Game Review: Kill the Bad Guy (Xbox One)

Kill the Bad Guy is a strategic top-down game that gives you the very simple task of murdering the bad guy! You play as a nameless & faceless assassin asked to kill numerous bad guys for a whole multitude of reasons (some funny, some not so funny).

Across 60 levels (and some fun bonus ones) you’ll slice, maim, blow up & electrocute the bad guy. The premise is simple, the execution not so, especially as the game goes on.

You’ll have to use strategy to trap the bad guy. Set traps to catch him out all while not getting caught by security, CCTV & bodyguards. It can be both fun & frustrating with a serious amount of trial & error needed.

Extra tasks such as specific ways you’re asked to kill the bad guy, secondary objectives & collectables make the game a little more complicated but adds a bit more longevity to the experience. That’s something seriously lacking here. You see there is little variation in gameplay, only increased difficulty.

The clues to the secondary objectives are very vague & will see most of them only gained by accident. There’s no fun in trying to guess just what the game wants as it often could be literally anything.

The most fun levels are actually the bonus ones with the Terminator & zombie defence ones standing out. Realistically by time you’ve earned enough stars to unlock these you’ll probably find you’re done with the game.

Some levels can be completed in mere seconds while later ones require much more planning & can last for minutes at a time. These ones are where frustration tends to boil over. The trial & error elements force you to restart over & over again. On occasion too, the bad guy will glitch out no longer walking the required path. He’ll get stuck behind buildings or often, seemingly, managing to dodge his fate when it seemed impossible too.

The controls aren’t perfect, the cursor sluggish & the ‘jump to item’ button causing more issues then it should. The worst thing though is the aiming for crossbows etc. Lining up your shot is so frustrating & precious seconds can be wasted trying to aim in the right direction.

Visually the game looks pretty with a black & white noir style. The colours that do exist pop out such as blood, fire & golden teeth!

It is satisfying though to see a well thought out plan come together resulting a burst of blood from your victim. The game gives a nice close up replay of the bad guys final moments for you to enjoy.

Kill the Bad Guy is a PC port that hasn’t really been given the love & care it needed to transfer across. It’s a handful of hours of fun at most before annoyance & frustration set in.