DEAD STRANGE

Not everyone will want to read WANTED: DEAD'S love letter to 2000s action games

- Mollie Taylor

Wanted: Dead would have totally banged in the late 2000s. It’s a no-nonsense hack-and-slash with some sickeningly wicked dismemberment, B-tier voice acting, and heaps of jank. It’s exactly what developer Soleil was aiming for, backed by several ex-Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive workers. But in the year of our lord 2023, its unapologetic vision isn’t going to sit right with everybody.

Unfortunately, I’m one of those people. I’m a huge Team Ninja lover and a regular Dead or Alive defender, so I was excited to dive into the Hong Kong Police Department’s Zombie Squad, a group of former criminals. You take on the role of Hannah Stone, and Wanted: Dead’s flimsy narrative is played out across a number of missions.