knives
There are over a dozen types of enemies in the game, but in short, they can be divided into four groups – three weight categories of “regular” adversaries and shooters. They use all sorts of weapons and take every opportunity to use it on our hero – they don’t wait for their turn when their companion of misery is decapitated by Shank. Therefore, probably the most important button in combat is the one responsible for dodging. These (thanks to the few invulnerability cages the character gains during this time) provide the user with the possibility of relatively safe movement. It also allows you to expand the choreography measured in successive blows on the combo counter, but – as the architect Numernabis once noted – it takes two to dance.
Because it takes two to tango …
Both parts of the series allow two people to play. In Shank, we are dealing with a cooperative campaign, which is a prequel to the story of the single player game. In Shank 2 , we jointly eliminate waves of enemies as part of the survival mode . Before starting the struggle, we choose from sixteen characters that differ from each other in statistics and equipment, as well as one of the three available locations. You can also play the survival mode alone, but winning alone is almost a miracle. Suffice it to say that a few years ago, playing alone, I made the furthest 27 out of 30 waves and so far I can’t regret not having done the task being so close to the end.
Berzerk
The title gives a lot of room for players who want to fully understand the mechanics of the game. Shank has this specific type of magic, try hard factor , thanks to which you can forget about the world around the player, concentrating on executing the next series of blows. People who like challenges will surely have a lot of fun, especially since the game has stood the test of time well, is virtually bug-free and looks as good as it did on release day. The only downside is the short single player campaign – you can easily complete it in 5 hours.
