81
"Quotation Forthcoming"
80
There's also a value question around Shank. Before spending the $15, you really need a qualified co-op player on hand locally to help you get your money's worth out of the game.
50
Shank is an old school side scrolling beat 'em up with a new lick of paint. The main character seems to have stepped out of a comic book. Shank has enough style, but unfortunately comes up short with substance. The game is short and doesn't offer any replayability next to the hard modus.
7
ShankUnrestrained ViolenceShank is one of those games that throws you straight into a heavy, violence-laden atmosphere from the very start. While it maintains its brutal tone all the way through, this doesn’t mean the experience is tiresome or lacking in enjoyment.A Blend of Two GenresThis title combines elements of platforming and the beat ’em up genre. The platforming segments are minimal, appearing only in a handful of short, challenge-based stages. The core of the gameplay is firmly rooted in beat ’em up mechanics, which fit perfectly with the game’s tone and never feel out of place.GameplayThe gameplay revolves around fighting enemies and progressing through levels until you reach each boss encounter. Along the way, you can use health items to recover. As you advance, new melee and ranged weapons become available, allowing you to mix and match for a variety of combos. This helps prevent the gameplay from feeling repetitive.Level design is solid, keeping fatigue to a minimum. While regular enemies lack variety, the boss fights are well-crafted and require different strategies to overcome. The game also features an engaging grab-and-execute mechanic, letting you torture and kill enemies in a variety of brutal ways.Each boss can be defeated using different approaches, though using the wrong method can make the fight more difficult. Learning and mastering the game’s mechanics is the key to truly enjoying the experience.StoryThe story is cliché, following the well-worn “revenge” formula. There’s nothing remarkable in terms of plot twists or deep narrative, but it serves as an adequate backdrop for the game’s combat and tone.Graphics & AtmosphereThe game features a 2D art style based on hand-drawn visuals, blending Wild West themes with modern elements. Character and environment designs are striking, making the artistic direction one of the game’s strongest points — and a major reason players will want to keep going until the end.MusicThe soundtrack perfectly matches the game’s violent and revenge-driven tone. Each area has its own track, and even the boss fights feature unique themes. While the music isn’t highly varied and may feel repetitive for some players, it fits the atmosphere well and complements the overall experience.Final VerdictShank is a short, intense, and thrilling ride. With its beautiful art direction, fun combat, and well-designed boss fights, it’s well worth playing at least once. If you’re looking for a high-energy beat ’em up with comic book flair and unapologetic violence, this one shouldn’t be missed.
7
Красивый о стильный бит эм ап, проходил с удовольствием. Жалка, что короткий.
8
Good game. The art and design of the game really stood out as a strong point. The combination of the single player and co-op modes gave the game more replay-ability than most arcade games. This game was highly under rated and totally worth the money.
Shank
Released On:
Aug 25, 2010
Metascore
Mixed or Average
71
User score
Mixed or Average
6.7
My Score
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
46% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
52% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Oct 21, 2010
100
Shank is the freshest, most unequivocally rewarding beat-em-up game to come along in almost a decade.
Oct 21, 2010
83
This is the Saturday morning cartoon your parents wouldn't dare let you watch, the closest thing to Venture Bros. becoming a video game, and one of the highlights of this year's downloadable titles. The only thing it's missing is a lot of limbs falling off and decapitation, but that's what sequels are for, right?
User score
Mixed or Average
40% Positive
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
47% Mixed
28 Ratings
28 Ratings
13% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
Sep 28, 2011
10
Fluidly animated and well paced, Shank is one of the greatest beat 'em ups of all time. Combat has never been this great and easy to get a good handle on the controls. By the time I have written this review, a sequel has already been announced and I can't wait to see what Shank does next. Klei Entertainment should pat themselves on the back for creating such a awesome game..
Sep 11, 2010
10
Whats with all the bad reviews? Ignore them this is up there with the best games on Xbox Live Arcade. Go and get the demo and find out for yourself! Great combat, one of the best artstyles, whats not to like? The length isn't that bad. It's longer than most arcade games. It's even better if you have a friend to play the co-op campaign with. I played it with my brother and its one of the best co-op experiences ever. The difficulty is perfect as well. So with the co-op, you can double that 3-4 hour length. Throw in all the collectible costumes and you've got more than your moneys worth! What are you waiting for, buy it!
Oct 21, 2010
80
Don't expect it to last longer than a good book. [Nov 2010, p.121]
Oct 21, 2010
70
It's fast, merciless and brutal, but it's not a lot of fun to play. Unless you're out of other options for 2-D brawlers and have money burning a hole in your pocket, hold off on Shank. It's still a decent title, but for 2 GB and $15, there are better ways to spend your hard drive space, money and time.
Oct 21, 2010
65
Shank is a classic 2D beat'em up. The style is great, but level design and AI aren't perfect. Probabily, you can try Dishwasher instead.
Oct 21, 2010
60
There are some incredible peaks in Shank that I think are entirely worth experiencing, and it can be a pleasure to play, at least for a while. There are far worse ways to spend $15 for three hours, but it's those very highs that really make Shank's shortcomings that much more disappointing.
Oct 21, 2010
25
The only leg it has to stand on is its cartoon style that will certainly attract less demanding gamers as well as the merely curious. If that's worth $15 to you, more power to you.
Sep 11, 2010
10
this Game is Brilliant! the one player campaign has some of the best fighting i have seen in a long time. If you only play through it once then maybe you'll see it as being too short but you can go back and get costumes which make multiple playthroughs a must! The best part for me though is the co-op campaign which must be played. Don't trust the negetive reviews buy this game! Or at least download the demo.
Aug 11, 2025
7
ShankUnrestrained ViolenceShank is one of those games that throws you straight into a heavy, violence-laden atmosphere from the very start. While it maintains its brutal tone all the way through, this doesn’t mean the experience is tiresome or lacking in enjoyment.A Blend of Two GenresThis title combines elements of platforming and the beat ’em up genre. The platforming segments are minimal, appearing only in a handful of short, challenge-based stages. The core of the gameplay is firmly rooted in beat ’em up mechanics, which fit perfectly with the game’s tone and never feel out of place.GameplayThe gameplay revolves around fighting enemies and progressing through levels until you reach each boss encounter. Along the way, you can use health items to recover. As you advance, new melee and ranged weapons become available, allowing you to mix and match for a variety of combos. This helps prevent the gameplay from feeling repetitive.Level design is solid, keeping fatigue to a minimum. While regular enemies lack variety, the boss fights are well-crafted and require different strategies to overcome. The game also features an engaging grab-and-execute mechanic, letting you torture and kill enemies in a variety of brutal ways.Each boss can be defeated using different approaches, though using the wrong method can make the fight more difficult. Learning and mastering the game’s mechanics is the key to truly enjoying the experience.StoryThe story is cliché, following the well-worn “revenge” formula. There’s nothing remarkable in terms of plot twists or deep narrative, but it serves as an adequate backdrop for the game’s combat and tone.Graphics & AtmosphereThe game features a 2D art style based on hand-drawn visuals, blending Wild West themes with modern elements. Character and environment designs are striking, making the artistic direction one of the game’s strongest points — and a major reason players will want to keep going until the end.MusicThe soundtrack perfectly matches the game’s violent and revenge-driven tone. Each area has its own track, and even the boss fights feature unique themes. While the music isn’t highly varied and may feel repetitive for some players, it fits the atmosphere well and complements the overall experience.Final VerdictShank is a short, intense, and thrilling ride. With its beautiful art direction, fun combat, and well-designed boss fights, it’s well worth playing at least once. If you’re looking for a high-energy beat ’em up with comic book flair and unapologetic violence, this one shouldn’t be missed.
Oct 29, 2018
7
Красивый о стильный бит эм ап, проходил с удовольствием. Жалка, что короткий.
Sep 7, 2010
1
Not worth the money it costs. 1200 MS points is a lot for a game completed in just over an hour on normal. Too repetitive and unimaginitive to repeat on hard. A specially written co-op multiplayer campaign which you cant play online so if you have nobody you live with to play it with and you have something more fun to play or do with your mates when they come round then you probably wont touch it. Shame they actually hired people to write a story and then created a game in a way where the writers work is unlikely to be seen a deemed almost pointless. Couldve been the next CastleCrashers or Dishwasher Dead Samurai. Instead i've had more fun playing a poorly coded game of flash pool on facebook. Dont waste your time or money when Dishwasher Dead Samurai is just as well (not very well but at least equal to shank) written and more varied in enemy and boss types and has online co op. Forget Shank and get Dishwasher for less money and way better value.
Aug 27, 2010
0
This beat-em-up is a bad value. The game is short, but the value might have been remedied by some good mechanics. Unfortunately, that is not the case with Shank. The lag between pressing a button and it working onscreen is unacceptable. The drawn backgrounds are low-resolution and the character models often look really ****. $15 for a two hour campaign (and an even shorter co-op one) is not worth it, especially considering the Scott Pilgrim game that just came out (which is longer, up to 4 players, better looking).
SummaryShank is a new game that a small team at Klei is working on. It's an over-the-top action/adventure, built with all the things that we at Klei are passionate about: amazing control, great animation, immersive environment, and everything else that we feel like, and none of the stuff we don't.
Rated Mfor Mature
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox 360
- PlayStation 3
Initial Release Date:Aug 25, 2010
Developer:
- Klei Entertainment
Publisher:





























