Changes: Killer7

Revision as of 00:47, 27 January 2011

Killer7 is a game jointly developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2.thumb|300px|right|Trailer It was released on June 9, 2005 in Japan, July 7, 2005 in the United States, and July 15, 2005 in Europe. It was known for its mysterious plot, stylish cel-shaded graphics, and unorthodox gameplay. It was directed by Suda51, produced by Shinji Mikami and is now considered something of a cult classic.

A 12-part comic book series based on Killer7 was published. They were published by Devil's Due Publishing, and re-told the events of the game with added dialogue and scenes to better convey the original concepts.

Characters

Harman Smith - is a 60-year-old American assassin, of Irish descent. He is capable of manifesting seven separate personalities; the group is collectively known as the Killer7. Despite his great age, he is as physically fit as a young man. During his lifetime, Harman regularly played chess with Kun Lan and would often defeat him, while at the same time attempting to stop him from using his terrorist organization, the Heaven Smile, to destroy the world. His weapon, a Barret M82 anti-matériel rifle, holds the power of the "God-Killer."

Garcian Smith - is a 33-year-old American assassin, and the reincarnation of Emir Parkreiner. Garcian alone has the ability to converse with Harman's alter egos; this is also true as the briefcase he carries is revealed during the game's conclusion to hold the various weapons of the Smith Syndicate. Christopher Mills would regularly meet with Garcian to debrief him on missions that required the expertise of the Killer7. Hand in Killer7 reveals that he was killed and absorbed by Harman in his past life, which may indicate towards Parkereiner being taken in by Harman after the incident at the Union Hotel. His weapon, a suppressed SIG P230, is eventually replaced when, at Coburn Elementary School, Garcian reclaims the golden gun he used as Emir Parkereiner. Garcian has the power to resurrect Harman's fallen personae. When a member of the Killer7 is killed in action, they leave behind their own head in a bag, which Garcian must then retrieve, earning him the nickname, "the Cleaner."

Dan Smith - is a 33-year-old American assassin, of Irish descent, and the most aggressive of the Killer7, earning him the nickname "the Hellion." In his past life, he was born in Detroit, Michigan, and a member of the Union7 political party who was ultimately murdered in room #601 of the Union Hotel, by Emir Parkreiner. Before reincarnating as one of Harman Smith's personae, Dan served the Seattle self-defense force under Curtis Blackburn's tutelage, but was killed by him without remorse after being wrongly accused of stealing from Blackburn's organ trafficking business, Pedro Montana being the true culprit. Dan holds a strong grudge against Blackburn because of this. According to the game's instruction manual, he also hates Harman Smith, and according to the Hand in killer7 Dan has tried to kill him in the past. His weapon, a Colt Python .357 revolver, is eventually replaced when, at Ishizaka Land, Dan claims the Demon Gun, a powerful revolver featuring two barrels and a twelve shot cylinder. Dan has the power of the "Collateral Shot," which is the only attack capable of destroying Duplicator Smile. It has also been referred to as the "Demon Shot" and "Demon Shell". As a member of the Killer7, he is aggressive and irreverent, regularly using the phrase, "This is too easy," after hitting a Heaven Smile's weak point. Dan Smith is intensely disliked by Con Smith, and shares a fierce and violent rivalry with Coyote Smith.

KAEDE Smith

Kevin Smith

Coyote Smith

Con Smith

Mask de Smith

Samantha Smith

Gameplay

The gameplay in Killer7 is that of an unconventional first-person shooter. The game takes place on rails, and the player, using the A and B buttons (or for the PlayStation 2, the Triangle and X buttons), directs the character on-screen to move forward or reverse direction, respectively. The most freedom the player has comes when the player reaches intersections, at which point the player must choose which path to continue.

A substantial part of Killer7 is its puzzles – the player must collect rings that are required in some puzzles, while other puzzles require a talent of a specific persona. Even further puzzles are solved when not using rings or character abilities based on heavy logic and thinking. There are six rings (not counting the Vision Ring Garcian starts with), those being Fire, Water, Wind, Time, Stamina and Power. If the player hears the twang of a guitar underscore, it means that a puzzle needs to be solved or an item needs to be used; items are used automatically if the item is in the player's inventory, though rings must be selected in order to work. A lighter tune is heard when the player has successfully overcome an obstacle.

When the player encounters one of the enemies, known as Heaven Smile, it announces its presence by producing a maniacal laugh. The player then must go to first-person shooting mode and scan their surroundings in order to see it. Destroying any limbs of the Smile or hitting their weak "critical spot" consisting of a glowing spot on their body gives the player "Thick Blood" that you can convert to serum, the experience points of the game that can be used to level up each persona excluding Garcian at checkpoints called "Harman's Rooms." There is a limit to the amount of serum that can be converted from Thick Blood, which varies between stages. Serum can be carried over each stage, but Thick Blood cannot. Harman's Rooms sometimes offer the ability to save, though not all do, and always exist for blood upgrades and respawn points should one of the Killer7 be slain.