The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile
2011
- hack and slash/beat 'em up
- indie
- action
- horror
- single player
- multiplayer
- co-operative
The story
The followup to 2009's Dead Samurai, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a combo-fueled, fast-paced, stylistic 2D action platformer that features the series' staple gritty, graphic novel-inspired art style, built on a new engine that allows for an even more visually gruesome experience.
What it’s like
Hard-edged, high-contrast 2D art with inked outlines, flat saturated colour and comic-panel framing, the kind of gritty graphic-novel look that reads as bold and slightly grimy rather than pretty. Stages run through rain-slicked neon streets, dim industrial interiors and blood-spattered arenas, with flashes of white and red during combat and a sheen on everything wet. The soundtrack leans on driving electronic and rock beats that pulse harder during fights and drop away to tense quiet between them. Its vibe is brash, kinetic and darkly comic, the sort of thing to play in short bursts with the volume up, late at night or on a restless evening when you want momentum rather than mood. Pacing is fast and combo-driven, with wall jumps, teleports and boss fights punctuating rounds that reward repetition and precise timing. The violence is constant, frequent and graphic: dismemberment and gore splash across the screen, with undead and cyborg enemies in large numbers, so this is far from gentle and suits players who want stylised brutality, co-op button-mashing with friends, and a dark, self-aware sense of humour.
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