Settled in Shanghai, sociopath Lynch meets his former partner in crime (who came flying from USA) Kane, unshaven merc with walleye and a sinister scar on face. Kane is planning fix an important arms affair in the crime capital of China. While going to hotel, Lynch proposes to keep Kane company and visit one debtor. This doddle turns out an accident death of daughter of some influential official, and he sets against "lucky" couple whole armed units of Shanghai – bandits, police, special mission units and the military. No affairs more – it’s time to save own asses.

Two aggressive unpleasant men (Lynch mostly walks in dirty and I bet stinky undershirt (which doesn’t hide beer belly) and speaks to himself often, Kane just looks unwell) were brought in game scene three years ago by danish IO Interactive studio. That was an effort to brighten up the pending a new, the fifth part of Hitman. Still no signs of life from professional killer, however Kane and Lynch are enduring the sequel. Attitude to game developing is just the same: marketing funds are still bigger at ten times than miserable project budget (a start of first game was accompanied by a scandal with bought mark in GameSpot’s review).



Authors realized that there’s no opportunity to “feed” those fans again by trash which tries to look like criminal action movie. So IO Interactive skillfully have relieved itself of responsibility about any technical imperfection and offered a dish – “gory story”. Fastidious and nervous people politely refuse of such entertainment, the other ones will try an oriental exotic with mixed success. Although using culinary comparison is considered a preposterous cliché and scourge of modern journalism (which doesn’t have any attitude to food and restaurant critique), and it’s good to beat authors by floor cloth impregnated in urine, but in case with “Dog Days” I have an opportunity to not blacken my own reputation.

Whole game is feels like inferior criminal chronicles on YouTube, and all story purposely is moved to disguising places – stink slums, dirty kitchens, fish market and another outskirts of civilization. Camera convulsively is shaken, any light source blinds by glares, image covers by granules and falls to pixels, frames in cinematic scenes are mounted roughly, sound sometimes disappears, industrial noises instead of music, besides bullets whizz and a screen floods with blood. Gamer will be torn to pieces by AI on high level difficult, and duration of each skirmish will drag on at four times. Dog Days is the first intense game which takes after itself so unpleasant feelings, it is very experimental. There’s nothing to be loved in this game, but the experience will be remembered forever, and that’s a serious achievement.



In fact, YouTube video style like an object of inspiration is nothing more but a fable of marketers. It is clearly pointed at new, ‘digital’ generation (the game has unchildish rating, but does it keep kids from buying the disk?). I doubt this generation knows about such phenomena as Dogme 95. It is a manifest, formulated by famous Danish director Lars von Trier ("Dancer in the Dark", "Dogville", "Antichrist") who drastically have changed modern cinema. According to “Dogme 95” rules, a movie might be shooted only by hand camera, without professional lightning, without offscreen text (real music only allowed, i.e. sound from working audio source – radio, TV etc), without beforehand made decorations; the plot might develop right here right now.

Naturally, making the cinematic videogame IO Interactive couldn’t ignore the native cinematograph traditions. Borrowing Lars von Trier’s methods authors have appealed to another fellow-countryman, Nicolas Winding Refn (he made a criminal trilogy “Pusher”. This films nominally don’t belong to “Dogma 95”, but they exploit a lot of ideas), and watched furtively the atmosphere and contents. IO Interactive had resourced to personnel composers of Refn for original “Kane & Lynch: Dead Men”, but they got rid of music (in general meaning) for Dog Days. On the other hand, virtual decorations and story details were borrowed lock, stock and barrel. Like marginal “Pusher” heroes, Kane and Lynch find themselves in hopeless situation and they are dejected, but they solve problems with peculiar cruelty. If I reveal other story details I will spoil (not accidental play on words?) all impressions from game or films. But a scene when Lynch in black pants is back to viewer and does number one (remember debut trailer?) is just a parody of similar scene from the second “Pusher”. After that there are no doubts about inspiration sources.



Mona Mur, a German star of industrial music scene and extravagant singer, composer and sound-designer from Berlin. She is like unexpected and interesting godsend, especially when Jesper Kyd (a composer whose name had become famous due to IO Interactive games) couldn’t take part in this project (too dense schedule? too small budget for soundtrack?) Everything made by Mona for Dog Days is not a music, but industrial-terroristic sound collage, and it perfectly fits to game with hard and dirty atmosphere. When you save your boss from enveloped in flames car, you hear sharp howling composer with whistling, and in some difficult action scenes you hear guitar layers of En Esh, a former member of KMFDM band and long-standing Mona’s comrade. But usually electric noises, streets of din, some metal gnashing of harbors and docks and other sound garbage are surrounding players. Maybe, some crazy funs will appreciate this method, and I strongly advise them another Mona’s soundtrack to post-apocalyptic action “Velvet Assassin” – there are a lot of common with Dog Days, though it’s less destructive.

It is a lack of music branding, some few but bright and memorable melodies like it was in promo trailers, menus, credits and key moments. We all remember an excellent godsend in the original game, when authors invited guitarists for some additional music. Instead of that, the only unusual thing is a pop-song for final credits, recorded by Dynamedion musicians and performed by some sickly-sweet female vocalist. This track fits good but it’s too unserious and momentary. Neither an emotional ballad "Late Goodbye" from Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne not even a legendary "Still Alive" from Portal. Just a work for appearances' sake. But it doesn’t matter: IO Interactive have broken audiovisual standards through by discrepant method. It’s as clear as noonday – there will be no another such second game. Maybe, even from IO Interactive. So what’s next?




Pasya
Translated by: Cheshire