Everything we know about Wanted: Dead

Developed by Soleil Ltd. and Published by 110 Industries, follow a week in the life of the Zombie Unit, an elite task-force based in Hong Kong. This police squadron dives into a mission to uncover a conspiracy tied to a major corporation. From the creators of Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball comes what could best be described as a fever dream of blades, bullets, and bodies.

If you were to mix classic Saint’s Row with a little bit of Devil May Cry, you might have something close to this absolute gorefest. With a release slated for February 13th, we are eagerly awaiting any news that might come to light. That being said, here’s everything we know so far about Wanted: Dead.

Behold the neon dynasty

Wanted: Dead is strangely charming in its presentation from what we’ve seen. Everything has this old but not too old console look that gives it a very distinct flavor. All rendered cut-scenes turn to beautifully drawn anime, with a sprinkling of FMV to add some kick to the nostalgia. 

The dialogue so far is very tongue and cheek but also taking itself just seriously enough. The characters feel both goofy and grounded, on top of having fun and interesting designs. Speaking of designs, the aesthetic is this grungy cyberpunk that feels right. The world, the weapons, and those that live and die in it all have a brilliant level of scuffed detail.

What’s an action flick without a team of highly specialized misfits? The Zombie Unit is comprised of various individuals, starting with Hannah Stone. This tough-as-nails red head is armed to the teeth with blades, guns, and attitude. Also enough classy martial arts moves to dodge and weave through bullet-fire. Her team is just as colorful, including the marksman with a dirty mind, the tank who doesn’t talk, and a field medic with no sense of humor or common sense just to name a few.

Everyone has a role to play in the Zombie Unit, but for now we will be focusing on the lead of this game, Ltn. Hannah Stone. She and the others are investigating Dowery Synthetics, a multi-national synthetic labor manufacturer, and the supposed origin point of the ongoing conspiracy that will unfold.

A dish best served brutal

Wanted: Dead is a delicious pie. With a delectable crust of an intriguing narrative, it has all the best things for filling. Hack and slash melee combat paired with dozens of unique finishing moves. A third-person shooter aesthetic in the flavors of everything from assault rifles and sub-machine guns to grenade launchers and more.

Top it all off with an old-school beat ’em up style of progression mixed with a hardcore challenge. All of this adds up to what you can describe as a brutal and bloody love letter to the 6th console generation. With the right amount of cooking this is going to be something awesome.

But enough about speculation, what do we know? We have a 30-Minute Dev Game-play video to dig into for that. Possibly the thing that stood out to me the most in the game-play footage was the movement of the game itself. As a shooter it felt like Mass Effect, having lots of cover and moving quickly from place to place. You have a litany of weapons at your disposal, from pistols to assault rifles. Jumping from cover to cover, hiding from enemies and peaking for damage looks very snappy and responsive.

I know Kung-fu

So let’s add to that the combat system of Arkham Knight and throw some katanas into the mix. The transition from ranged to melee combat looks smooth, however some of the attacks feel deliberately slow. Power attacks with your sword look a little unrealistically slow. By the time you wind up your attack, anyone would die from the barrage of bullets. But this is an action piece, so maybe it’s intentional for looking cool.

You have a skill tree that looks fairly extensive. Being able to customize your game-play experience as you play is a huge bonus in my book, and judging from the icons it’s more that just “shoot more” or “swing harder”. Broken up into Offense, Defense, and Utility, I’m looking forward to being able to tailor the game-play experience to my liking.

Throughout the showcase, our heroes fight and shoot their way through numerous areas of the scene location. They encounter hordes of enemies, showing off a surprising variety of foes to survive. And I say survive because it is by no means easy. Each and every mook you merc feels tanky and dishes out damage just as much as you do. You can’t just hold down the trigger and mow down the enemy lines, you have to get to cover push when you can, and take cover when you can’t. Surviving a fight feels satisfying and legitimizes Ltn. Stone being a certified badass.

Wanted: Dead blasts out in February!

I can’t say from what I’ve seen that there is much in terms of alternate game modes in Wanted: Dead, but judging from some of the trailers there might be various mini-games to play. The feeling I get is something akin to the Yakuza series, specifically Like A Dragon. The Dev Trailer said there would be 5 Locations and main missions, so hopefully we will be getting side missions to explore the world and maybe find some unlockables.

Ultimately, Wanted: Dead feels to me like a love-letter to tongue in cheek humor and high octane action. Things like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and Yakuza all have this serious but not too serious vibe that I think works well in this setting. Humor in a game not meant to be a comedy or a gag is tricky to pull off, but the right writers can do it. Stay tuned for more info in the future as we delve deeper into the Zombie Unit, and see what craziness is lurking right around the corner.

Wanted: Dead releases on February 14 2023 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. Wanted: Dead is developed by Soliel Ltd. and published by 1101 Industries.