1st July 2023
Before we get into a cult classic, a mind-twister, a patience-killer, and a masterpiece by Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. I’d like to trace back a bit. If you’re a die-hard NeatNeet fan, then you’ll remember that I talked about the revered indie horror survival game, Signalis in my previous blog. The good news is that the official soundtrack by Cicada Sirens and 1000 Eyes is now on Spotify! I’ll link it here.
(Click the image pls pls)
Now let’s get to it. Killer7! In addition to being shadily categorized as an On-Rails Shooter despite how much more you do than just shooting, the game is shrouded in tons of other mysteries. The first of which annoys me to no end, but isn’t brought up much mind you, is how the logo clearly spelled “Killer7” with a capital K! Meanwhile, the game is listed on Steam as “killer7” with a lowercase k! Does this make any sense to you!! Doesn’t this just grind your gears!!! Evoking you yourself to take off your pants and unleash your collateral shots all on your monitor!!? (I deeply apologize for this joke.)
(See? It’s indisputably a capital K!)
(How come is this the case? Come on!)
Killer7 has the usual “GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE” style plastered all over it and I think that’s what makes this studio stands out.
Clay-like graphics like everything was made out of Play-Doh, shadows so dark as if the saturation curve was pushed to its limits, and Suda51 getting high on 51 types of drugs while writing the story. These don’t only scream character…but also one hell of an attitude if I do say so myself.
(Dan Smith of Killer7 versus Mondo of Killer is Dead, they’re definitely brothers.)
I’d like to begin by discussing the Soundtrack. I was surprised when a Google search reminded me that Masafumi Takada, Killer7’s composer (along with Jun Fukuda), is also the legend who carried the entire Danganronpa series soundscape.
Songs that are iconic to me:
Rave On (You only hear 10 seconds of this song in-game. Please listen to the whole thing, there’s a sick Jazzy Synth solo near the end.)
Killer7 has tons of filler moments. Filler moments that are so absurd, I can tolerate them being there. Each player will have their own favorite moments that they’ll remember and lash on along with the soundtrack. We’re playing the same game but the little excerpts that live in our brains differ vastly.
Speaking of excerpts from the game…Wanna see my favorite?
"Like a flower that blooms in the soil of our carnal and corrupt society, I shall administer retribution to straying vermin that graze this land. For I am the Chairman of the Educational Guidance Council, AYAME Blackburn!"
[Spoilers Onwards, buddy.]
This brings me to our next topic, the narrative. More specifically, how cryptic and symbolic it is. Everything is so scattered that our human brain reverts to its pattern-seeking tendencies. The seemingly meaningless moments suddenly started becoming crucial for our interpretation. My initial interpretation of Killer7 was all wrong, haha!
I highly recommend 2 videos by GhenryPerez and Alexandra Orlando for explanations of Killer7. (As I’m still far from understanding it enough to explain it to you myself, haha!)
Just in case it’s interesting, I’ll lay out my first impression. I was too hung up on the camera switching Garcian Smith into the 6 personalities. This eluded me to believe that there was a system similar to Persona 5’s Metaverse, with Garcian being the main Smith who’s out and about in the real world. I didn’t discover the upgrade system or understand how character switching from Harman’s Room works until chapter 3, leading me to barely use Garcian’s guns at all. Garcian, to me, turned into the weakest character whose main job is to coordinate more sensible tasks from the real side of things. Once you get to a camera and switch to the 6 personalities, I inferred that I was now fighting in the Metaverse or an alternative reality of sorts. And in this realm, the Smiths had actual powers allowing them to finish the job while leaving minimal traces in the real world.
What I did get right, though, is picking up right away that all the ghostly figures you talk to are all previous targets who’ve been killed by The Smiths Syndicate and also a gut feeling that if Garcian dies, the game’s over right away. Small victories, yay!
Of course, the ending broke all my disjointed theories, and so did discovering how I can switch to Garcian whenever I want under most circumstances. That’s still what’s cool about these weird stylistic storytelling, though, right? That you can interpret them in so many different ways.
"I changed my makeup. Did you notice? Ugh, men. They never notice...these kinds of things..."
For Killer7, I didn’t understand a single “literal” thing that was happening. But somehow…for a peculiar reason…I sensed that all the characters belonged there. I understood why they had to be present in that situation. Even the rude Vinculum gatekeeper man who keeps yelling at me for not having enough Soul Shells like EX-F@%KING-CUSE ME!? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW HOW MANY YOU WANT WITHOUT YOU TELLING ME?-
(Look at this dude. At least with that haircut, I could sense that he’s a douchebag from 10 miles away.)
Welp, we’re hitting dangerously close to 2000 words there folks! Been short on moolah lately so I’ll need to start charging you if I were to write any more intellectual stuff. To be intellectual I need to think, and to think I need to pay for my extra creamy Frappucinos.
Well, master, I guess we could say…
(My honest reaction to that abrupt ending.)
