60
Stylish and most of the time entertaining as well, this carnage from the mind of a well known weirdo designer Suda 51 doesn't bring anything new to the table, except for its bizarre aesthetics that may or may not suit you. [Issue#234]
50
Killer is Dead is a decent action game, but seeing as the genre is brimming with other titles that offer a much more complete experience, there’s little reason to spend your time here rather than elsewhere.
70
While the narrative is bonkers, Killer Is Dead iterates on tired gameplay to make a gorgeous game playable. [November 2013, p84]
7
Killer is Dead nach ca. 10h beendetEs ist ein weiteres Suda51-Game, das ich beendet habe. Es hat mich aber nicht so weggehauen wie z. B. No More Heroes oder Lollipop Chainsaw und Co. Ja, es hat wieder seinen ganz typischen Suda51-Charme, aber der dunkle Kontrast hat mir absolut nicht gefallen. Vielleicht lag es daran, dass ich auf einem QD-OLED-Monitor gezockt habe und das Game halt etwas älter ist, aber auf jeden Fall war es mir einfach zu dunkel und ich konnte teilweise kaum etwas **** der Story geht es darum, dass man einen Auftragskiller spielt, der verschiedene Aufträge annimmt und dabei das Böse von der dunklen Seite des Mondes bekämpft – also wieder eine ganz typische, crazy **** Ende einer Mission gibt es wie gewohnt coole, kreative Bosskämpfe, die mir eine Menge Spaß gemacht **** Kampfsystem war ganz nett und fühlte sich befriedigend an. Neben den ganzen Missionen gab es auch wieder reichlich Minispiele. Ein paar habe ich gezockt, aber nicht alle.Fazit:Es ist wieder ein typisches Suda51-Game, das diesmal leider nicht ganz meinen Geschmack getroffen hat, vor allem wegen des Grafikstils. Vielleicht wäre es auf einem anderen Monitor besser gewesen. Dennoch war ich ganz zufrieden. 7/10
5
It is overrated amongst gamers IMO. Barely hold a style (which is a shallow mish-mash of clichés), have no worth of notice gameplay, and narratively just a filler between "cool" scenes.
7
The graphics in this game with the cell shaded style makes for one of the best looking games of the era. A fun campaign worthy of a playthrough. The gigolo side missions were a tad bit cringe for my liking. However, the hack and slash style and substance of Suda 51 is still there and well worth the experience. Still remember the final boss after all these years so I would give it the slight edge over Lollipop Chainsaw if I were to recommend a grasshopper manufacturer game.
Killer Is Dead
Released On:
Aug 27, 2013
Metascore
Mixed or Average
64
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
My Score
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Where to Buy
Metascore
Mixed or Average
64
26% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
67% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
8% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Oct 5, 2013
85
Killer is Dead is yet another Suda masterpiece! Or is it just a childish misogynist slayfest? [Sept 2013]
Aug 26, 2013
78
This is what Suda51 fans want. It's fresh, unique and very, very fun, even though we think it could have used some extra weeks of development to erase that feeling of being a little bit rushed, and become a better game.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.8
69% Positive
178 Ratings
178 Ratings
20% Mixed
51 Ratings
51 Ratings
12% Negative
30 Ratings
30 Ratings
Aug 21, 2019
10
Highly recommend. I live for obscure games and this is one of them! Bought this game a month ago and fully enjoyed the weird mayhem! I hope this game gets ported to the Nintendo Switch along with the other games Suda51 developed!
Feb 18, 2014
10
Killer is Dead is really a good game. It surely excels in the field of artwork, I've never seen such beautiful work in may years. The gameplay and it gameplay mechanics is really unique. Totally fun and crazy story as we can expect from Suda51. This game is for those who like to try new things and search for load of good art works and also for the people with anime minds (Otaku) only they can understand the actual story of this game. Those who are telling this was a waste game. They may be right but only from their point of view. If they tell you not to play this game then they are telling you wrong things. It is you who are to decide that the game is good or bad as you are to play the game. Not they. So i urge everyone to enjoy this as much as you can. Lastly my heartiest respect to Mr. Goichi Suda for bringing us a unique and beautiful game to us. Hope you bring us such good works in future. Looking forward for "Lily Bergamo"
Aug 27, 2013
70
Killer Is Dead is a competent, and oftentimes superb, action title that is held back by an overly obtuse plot and a dating minigame that did more to turn me off from the game entirely.
Oct 24, 2013
60
Stylish and most of the time entertaining as well, this carnage from the mind of a well known weirdo designer Suda 51 doesn't bring anything new to the table, except for its bizarre aesthetics that may or may not suit you. [Issue#234]
Aug 27, 2013
60
Intriguing – despite a mounting pile of evidence showing that it should be terrible. The characters and story are so outlandish and bizarre that they are fascinating – but the nonsense and clunky mechanics never coalesce into a satisfying experience. It lures you in with the promise of something unique, then botches the execution.
Aug 28, 2013
50
Shallow, sexist, and largely nonsensical. The action is amongst Suda51’s best but it’s not leveraged in any way that justifies the failings of the rest of the game.
Sep 1, 2013
40
Between the tedious levels, incoherent story and offputting gigolo missions, I found very little to appreciate about Killer is Dead. I grew quite tired of the shallow game design and weak attempts to distract me from its vacuous lack of substance, and put the game down before rolling credits.
Jan 14, 2014
10
Stupid journalists do not understand games. Do not listen to them. Killer is Dead is a great game. If you are a fan of Japanese style and hurricane slashers, then you must buy this game without a doubt. About the sexualisation of women in it. I laughed. Play your glamorous Mass Effect with gays and lesbians, stupid idiots!
Mar 24, 2026
7
Killer is Dead nach ca. 10h beendetEs ist ein weiteres Suda51-Game, das ich beendet habe. Es hat mich aber nicht so weggehauen wie z. B. No More Heroes oder Lollipop Chainsaw und Co. Ja, es hat wieder seinen ganz typischen Suda51-Charme, aber der dunkle Kontrast hat mir absolut nicht gefallen. Vielleicht lag es daran, dass ich auf einem QD-OLED-Monitor gezockt habe und das Game halt etwas älter ist, aber auf jeden Fall war es mir einfach zu dunkel und ich konnte teilweise kaum etwas **** der Story geht es darum, dass man einen Auftragskiller spielt, der verschiedene Aufträge annimmt und dabei das Böse von der dunklen Seite des Mondes bekämpft – also wieder eine ganz typische, crazy **** Ende einer Mission gibt es wie gewohnt coole, kreative Bosskämpfe, die mir eine Menge Spaß gemacht **** Kampfsystem war ganz nett und fühlte sich befriedigend an. Neben den ganzen Missionen gab es auch wieder reichlich Minispiele. Ein paar habe ich gezockt, aber nicht alle.Fazit:Es ist wieder ein typisches Suda51-Game, das diesmal leider nicht ganz meinen Geschmack getroffen hat, vor allem wegen des Grafikstils. Vielleicht wäre es auf einem anderen Monitor besser gewesen. Dennoch war ich ganz zufrieden. 7/10
Mar 27, 2025
7
The graphics in this game with the cell shaded style makes for one of the best looking games of the era. A fun campaign worthy of a playthrough. The gigolo side missions were a tad bit cringe for my liking. However, the hack and slash style and substance of Suda 51 is still there and well worth the experience. Still remember the final boss after all these years so I would give it the slight edge over Lollipop Chainsaw if I were to recommend a grasshopper manufacturer game.
Oct 23, 2013
4
As a fan of Suda51's previous works, especially the No More Heroes series, I was looking forward to Killer is Dead. It's a fun hack and slash beat 'em up however the bad really outweighs the good. After playing the first few missions I was finding the story to get interesting but unfortunately it ends up being a missed opportunity with a plot that goes all over the place and characters that really get no development. I admire it's stylish cel-shaded look but with the repetitive gameplay and unsatisying story I couldn't recommend anyone to buy this.
Sep 2, 2013
3
I dont care about the sexist stuff. It not feminist but its no more blatantly sexist than the other artless dreck you see in popular culture. But that brings me to the real problem here, I meant it when I said OTHER artless dreck, all the people harping about "liberal" this and "feminist" that, trying to dismiss the scores of negative reviews as only being that way because the reviewer was offended, they should try READING these reviews instead of the cliff notes. ITS ONE BIG ENDLESS MESS, it makes no sense at all, and every single thing that people here love to say is "art" is a poorly executed carbon copy of stereotypical japanese "cool" stolen from some anime that executed it with more skill and originality. Unless thats what you want, the same old garbage, stay away.
SummaryKiller Is Dead is a title from the demented mind of celebrated game creator, SUDA51, serving as a spiritual successor to his previous cult favorites, No More Heroes and Killer 7.
Rated Mfor Mature
Platforms:
- PlayStation 3
- Xbox 360
- PC
Initial Release Date:Aug 27, 2013
Developer:
Publisher:
