Wanted: Dead

 PlayStation 5
Wanted: Dead Image
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 70 Ratings

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  • Summary: Wanted: Dead is a new hybrid slasher/shooter from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. The game follows a week in life of the Zombie Unit, an elite Hong Kong police squad on a mission to uncover a major corporate conspiracy.
    Play as Lt. Hannah Stone, a hardboiled Hong Kong cop,    Wanted: Dead is a new hybrid slasher/shooter from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. The game follows a week in life of the Zombie Unit, an elite Hong Kong police squad on a mission to uncover a major corporate conspiracy.
    Play as Lt. Hannah Stone, a hardboiled Hong Kong cop, and plow through mercenaries, gang members and private military contractors in a spectacular cyberpunk adventure.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 31
  3. Negative: 8 out of 31
  1. Hardcore Gamer
    Feb 15, 2023
    80
    Wanted: Dead is a punishingly-difficult bloodbath that’s a joy to play. The stages are a brutal mix of swordplay and gun battles with a combat system that’s rewarding once the timing is mastered. In between stages there are several minigames that offer a sense of levity to help break up the violence against the corrupt corporate overlords, whether it be through karaoke, an eating contest or a good old fashioned arcade game. The style of gameplay feels like a modern take on third-person action games from the early 2000s which isn’t a bad thing at all. Wanted: Dead pulls no punches when it comes to challenging the player, but that’s what makes finally completing it feel so satisfying.
  2. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Feb 14, 2023
    75
    Wanted: Dead is going to annoy a lot of players. It’s also going to please plenty more. Soleil has made a game that leans heavily into its PS2-era inspirations, and that includes an unforgiving difficulty level. Without any real way to make things easier, some players may never see the ending of an otherwise enjoyable campaign, outside of watching a streamer perhaps. For those who can manage to hone their skills, however, the time put into Wanted: Dead will be worth it because this slasher-shooter offers so much visceral joy when things go your way that it makes all the painful death worth it.
  3. Finger Guns
    Feb 14, 2023
    70
    Wanted: Dead trips over itself trying to tell a coherent story, but its intense blood-spattered limb-slicing combat is satisfying, rewarding and demands mastery. It’s full of ambition and ideas, drenched in personality, but stumbling to deliver. Despite its quirks and failings, it’s got cult classic written all over it.
  4. BaziCenter
    Feb 22, 2023
    60
    What Wanted: Dead lacks the most is identity. It could be fun to some extent but in general, nothing is outstanding about it. Everything from shooting elements, gameplay, narrative, mini-games, and even voice acting falls between bad and mediocre and the final product just not worth 60 dollars.
  5. SpazioGames
    Feb 14, 2023
    55
    Wanted: Dead brings with it a series of non-negligible problems that touch all game sectors, from the very dated technical one, to the design now out of our time, up to crucial aspects such as AI and balance of the combat system . Hardcore players of the action genre will certainly find attraction from such a game concept, but they will have to deal with all the enormous limitations shown in the review.
  6. Twinfinite
    Feb 14, 2023
    50
    Wanted: Dead tries to rekindle that flame of passion for gaming’s earliest titles, and while it might resonate with some who unconditionally loved this era of gaming, the final product is very unsatisfying and a reminder of why going back in time is a double-edged sword.
  7. Slant Magazine
    Feb 20, 2023
    0
    Nearly every level of Wanted: Dead is practically the same, and no amount of stolen memes, nostalgic riffs, and non sequiturs can hide that depressing fact.

See all 32 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 39
  3. Negative: 12 out of 39
  1. saulter
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    About time we talk Wanted: Dead here. Truth to be told I created this account to talk about Wanted: Dead. I never post reviews online. Never,About time we talk Wanted: Dead here. Truth to be told I created this account to talk about Wanted: Dead. I never post reviews online. Never, ever. This is the first time I will openly talk about a game that left an impression on me. This is probably what bipolar disorder feels like. I have been psychologically molested by Soleil and 110 Industries and it was one of the most memorable and amazing experiences in games I had in the past 5 years. Sometimes a game comes along and you buy it because of the cover art. This is how I did it. I have never seen a pink cover art on an action game before in my life. Nobody did. This is new. I come home and I start playing. My first impression is very bad. I don’t understand any of this and the game is brutally hard. First mission, I’m still not sold on it but I keep playing because I don’t know why. Usually I just toss the game if it sucks. Wanted: Dead didn’t suck at all but I just couldn’t get it. I stopped playing a lot of games mid way because they are boring. I’m looking at you God of War Ragnarok. Wanted: Dead has a fraction of GoW’s production values but somehow it keeps you entertained. Then I spent two hours picking toys in a crane game. Yes, I’m still talking about Wanted: Dead. Then I reached August and I felt like I was going to quit but when I finally kicked his ass it was a scream of joy. My GF ran into the living room to see what’s up. Then you are treated to a karaoke sequence that is real karaoke. Do you remember Just a Friend bit from Saints Row? This is exactly it but playable. Then Space Runaway. It’s an actual 16-bit SHMUP. Not a level or something. An actual arcade game was made for Wanted: Dead and when I unlocked it, I spent hours trying to beat it. Wanted: Dead surprises you every minute. The combat really opens up on the second mission when you progress further down the skill tree. The executions are gory and fun. There’s also a chainsaw. This game is a collection of randomized chaotic ideas all put together. It should not work but somehow it does and it’s a lot of fun. I’m on my second play through now. Bravo Soleil!… Expand
  2. wasp_and_antman
    Feb 15, 2023
    10
    Wanted: Dead is the living proof that gaming journalism is dead. Wanted: Dead scored 4/10 on IGN when only two weeks earlier IGN was praisingWanted: Dead is the living proof that gaming journalism is dead. Wanted: Dead scored 4/10 on IGN when only two weeks earlier IGN was praising Wanted: Dead for its charisma, combat and overall presentation. Make no mistake, Wanted: Dead is a flawed masterpiece. It’s right there among some of the best arcade brawlers released in the past 20 years. Key word here is fun. Wanted: Dead is insanely fun to play. The gameplay loop is addictive and it throws occasional distractions like the ramen game or karaoke at you when you don’t expect it. The game boasts a lot of visual styles in it, including jaw dropping anime cutscenes and a live-action cooking show with Stefanie Joosten. One of the craziest highlights of Wanted: Dead is Space Runaway, an actual arcade game built from scratch for Wanted: Dead. 110 Industries really cared about this game. If you play Space Runaway, you will notice that each stage is different, not a cheap rehash. The soundtrack for Wanted: Dead is already a classic. Stefanie Joosten sings a few songs here and there but my favourite is the rendition of Maniac that plays during the anime cutscene at the club. So good, so tasteful. The creative geniuses at 110 Industries left no stone unturned. So far, Wanted: Dead is the best gaming experience I had in the past 3-4 years. I’m applauding to this greatness.… Expand
  4. lelalou
    Feb 16, 2023
    10
    Every season the X-Files writers would toss in a weird comedic episode with tone all over the place but the essence of the show stillEvery season the X-Files writers would toss in a weird comedic episode with tone all over the place but the essence of the show still remaining intact. Wanted: Dead is that X-Files episode that you keep watching for 12 hours straight. It took me exactly 12 hours to beat Wanted: Dead. My first hour with the game can only be described in bad language. Wanted: Dead felt like comfort food that pushes back. I wanted to love this game but couldn’t do so for many reasons, including wonky graphics, bad voiceover and cheap deaths. Two hours into the experience something happened to me. The game started rapidly growing on me. I spent an obscene amount of time fetching toys and cat poo from the crane game installed the at the precinct. Three hours in the characters became my best friends and then family members. Cortez speaking in sign language is an incredible detail. By the time the adventure was over all I wanted was more. The cliffhanger is killing me. I need to know what happens next.… Expand
  5. skazka
    Feb 15, 2023
    8
    Pros:
    1. Insane combat depth
    2. Very cool bosses, especially Richter and Kolchak 3. OST is simply the best 4. A lot to do outside the    Pros:
    1. Insane combat depth
    2. Very cool bosses, especially Richter and Kolchak
    3. OST is simply the best
    4. A lot to do outside the missions
    5. Space Runaway!
    6. Vivienne’s Late Night Chow
    7. Anime
    Cons:
    1. Cutscenes look worse than gameplay
    2. Streets of Kowloon
    3. Heavy machinegunners
    4. NINJAS in the Streets of Kowloon
    5. I absolutely didn’t understand the story at all    … Expand
  6. d4ntes
    Aug 18, 2023
    7
    I had so much fun with this one. Sure, story and characters are somewhat weird, and game is little bit too short and sometimes repetitive, butI had so much fun with this one. Sure, story and characters are somewhat weird, and game is little bit too short and sometimes repetitive, but it packed with action, good combat system, awesome finishers and some cool minigames. Overall, great package, especially if you can buy this after discount.… Expand
  7. DadsNotComnHom
    Feb 21, 2023
    4
    First off, the positive reviews are trolls or paid reviewers. The game in the state it is in, is just bad. Horrible frame rates (even when I'mFirst off, the positive reviews are trolls or paid reviewers. The game in the state it is in, is just bad. Horrible frame rates (even when I'm in the police station in an empty room, crashes all the time, bugs where enemies that spawn get stuck in unreachable places, which stop you from proceeding since all enemies must be eliminated, sometimes I'll go completely invisible during combat and then just get a game over screen.
    Enemies: holy hell they only included 3 death animations sounds for the enemies you'll hear the same 3 grunts from them, for the entirety of the whole game, not a huge deal but like come on lmao.
    yeah, bullet sponge is accurate the white ninjas are too strong to have to fight multiple at a time.
    The grenade launcher enemies are bs, ill get one shot from them off screen and die instantly.
    Upgrade system is boring, the weapons don't feel stronger as you progress, you cant even upgrade the sword at all. Which is the main weapon you use?
    The corny stuff is fine, the voice acting so bad is comical. ( I watch 80s cheese stuff everyday)
    Main reason why I'm leaving a review is because I spent $60 on this game thinking it would be playable, went to the developers twitter, to see if we would get a patch..... Only thing they were doing was trolling customers and acting like there was no problem with there game, even saying they should've charged $70.

    The game shouldve been delayed.    … Expand
  8. Adi2ro
    Aug 15, 2023
    0
    What a joke.

    If only they would spend more money on decent voice-over or plot instead of paying off critics and reviewers maybe this would    What a joke.

    If only they would spend more money on decent voice-over or plot instead of paying off critics and reviewers maybe this would be worth 10E.

    I don't think I ever saw a dumber story and worse voice over... maybe Star Wolves , but that gameplay was too awesome to care.

    I hope this goes down as one of the worse games in 2023. It's definitely worth it.    … Expand

See all 39 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023