Standard foes can stab and shoot, brutes can charge like the Juggernaut while the dogs persistently launch for your throat. Some enemies can be felled with a few quick slashes but others require a variation in battle techniques (brutes, for example, can be grappled but not pounced on). Shank will have access to a handful of grenades – up to five at a time – and these prove indispensable during some of the more heated brawls. Dropped Gatling guns can be picked up to mow down anyone brazen enough to approach but such moments rarely last long, often replaced by hair-tugging frustration even with the game’s forgiving checkpoint system. Concept art and alternate costumes are unlocked via completion of various criteria such as 100 kills with a specific weapon and the level select function is superb, allowing for specific stages and bosses to be replayed at your leisure.

The game supports a separate local co-op mode for two players, serving as a prequel to the single-player story. The lack of co-op in the main game will, for many people, be something of a mystery, as will the complete absence of online play. The multiplayer is fast and frenetic, filling the screen with hordes of enemies needing to be dispatched; it’s a welcome addition and a must-try for anyone smitten with Shank’s one-man adventure.

With a spectacular sheen and artistic style, Shank’s 2D presentation is one of its greatest assets. The game utterly delivers in the action department, at times overzealously so, yet for all its animations and satisfying sound effects – be it the roar of the chainsaw or the screams of your prey – there’s something noticeably old-school in the way the stages play out and not always for the better. It’s tough yet short, spanning between three and four hours for a typical run-through on the standard difficulty setting, resulting in a ten pound, fifteen dollar price point which may not sit well with gamers expecting replayability through online functionality.

As a platform-hopping back street brawler, Shank succeeds in carving its very own niche, earning a place on the hard drive of anyone looking for a brutal treat with which to stave off the remainder of the gaming drought. Fun, stylish yet often problematic, Shank is not for everyone. It’s not a modern classic by any stretch, nor will it revitalise the genre in any notable way, but Shank’s hi-def animated style and immediate thug-stabbing thrills succeed in creating an accessible and visually striking action game that’s worthy of every attention it’s afforded. Your grey-matter will be underused and frustration is inevitable, but when Shank silhouettes against the sunset in a blade-clashing ballet of death-dealing action, there’s every reason to forgive him his sins.

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