The second 2D scroller available this week is Shank; downloadable from both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. A bloody action beat-em-up, can Shank stand out from the already star-studded crowd of downloadable titles released this summer?
Shank is a tale of revenge, scripted by God of War veteran Marianne Krawczyk and in the style of old 80’s B-movies. The art style reflects this feel well, with Shank taking hints from Sly Stallone and the gore being stylishly splattered from bullet holes and knife wounds. The animation is pretty clunky, but works due to the ‘paper-cut out’ art design, and creates a fairly memorable visual experience. If nothing else, there’s nothing out there that looks quite like Shank.
Gameplay itself is pretty standard, and from the very start you’ll have access to pretty much all of this action hero’s moves. Equipped with twin pistols, a combat knife and a chainsaw, Shank can stab, cut and blast his way through the waves of enemies. The chainsaw is less violent than you’d expect (there’s no Gears of War-esque dismemberment here), but it’s all cartoonishly adult and the twin pistol firing is pretty slick, with Shank shooting in front and behind him when surrounded by thugs. Most fun of his abilities is the pounce move, and jump-tackling enemies before repeatedly stabbing them never seems to lose its novelty.
The problem Shank suffers though is, other than picking up some new weapons, the game always stays the same. The difficulty cure never really spikes other than in boss battles, meaning levels are mostly just mowing down cannon-fodder with relative ease. Not being able to unlock new moves removes any sense of true progression, leaving it down to the story to encourage continued play. The level designs are fairly uninspired, offering a small selection of platforming obstacles and little else.
Aside from the main story, the co-op mode offers some inspired enticement by being a prequel to the single-player game, offering some more longevity (provided you have a friend to join you). This is a welcome addition, since Shank is not particularly lengthy.
Verdict: At a full 1200 MS points/£9.99, Shank doesn’t offer a hell of a lot to do. Yet what is here is a solid enough action-brawler, with a great aesthetic that will easily eat away a few hours of your gaming life.
