Upcoming games Wanted: Dead has released a detailed trailer focusing on the slick finisher moves. The trailer follows an earlier clip that detailed the challenging third-person hack-and-slash combat mechanics of Wanted: Dead that when well utilized give a John Wick– similar experience.
First announced in 2021, Wanted: Dead is worked on by Soleil Game Studios. The studio was formed by Yoshifuru Okamoto, who had previously worked with Dead or Alive 4 and Ninja Gaiden. Soleil Game Studios has already released Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikerand Ninjalawhich shows the studio’s razor-sharp focus on stylish action. Wanted: Dead will see players take on the role of Hannah Stone, a member of a Zombie Unit police squad, working through a cyberpunk conspiracy plot.
The trailer coolly says “When you must kill, do it in style.” Wanted: Dead is set to have some intense battles, putting the player into close combat, balanced with shooting, both of which must be used to defeat specific and varied enemies. Similarly, the trailer informs that the finishers will be varied and context-specific, with some unique finishers for certain enemies, or fatal accidents in the environment, and “situational kills”. The 50 plus finishers took over 100 hours of motion capture by a team of dedicated stuntmen, promising a cinematic experience similar to the stunts in John Wick. The finishers are not only for flourishing, but also help Hannah Stone regain health, which in a game filled with so many impressive enemies should be very useful.
The narrator goes on to say that performing these finishers won’t be “as easy as pressing X to win” but will soon become part of the player’s arsenal. An early unlock will help Hannah perform a chain finisher to clear out an area of staggered enemies. These enemies will have an invisible stamina bar, which will slowly break down as the player fights them, before eventually being staggered; that’s when Hannah will be able to perform finishing moves. The method seems a bit reminiscent of the boss fighting in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, especially as last minute parries are going to play a big role in draining the enemy’s stamina. The trailer goes on to say that the game has a finisher algorithm that calculates the best finisher to use, whether it’s a generic move, one that uses the enemy’s weapon on them, or an environmental kill, the algorithm should pick something new each time so players don’t see a repetition of the same moves.
Play like a cult classic Sleeping dogs had major environmental reductions, but due to time limits, players often watched the same animations over and over again. Even blockbusters like God of War reused the same animations repeatedly. Wanted: Dead is set to make every encounter feel unique and visceral.
Wanted: Dead launches on February 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
