Wanted: Dead

Wanted: Dead had great potential but was utterly bogged down by poor gameplay choices and bad technical design. It crashed twice on PS5 in a two-hour play session. All in all, you are better off playing any Ninja Gaiden game until this goes on sale.

It's true, they don't make 'em like this any more. Unfortunately, Wanted: Dead only demonstrates why not. [Issue#382, p.104]

Even with its quirkiness and challenging katana action, Wanted: Dead is a mess. It offers an odd nostalgic charm of the incomplete and unpolished games of the mid-2000s and never takes itself too seriously. Still, without the enjoyable mini-games, imaginative slice and dice finishing moves, and “so bad it’s funny” voice acting, there’s not much more to love. This might be one of the most disappointing games of this year.

As someone who considers themself an action game buff, Wanted: Dead let me down on just about every front. Its combat may be fun for a few hours, but eventually I realized that it was just a pool of shallow water to splash around in. The fights never evolved in any interesting or meaningful way, the minimal enemy variety never challenged me to change up my tactics, and worst of all I always felt weak, even when I fully maxed out the skill tree. Add on bland visuals, a distinct lack of personality and charm, and frequent crashes, and it all amounts to one of the first big disappointments of 2023.

Wanted: Dead does not live up to its self-created expectations. There may have been people who worked on the game who also made Ninja Gaiden and its sequel, Soleil's game falls far short of this quality.

Wanted: Dead is a total failure.