Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture’s titles have a certain je ne sais quoi about them. They’re often hyper-violent, super stylish, and don’t make much sense. But that’s what makes them so great, and the developer and his studio have built a loyal fanbase in the 33 years since his debut.
His works include the No More Heroes series, Lollipop Chainsaw, and most recently, Romeo is a Dead Man. A lesser-known title of his is Killer is Dead, a game released in 2014, loaded with Suda’s trademark charm. And jank.
If you’ve yet to play this banger, now’s your time, as it’s just dropped to under $2 on Steam.
Killer Is Dead – Nightmare Edition Is Now Available For 90 Percent Off
“Get ready for some seriously stylish action from renowned designer SUDA51,” Killer Is Dead – Nightmare Edition’s Steam description reads. “In this exclusive version for PC, players will be slicing, dicing, and shooting as the suave executioner Mondo Zappa. Prepare for the thrill of love and kill in Killer is Dead!”
The Nightmare edition includes the base game, a new Nightmare Difficulty Mode, a Theatre Mode, and a bunch of cosmetic items, and it’s all available for $1.99 until August 24.
Suda’s games are always divisive. His studio has an average score of 72 on Metacritic across all titles — people who like them love them; people who don’t just don’t get it. Killer is Dead is no different, and it sits at 71 on the review aggregation site.
One of our sister sites, Hardcore Gamer, scored it an 8/10, saying it will appear on several “Most Underrated Game” lists in several years, while sites like GameSpot opted for something a little lower, scoring it a 5/10. It said, “Killer Is Dead is filled with Suda 51 eccentricity, but it struggles to stay relevant with inconsistent combat, a poorly told story, and some awkwardly sleazy moments.”
Its user reviews on Steam tend to echo the sentiment shared by critics. Based on its nearly 2,000 reviews, it has a “Mostly Positive” rating of 74 percent. 78 percent of its recent reviews are also positive.
If you want to support a creative developer, there aren’t many more that fit that bill better than Suda51. And if you’ve not played Killer is Dead, now is the right time to do that.
- Released
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August 27, 2013
- ESRB
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m
- Developer(s)
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Grasshopper Manufacture
- Publisher(s)
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XSEED Games, Deep Silver, Kadokawa Games, Sony Computer Entertainment
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 3
