Here at jggh we have been becoming big fans of Ska Studios. From the looks of things the latest entry from them is no let down either. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is the follow up to The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Developed by Ska Studios, this side scrolling hack n’ slash has a unique art style and fast paced action that will either break you or addict you.
The story continues the quest for revenge by Yuki. If you played the first game then you will be pleased at the continuation of the story and if you missed the first game, Vampire Smile does a decent job of catching you up on the important parts. Also keep in mind that with a game like this it’s super hard to really get into the story because of the intense action. Thanks to the very unique and awesome art style you tend to want to know what’s going on. It almost forces you to want to know. When you are in the middle of going to the next area and Yuki suddenly switches to being a patient in some sort of hospital with a huge shadowy figure chasing you, it will make want to find out.
The action is very similar to the first game. Hectic hack N’ slash action while lading insane combos on several cyborg enemies. You have the option to play as either Yuki or The Dishwasher. The interesting thing is that when you play as either character it will unlock different areas as well as different stories. Also the combat differs. If you are Yuki you can upgrade you decapitated arm to several items including a chainsaw. When you are The Dishwasher the standard applies. You may use guns, cleavers or your standard sword. Either character you play you will find that the game is a hefty challenge on every level that will eventually lead you into a huge gruesome boss fight. The only disappointment you may find in the combat of the game would be the shear difficulty of it. You really have hone in on all of your skills that are there to be able to survive the fights.
The replay value of this game is one that could vary on how much you enjoy the game. It features multi-player that is very similar to other Ska games and can either be really fun or can be really boring. Your opinion of the game truly does make a difference. The achievements will come eventually and once again depend on your personal opinion of the game and how much time you may be willing to invest. One thing is sure from the time you load this game up you know that it’s a Ska game. From the music to the art all the way down to gameplay mechanics. For this game to be competing with several side scrolling games on the XBLA it can certainly hold it own for the 800 MS points that’s being asked for it. I would really recommend playing it.
