Suda 51 announces Killer is Dead

Suda 51 has been attached to plenty of titles recently, but his latest game goes back to the series that shot him to the spotlight - Killer is Dead takes place in the same universe as Killer7 and No More Heroes. Neither a prequel nor a sequel to either of those games, Killer is Dead will follow Mondo Zappa - a man who is recruited by the Brian Execution Firm to travel the globe and hunt down assassins.


Killer is Dead, screenshot from Famitsu

As noted by Polygon, Killer is Dead will use a similar art style to Killer7 and No More Heroes, but has naturally been designed for current generation consoles. As Suda explained:

"We're trying to make a game that we'd only be able to make right now, at this point in time. The result is seen in our unique high-contrast shading seen in the graphics, as well as the high speed wrestling-like action."

Mondo wields a katana in his right hand and his left hand has been cybernetically augmented to turn into different weapons, gaining power by absorbing the blood of his enemies. The story of the game will no doubt explain how he got his augmented arm, as Mondo himself apparently has no memory of it. Killer is Dead has been in development since late 2009 and is expected to be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this Summer in Japan.

I'm not really sure how to feel about this - I played No More Heroes when it was rereleased on the PlayStation 3 and it was... awful. I didn't mind Killer7 though and Killer is Dead appears to be going for a more serious take on the assassin universe than the puerile world of Travis Touchdown, so maybe it will be good. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.