Wanted: Dead | PS5 Review

Wanted: Dead is an action-fueled blast of fresh air in 2023. All it seeks to be is a linear action game from yesteryear, think the PS2 or PS3 era, and it absolutely nails the mark. There’s nary a side quest or moral choice to make here. Get in, blow shit up, and get out.

Get the Lead Out

The year of 2022 is a cyberpunk dystopia in Wanted: Dead. Android and neon lights are aplenty, and the banks run the world. You play as Detective Hannah Stone, who never does any sort of detective work whatsoever. In fact, she’s a former war criminal who now has to pay off her prison sentence one government mission at a time. Same goes for your teammates, who are collectively referred to as the Zombie Unit.

There’s a no-nonsense police captain who teaches tough love, and a perky sidekick who just wants to help out. It has all the makings of a generic 80s or 90s action movie, and it’s awesome. Much of the dialogue is filled with cliche banter, but it really works in the context of Wanted: Dead. The game is wholly in on the joke and loves to bask in its own weirdness, whether it be anime flashbacks or live-action cooking infomercials. You’re not here for the plot, you’re here for the vibe.

Good Vibrations

You never quite know what to expect, since one minute you’ll be eating ramen competitively and the next you could be singing karaoke with the gang. Most of the game is hardcore action levels, but peppered in between is moments of your gang just being buds. They’ll hang out at the diner together, and they’re always giving each other a friendly sort of hard time. The tone of the game is excellent throughout, almost giving off zany Adult Swim energy.

Once the bullets and blades start flying, though, Wanted: Dead is in no mood to mess around. The developers at Soleil Ltd have some character action game bonafides, and it’s on full display here. Detective Stone loves to carry a katana in one hand and a pistol in the other, and you’ll use these in tandem to string together combos. You can also parry enemies with the katana, but some attacks flash a bright red, and that means you can only parry with your pistol. I can assure you it never, ever gets old hitting that pistol parry in time, and watching in slow motion as the enemy is taken off-balance. It’s just so satisfying.

Kill Bill

Melee combat is a ton of fun, with a speed allowed to you as the player. You can run real fast, hop over enemy cover, and just start slicing everyone. As you attack an enemy, there’s a good chance they’ll stagger allowing you to go in for a finisher. These finishers are so damn cool each and every time. And there’s an insane variety to them, changing depending on environmental context or the enemy’s weapon. It feels savage and rewarding, and if you can pull off a finisher quickly, you even regain some lost health. This little reward keeps you in the fight.

But melee isn’t all the game has to offer. There’s a wide variety of guns, as well. Wanted: Dead actually uses a pretty great cover system, allowing you to get into and out of cover without even pressing a button. It never feels sticky either, so your momentum remains high. Shooting enemies can make for a safer way to dispose of foes, but the game is smart in that you’ll be running out of ammo frequently. The combat loop ensures you can never stay put for too long, and makes sure you’ll never have time to rest.

Nothing Good Comes Easy

In general, the game is pretty difficult, especially since the combat encounters aren’t like a lot of other games of this type. The push and pull between melee, parrying, and gunplay is a dance of death the player is forced to master. Enemy AI is also much smarter than you would expect, as well. They’ll roll around if they get shot, jump well far away from grenades, and don’t linger when firing out of cover for easy kills. It’s a challenge I really appreciated.

As is often the case with me, I gotta discuss the skill tree. It sucks. Why a war criminal turned government mercenary has to learn to throw a grenade is beyond me. It’s also, as with most skill trees, a total illusion. You’ll gain every ability long before the ending, so having it be a tree isn’t tricking anyone. There’s no player agency or choice in it, so it feels superfluous. It’s particularly annoying to see in Wanted: Dead because it bucks modern day video game trends in almost every other way.

Nice Katana, Kid

I was taken to the past with this title. It felt like I was walking down the aisles of Blockbuster and this was the random B-movie or game I decided to pick up. Based on the marketing and game’s vibe, this is exactly what the developer was hoping for. At only 10 or so hours, this is a blast of game that I’d recommend to any action fans or anyone that misses the linear games of yesteryear. Wanted: Dead is nonstop, action packed fun from beginning to end.

This review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy of Wanted: Dead provided by 110 Industries for coverage purposes. It is also available on Xbox and Windows PC.