PixlBit

Like its predecessor, Shank 2 is a 2D linear action platformer. I’ll be honest, I didn’t play more than 30 minutes of the original. I was more than intrigued by Shank’s ultra-violent cartoon animations, but I didn’t enjoy the gameplay at all. The combat mechanics felt clumsy and seemed disconnected from what was happening on screen, and the dodging mechanics were also extremely tough to pull off -- making it a chore to play.

Shank 2 immediately made a positive impact on me. While Klei Entertainment didn’t reinvent anything in this sequel, they did pay a lot of attention to the controls and combat. All of the controls have been tweaked and combat feels fluid and perfectly responsive. Weapons like the chainsaw and hammer offer sluggish beat downs while throwing knives and machetes offer a speedier approach. Each weapon offers a different fighting method, so finding the right weapon for a given situation is important to success.

The enemies are just as well balanced as the weapons. There are a wide variety of strong but slow, quick but weak, long range and short range enemies. The game relies on fighting small waves of enemies as you go through each stage, so a good balance of enemies is what stops Shank 2 from ever feeling stale. It's definitely a repetitive formula, but the large variety of enemy types along with your character’s variety of weapons and abilities are what stop it from ever feeling dull. This is a vast improvement from its predecessor. In Shank, you could easily win fights by just spamming one button, but Shank 2 makes sure you’re engaged in its combat by using everything at your disposal to win.

The stages are side-scrolling linear levels with a few side areas to explore. You will go in and out of buildings, through a beach resort, or wind your way through a cargo ship. You will be faced with platforming where you to run up walls, slide down railings, get chased by boulders, leap from building to building, or swing on grappling points. The platforming is quick and your character displays acrobatics similar to the 3D Prince of Persia titles but on a 2D plane. The platforming areas of the game are easy to trek through due to the game’s responsive controls, so you’ll never get frustrated by hard to reach platforms or small ledges. The platforming is a mere distraction from the combat, so the lack of difficulty doesn’t hinder your experience with Shank 2. These segments are simply nice breaks from fighting hoards of enemies.

The most recent title to compare it to would be Bloodrayne: Betrayal. Both games are overly violent, have cartoon graphics, are linear action titles, and feature melee as well as ranged combat. Bloodrayne: Betrayal is borderline masochistic, resembling the difficulty and design of the 16-bit generation. However, Shank 2 manages to hook you in by being difficult, but not too difficult. Every battle comes with a struggle, but you’ll succeed as long as you are careful and have good reaction time. The engagement during combat makes most of the fights in Shank 2 feel rewarding without much punishment.  Also, the ability to approach a fight with different weapons each time allows you to experiment and fight the way you prefer.

The high quality boss fights are probably the best part. Each one is presented uniquely; the first is a huge but quick brute who throws all of his strength at you while literally throwing burning tires at you. Another boss is a lightning quick cult leader who can warp from spot to spot, fly above you, and summon wolves to attack while she tries to take you down from long range. Every boss fight is engaging and just difficult enough – I’d die 2 or 3 times until I figured out the right strategy to win.

In other instances, the difficulty curve is not as smooth. While most of the game feels well balanced, there are situations where you face hoards of overpowered enemies. There were about 3 or 4 areas where I felt frustrated at the amount of enemies being thrown at me. But, there are also infinite lives and checkpoints that seem to exist every step of the way. There was never an instance where I died and was set back more than 30 seconds. While too few checkpoints would be a huge issue, the numerous checkpoints wound up making it almost too easy.

The only other fault I found in Shank 2 is that it was over too soon. I don’t expect a $10 downloadable title to be lengthy, but Shank 2’s campaign is completed within 2 to 3 hours. The game spans 8 stages, each stage ranging from 10 to 25 minutes long. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity, but Shank 2 would have benefited greatly from being at least 2 or 3 stages longer. Granted, if you are into collectibles and unlockables you could be playing Shank 2 for a very long time. There are a ton of in-game achievements that will unlock weapons and character skins.

One important omission from Shank 2 is any co-op campaign mode. The first Shank allowed 2-player co-op, but Shank 2 concentrates on a single player experience. Considering Shank 2’s campaign is more enjoyable than Shank’s, it’s hard to complain about the lack of multiplayer, yet I still wish I could jump in with a friend and cause havoc.

Instead, multiplayer takes the form of a 2-player (local or online) survival mode. The mode puts you and a partner through 30 waves of enemies trying to arm and destroy bombs. It’s your job to neutralize the enemies and protect the explosives. The mode is particularly fun and the ability to unlock new characters, each with unique stats and bonuses, gives more than enough reason to spend a few hours in survival mode. The only downfall to survival mode is that there are only 3 maps to choose from. Each map is laid out similar to each other, so there's not too much diversity there.

It’s safe to say that Shank 2 is a much better game than its predecessor; it’s just a shame that it’s over so quickly. Even if you hated its predecessor, Shank 2 makes more than enough improvements to warrant a second look. Klei Entertainment is so close to striking gold with Shank 2, but its low replay value holds it back from being a must-have title.