Disclaimer

I was sent a free copy of Kusan: City of Wolves to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my hones review.

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Table of Contents

What is Kusan City of Wolves

Kusan: City of Wolves is a a fast-paced, gritty shoot ’em up out now on Steam, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch. The game features beautiful hand drawn comic book style art, a dark engaging story, and mechanics that will keep you at the edge of your seat. I wasn’t ready for what I was getting into, no was I good enough, but what a ride it was! Make sure you get your first hit of the action with the free Steam demo. This game is dark, violent, and with a lot of blood and gore. This is your content warning.

Hook

The city of Kusan is rotting. The streets run with blood, corruption makes up its core, and violence is the only truth that exists. Many former soldier flock to the city in search for work as another goon for hire. Jin is one of these goons, but his latest job might prove too difficult even for him. A girl with immense and uncontrollable power has been kidnapped by a gang who plans to change things for the worse. It is up to Jin to use his mastery of weapons, combats, and other upgrades he finds along the way to take down his enemies and save the girl. But in a city where any mistake can be your last, it won’t be so easy. Do you have what it takes to tame this city of wolves, or will you be just another meaningless blood splatter?

Gameplay

Kusan is a game where you will die a lot. This top down game not only tests a gamer’s reflexes, but their ability to memorize maps and enemy actions. All enemies have predictable movements and attack patters that are clearly telegraphed. Players will use Jins attacks (punch, knife, or gun) to take them out. As the player progresses through the story, they earn cash to upgrade Jin with new skills and abilities. The upgrade system is a limited inventory space where you will need to get a little creative with your placement if you want a truly powerful build. For a little added challenge, you are scored after every encounter for those who enjoy setting records. If you like high energy games where everything goes brr, you might want to have Kusan: City of Wolves in your library.

Review

Kusan: City of wolves is a beautifully explosion of action, noir, and everything I need in a game right now. I may not be good at the game, but that did not stop me from trying as hard as I did. As I get older, games like these stop being fun because my reflexes have dulled with age. They usually either destroy my hands or leave me frustrated, and that my friends is a skill issue. I didn’t get any hand pain because I was using my Redragon Artemis Pro, but my wife did not appreciate the intense button mashing ASMR I put her through. I would have played through the pain anyway because I needed to play through the story.

Kusan is a beautiful game with some of the coolest art I’ve seen in modern gaming. The game also has a fantastic story that will keep you invested, I just wish I had it as a comic. Sucking at this game really slowed me down and I wanted to know everything. Most importantly, the gameplay is incredibly addicting, especially for those adrenaline junkies out there that don’t want to leave the house to get that heart rate up.

Aesthetic

Comic book fans will appreciate both the art style and narrative style. I love the vibrant use of color, and the amount of detail that went into the world building and character design. The contrast between the detailed comic panels and the retro feel of the pixel world you fight through come together spectacularly. If that isn’t enough to grab you, the fantastic soundtrack to get you in the perfect mood for carnage will. This is a fantastic looking game that needs to be appreciate for its art and aesthetic, but the story is what you should be after.

Story

I have always been a huge fan of noir style narratives. Games like Duck Detective and Loco Motive have a special place in my hard drive. Although this isn’t really a detective game (or nowhere as silly), the game perfectly captures what I loved about those dark gritty stories I used to watch in black and white. The story is as action-packed as the gameplay, with a cool hero to get behind and an adventure I will never forget. The only complaint I have with the story is that it took me too long to get through it. Again, this is is a skill issue. If you are looking for a game with a strong enough narrative that will earn it a couple of playthroughs, pick up Kusan: City of Wolves.

Gameplay

I will preface this by saying that I am probably the worst player this game has seen. As awful as I am at this game, I still love this game. Players will appreciate the fast-paced combat as they make their way through one of the most memorable cities I’ve played through this year. They will appreciate the skill required to clear each room and earn high score. Combat is extremely tight with very little room for errors, and the performance makes it the perfect action-packed adventure you didn’t know you needed. I love the feeling of finally being able to clear a room I kept dying. Loved it even more when it was a boss fight.

The upgrade system isn’t anything unique, but it is one that it is well implemented. I know I probably ended with the wrong build, but it was a build that got me through the story so I have no complaints. There are guides out there with the right answer, but it is always fun to figure it out on your own. I am a huge fan of inventory management games, so the upgrade system was a nice treat when I needed a break from losing.

Conclusion

I don’t know what I can say that playing the demo won’t tell you. Kusan: City of Wolves is a fantastic game that deserves all of the attention. The game has everything you need from a dark action-packed story to the violent fast-paced combat the body craves. If you don’t have this game in your library already, what are you doing with your life?

You can pick up Kusan: City of Wolves on Steam, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch. If you enjoy these fast paced combat noir inspired games, check out Mouse P.I. for Hire. It is a bit of different genre, but with all that noir goodness you’ve been missing. Or check out Mullet Jack for a more retro approach with even faster combat.

Trailer