Review: Wet

Slice, Dice and Blow 'em Away

Bullet Time, more often known as slow motion, is a very popular effect. One could say that the effect has been overused due to the sheer number of films and games that utilize the technique. Nevertheless, Wet by Artificial Mind and Movement tries to bring a fresh new spin to the 3rd person shoot 'em up genre while still using the famous bullet time effect. This game was hyped promising a unique “retro feel,” the ability to shoot whenever, wherever you want and having a unique protagonist reminiscent of the Bride in Kill Bill. Does it live up to the hype, and more importantly, is it even worth checking out?

The game starts off with Rubi Malone, the protagonist and a gun for hire, carrying out a mission for one of her clients. The game immediately drops you into an all out war leaving Rubi as a one woman army to face a whole gang of rough and tough gangsters. This is pretty much the situation in almost every level, but it can be a little overwhelming at first. The good thing for you, is that Rubi is a bad-ass killing machine that can take out a whole army of gangsters with ease. With weapons such as dual revolvers, shotguns and a katana at her disposal, Rubi can slice, shoot and dismember her enemies.

What makes Wet unique is that Rubi can shoot wherever she is. Wall running? No worries, not only can Rubi shoot while wall running, she can then dive off the wall and then transition into a slide while in slow motion and keep on shooting. Though these “acrobatic moves," as the game calls them, are cool at first (especially because of the slow motion and advantage it gives you) it is really the only thing you can do and it becomes old after a while, making them seem almost gimmicky. Though to the game's credit, the shooting while sliding upside down on a ladder move was awesome even after a few times.

Also, the game’s level design is really fun at first. With sections where Rubi must take out a bunch of Thugs to progress, mixed in with a few areas where she must block off doorways which the enemies continuously spawn from. There are a few freeway chase scenes in which Rubi leaps from car to car in slow motion, all while being shot at, all of which is pretty cool. One of my favorite sections in each level was when Rubi would go into a “Rage” mode and everything would turn red for a while and enemies could easily be chopped up or shot. Again, like the acrobatics, I wish there was more variety in the level design.

The story and graphics of this title are worth noting. Wet was designed to feel like you are watching a 1970's action film, right down to the rustic filter used and the classic dialogue and settings, such as Hong Kong and Chinatown. The story is engaging, with a lot of backstabbing, betrayal and plot twists. One thing that was refreshing was that the protagonist Rubi, although made to look appealing, was somewhat realistically proportioned, unlike such other video game action stars such as Lara Croft.

Also, something I found interesting and entertaining was that in between certain areas in the game, certain public service announcements and commercials were played from actual 1970's drive-in theaters. The first one caught me off guard, as a commercial for one theater's snack bar complete with the original audio began to play. There are many others, including an animated PSA announcing a $50 reward for any stolen or lost speakers from the theater.

Overall, Wet is an awesome game but it is not without its flaws. Though the acrobatics and the slow motion are cool at first, they become tiresome. Wet tries to keep things fresh by having a scoring system which rewards you for unique kills, but in the end you will find yourself doing the same things over and over again regardless. The upgrade system for new abilities is a nice touch, but they don’t stray too far off from the original idea, as most of them just allow you to shoot or slash your sword in more places. Also, the games length is a bit short with little replay value besides some challenges and there isn’t much character development, but other than that, it is a very interesting game.

Overall though, Wet does deliver and will have you in awe of some of the more awesome moments and laughing at some classic lines of dialogue. Rubi is also a great heroine and a refreshing, if not charming, character. I would definitely check out this one if you can afford it. If not, it most definitely warrants a rental.

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