Collectively, MadWorld's incredibly inventive arenas - broken up into five themed 'zones', consisting of straightforward brawls, bike-back races and uniformly imaginative boss fights - form the most dangerous playpen ever devised. As you scope your environments, you'll spot whirling blades, electrified fences, catapults, piranha tanks, deep fat fryers and plenty more - portable item - opportunities for annihilation. The latter – from barrels to bonsai trees – generally serve to halt or hinder your adversaries. These, alongside the game's incredibly visceral control set-up, split between standard button-presses and more immersive gestures, provide the base elements in your quest toward multiplier majesty. Really, it's a combination of observation and imagination that reaps the greatest rewards – and it's the level of (admittedly perverse) personalisation that that makes MadWorld such a thoroughly satisfying, empowering experience.
There's a simple, surreal delight in jamming a trumpet through someone's forehead, and it'll earn you a respectable score too. Start getting (point) smart though and the blast from that exploding barrel could do significant damage to enemies scrabbling round the cash you just dropped – particularly given the proximity of those rotary blades and catapults. Ultimately, it's about taking pride in your work - and the dizzying satisfaction as your most outlandish Rube Goldberg-style death machinations reach fruition. It's honestly and absolutely an obsessive compulsive's wet dream.
Unfortunately, that means it's also an experience that won't completely satisfy all. Certainly, if you're primarily here for the visceral onslaught of overzealous giblet dispensary you're likely to be disappointed when MadWorld's credits roll after three or four hours – the game's true appeal lies in obsessive self-improvement, particularly given the disappointing (and slightly bewildering) lack of online leader boards. However, Platinum has, undoubtedly, tried to eke as much from its game as possible and, for those willing to dig, there's plenty more to offer beyond that initial play-through.
It's easy to miss but most levels feature numerous Death Watch Challenges – relatively straightforward objectives that reward victory with different, tougher challenges. There's plenty of variety - from completing a level within a miserly timeframe to skewering a mid-level boss with a set number of signposts – and these alone can add hours of entertainment. Then there's a 'Hard' mode - available once you've completed 'Normal' – that makes everything that comes before it seem like a mere tutorial level, with reduced life quota, higher point criteria and more aggressive enemies. Finally, of course, there are the Blood Bath Challenges – offering compulsive solo point-racking and superbly implemented two-player competition. Sure, it's quick-fire mini-game territory but it's admirably tailored for surprisingly engaging time-wasting.
It's not all perfect however. We've barely mentioned MadWorld's two bike segments - and that's because they're thoroughly underdeveloped and forgettable. Simply, you drive into the screen, occasionally gesture-flailing at passersby. There's no degree of sophistication and they're dull, unwelcome interruptions. However, our chief issue with MadWorld is aimed squarely at its controls. It's the classic Wii complaint – that there's too much reliance on the Remote's notoriously imprecise motion-sensors. There's an incredible amount of gesture input in MadWorld – from chainsaw swipes to nunchuck dodging – and, too often for our liking, arm movements either fail to register or produce unexpected results. Sure, it's frustrating in any game but, in MadWorld, it can totally ruin a carefully-conceived combo kill. To Platinum's credit, this doesn't stop the game from being a riotous flurry of outlandish fun. However, it stunts the near-transcendental flow of precision-planned and executed combos that make the difference between a fine brawler and an exceptional one.
Closing Comments
Plenty will gravitate toward MadWorld simply for its more controversial elements. However, its relatively singular obsession with multiplier point progression is likely to repel anyone expecting pure action thrills, particularly given the core game's length. It’s a game that’s ‘hardcore’ in more ways than mere gratuitous excess and its combo-based core will be most appreciated by those with a score-obsessed arcade mentality. Control issues hamper fluidity but there’s no denying that, with some investment, MadWorld rewards in huge doses, delivering an incredibly visceral experience that's as stunningly unique and obscenely entertaining as it is just plain obscene.
| Rating | Description |  |
|---|---|---|
| out of 10 | click here for ratings guide |
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| 9.0 | Presentation Everything from menu design to visual style and audio elements combine into one thoroughly cohesive, totally unique vision. |
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| 9.5 | Graphics It's an astonishingly unique, singularly arresting art style that proves admirably that talent, rather than technical horsepower, makes the difference. |
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| 8.0 | Sound Too much repetition marrs an otherwise pitch-perfect (and brilliantly obscene) commentary while music and effects are fitting, if never revelatory. |
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| 8.5 | Gameplay It's an intoxicating riot of visceral ultraviolence and weirdly empowering creativity. Typical control irritations usurp your ingenuity though. |
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| 8.0 | Lasting Appeal A couple of hours to play through but Death Watch Challenges, multiplayer, a terrifying Hard mode and general obsessive point-collecting extend life tremendously. |
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| 8.9 |
OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average) |
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