Shank

The demo - back when Shank first came out - completely failed to impress me. But I came into digital-possession of a copy from a Humble Indie Bundle some time ago, and this evening I was in a unique position of having a short amount of time to kill, while paying half-attention to something else (watching a series of hilarious attempts on Super Mario World's Special World levels). Shank fit the bill perfectly, and I may have underestimated it a little.

The gameplay is absolutely shallow, the story is absolutely stupid, and the cutscene presentation is absolutely unpolished. But there is one thing that Shank does mostly-great, and that's the sense of focus and flow when you're speeding through levels, and through enemies. It definitely feels button-mashy, but being obligated to vary between quick attacks, power attacks, and ranged attacks instills just enough attention-keeping into the experience to make it feel somewhat meaningful.

I think the most apt way I can describe it is that it's a lot like an old coin-op brawler. You won't care about the plot or the depth of gameplay, because the simple mechanics flow quickly enough to keep you casually engaged for its brief duration.

But, yeah. It is just the two hours long. And the mechanics aren't perfect, either -- aiming your gun is difficult, which usually isn't a problem, except when the final level keeps putting gunners in elevated balconies; and mapping your standard attack to the same button as using an item causes you to waste far too many healing pickups. The quick-time prompts for counter-attacks could have clearer icons, too, although they occur pretty rarely.

At its best, Shank can feel as good as the fast- and free-flowing parts of a Prince of Persia, rushing through the level like it's nobody's business. But Shank, to put it bluntly, lacks substance. It's not a bad way to spend a couple hours on a lazy weekend, but it's really nothing special.

Better than: Steel Storm: Burning Retribution
Not as good as: Torchlight
I'm slightly curious about the sequel: but I'd have trouble justifying a purchase if it's only another two hours of this

Progress: Finished on Normal