Review

Not A Hero

When you review games as long as I have, you miss being surprised by what you see and do. Whether it’s the fact that a lot of games share similar mechanics/themes/buzz words (rouge-like and such) or that we’ve managed to cover titles in great detail before launch, a shocking experience is hard to find. There are those rare times though, where I get a game for review that I personally haven’t researched before popping in the code. This was the case with Roll7’s “Not A Hero” – I just downloaded the title after reading the synopsis, hit start and was immediately blown away!

In “Not A Hero” we are quickly introduced to BunnyLord, a time traveling ‘rabbit-man’, that is currently running for mayor. Yes, you read that right. The rest of the people around you are regular humans but somehow this anthropomorphic rabbit in a suit is running things. In order to sway the people to actually vote for him, he set out to find a blood thirsty murderer to be his campaign manager; he promised to clean up the city’s criminal element but doesn’t have time to do things the right way. You start as Steve, a man with a pair of pistols and a hunger for pain, who loads up on bullets to do the BunnyLord’s bidding…

Let me preface by saying this game isn’t very long. You take Steve and other killers through five districts while completing objectives for BunnyLord. It also doesn’t have a deep narrative to hold one’s attention throughout the campaign. It’s similar to a certain ACE Team game that I recently reviewed in how those aspects weren’t needed. Not A Hero shines due to the insanity that is the action based gameplay, requiring you to shoot, stab, and explode your way through the criminal underworld. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how incredible these shootouts felt. It was as if somebody took a John Woo film, let Quintin Tarantino direct it, and turned it into an action title.

What makes this game even more interesting is its 2 ¼D perspective, created by using ISO-Slant technology. Even though you move from one side of the screen to the next, you’re given the ability to slide behind cover (and into the background) to dodge incoming fire. I never expected to play a cover-based shooter in a 2D world so this came as a major surprise. I mean, I’d normally just try to jump or duck over bullets to avoid them. This of course resulted in me dying a lot in the earlier stages. I was also surprised at how advanced things were given how simple the game looked. You can’t even reload before a gunfight because when the enemies hear it they’ll began to press you. Because of things like this, the levels feel like characters themselves as each building layout seems to have a personality.

Speaking of personalities, each non-hero has their own brand of crazy that goes hand and hand with their weapons/abilities. Steve, for example, is dressed like a classic action leading man. White shirt, brown pants with suspenders as if he was coming right out of a Die Hard movie, Steve slides across the floor further than most and shoots two pistols for added range. As I began playing the game as Steve, I figured that I knew how the game was headed (I would always be sliding and shooting). Man was I wrong.

So after every mission, you meet up with BunnyLord for breakfast where he hilariously discusses how he thinks the mission went. But, as you progress, he brings other maniacs to breakfast as they are added to your roster. Like I said, each one has his or her own brand of crazy. One of your players looks like a southern farmer armed with a shotgun. He can blow through doors instead of opening them which comes in handy when trying to bully through levels filled with enemies. Another may favor a sword, sliding in close before slicing people to bits totally changes the games pace. No matter who you use, the ensuing chaos is a bloody good time. You know…in a non-morbid type of way.

Not A Hero elicits a feeling of nostalgia while giving us new shooter mechanics. I can’t tell you how many times I have played through this game with each anti-hero just to see the different ways to finish each level. With incredible gameplay, hysterical storytelling, and hours of replay value, this game never has a dull moment. And while I was not prepared for the gruesome violence at first, I can’t seem to get enough of it. Where else can you walk away from a 2 ¼D explosion in slow motion? Admit it, you envisioned it happening. Just know I looked awesome doing it!