Soleil has released a launch trailer forWanted: Dead. The third-person action game from the developers ofNinja Gaiden,Dead or Alive 4, andSamurai Jack: Battle Through Time,Wanted: Deadis set to have players hacking and slashing through countless enemies as well as performing stylish take down attacks.
First announced in 2021,Wanted: Deadlooks to bring the challenging yet flowing and satisfying combat style ofNinja Gaidento a near-future cyberpunk setting. Soleil has experience with this kind of satisfying combat as founding member, Yoshifuru Okamoto, has worked onNinja Gaidenand the studio has since released titles such asNinjala. WhileNinjaladid quite well, it always had to compete with the likes ofSplatoon, which with the continued support of Nintendo, as seen in events like theSplatoon 3chocolate splatfest, and a longer history in the gaming world, is somewhat of a juggernaut to face.Wanted: Dead, however, carves out its own niche and is designed by some of the minds that pioneered the high-octane hack and slash gameplay.
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Just ahead of its Valentine’s Day launch, Soleil has released theWanted: Deadlaunch trailer, which details more of the game’s narrative in cutscenes, gameplay, and voice over. Previously fans had been shown deep-dives on upcoming gameplay mechanics, such as thefinishers inWanted: Dead, but this trailer offers more of a general introduction to the whole experience. Leaning on some over the top action movie cliches and extreme violence, the trailer displays a gory world with distinct characters fit for an older audience.
Despite the gratuitous violence and explicit language, there is a chance forWanted: Deadto pose some philosophical questions in the same vein asBlade Runner; Hannah Stone is faced with taking down “synthetics” and is seen at one point in the trailer asking one of them if they feel pain. IfWanted: Deaddoes explore this route, it will be a difficult balance, as very few games manage to delve into the realm of philosophy successfully, especially when posed next to such extreme violence. The juxtaposition can work, however, so if the manic fights against variousenemies and bossesdoes come paired with a deeper look into humanity, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Wanted: Deadwill also be the first title released by Soleil Game Studios since it wasbought by Tencent in 2021. Tencent has bought many studios, or at least has a large share in quite a few of them. Despite any concerns of a big company erasing the core characteristics of smaller studios, there has not been any notable change in studios such as Riot and From Software.
Wanted: Deadreleases on February 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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