The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile Review (XBOX Live Arcade Game)

Two years ago, independent game developer James Silva, released a creative hack n' slash Arcade game known as The Dishwasher. It was released to a great reception from both fans and reviewers. Fast-forward a couple of years and XBOX Live Arcade is once again going to be full of dismembered body parts, gallons of blood and angry samurai. In fact, there are two of them this time around. Once you insert the entry fee, prepare to go on a wild ride as you fight for answers to a series of twisted nightmares, leaving piles of body parts along the way. Just make sure there aren't any kids around because, needless to say, this is one of the most violent games out there.

Taking place after the events in the first game, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile sees our titular hero and his sister reliving events from their past. Players can choose to play the campaign as either character, with each one having its own campaign. The game begins by showing Yuki experiencing some very intense nightmares, which catapults players into a quest to find out who is responsible for the nightmarish hallucinations. Along the way, Yuki and her brother are haunted by moments from the past, encountering 'marks' (important targets) along the way, who Yuki feels must be taken out. Battle your way through a myriad of different (and creative) environments, as you work towards obtaining the truth behind Yuki and her disturbing nightmares. The story is focused on Yuki more so than her brother, so make sure to play through her campaign first. The Dishwasher's campaign is an alternate version of events that takes place in many of the same locations, as he discovers what his sister is doing.

The Dishwasher was well-known for its fast-paced, but difficult, visceral hack n' slash combat. This sequel is the same type of experience, with incredibly fast-packed combat allowing for vicious combos and a million dismembered bodies left in your wake. As you progress through the game, you're tasked with utilizing various different types of weapons (such as swords, a large needle and a pair of scissors,) to take out tons of enemies who get in your way. Two separate loadouts can be created for each character, and the ability to switch between weapons is made easy by the use of the controller's two shoulder buttons.

Each of the two characters has their own weapons that can be discovered along the way, including different types of creative melee weapons and firearms. Each weapon has its own benefits and drawbacks, based on different damage, speed and weight stats. Yuki's weapons are generally smaller than her brother's, allowing her to constantly be able to blood teleport, while her brother can only do it when he is not holding a heavy weapon such as a gigantic hammer. Yuki also carries a chainsaw, whereas that weapon is absent from the Dishwasher's arsenal, allowing for him to have a dash attack instead. The aforementioned blood teleportation move allows you to quickly teleport around the environment (including teleporting up to the ceiling quickly) by the use of the right joystick. It's very helpful in combat and can allow you to keep combos going, teleport through gates and avoid attacks from dangerous foes.

As you progress through the game's two campaigns (which took between three and four hours to complete,) different types of dish magic will also become available for use. Each type of magic is assigned to one of the controller's four main buttons, allowing for easy use (once you've held down the required trigger button.) These four different types of magic include spirit magic that will heal you with the life essence of enemies, blade magic that sends out a bunch of swords that attack enemies, and a type of lightning magic that electrocutes nearby foes. Magic is available for use only when you have a magic skull, which is earned by defeating certain enemies in battle or eating a certain type of food. Players can add more skulls to their arsenal, by purchasing the increase through the in-game store. This is also where other items (such as health replenishing food,) and upgrades are available for purchase. Luckily, these upgrades carry over into your second campaign.

For those who may be scared of the game due to the insanely difficult campaign that its predecessor is known for having, there's no need to worry. After listening to the issues that some gamers had with the original's challenge, James Silva has added several different difficulty types, ranging from the unlockable Pretty Princess difficulty to an extremely difficult one. Heck, there's even a speed run difficulty. Playing through the campaign (twice) on normal was a decent challenge, but wasn't frustratingly difficult. It's nice to see that the developer listened to his fans and made the game more accessible for all gamers, whose skills vary.

In addition to the two campaigns, Vampire Smile also includes two other modes: Arcade Mode and Dish Trial. The Arcade Mode features 50 different challenges, which pit you against varying amounts of foes from the campaign. You are tasked with clearing out the level without failing. Conversely, the Dish Trial pits you against an endless onslaught of enemies with just one life. These modes add a lot of extra content to an already lengthy experience. Replay value is very high not only within these modes but also within the campaign. Multiplayer is also available, allowing for people to play with their friends and challenge their top scores in the in-game leaderboards. Both of those were down during the review session.

Its campaign and bonus features were very impressive. Vampire Smile runs extremely well (with only a couple minor framerate hiccups discovered while playing as the Dishwasher,) which is impressive considering how fast-paced the game is. Rarely do we see such a creative experience that is as finely-tuned and well-made as this. Though everything about it is incredibly stylized, there is also a lot of substance to complement it. The gameplay doesn't evolve a lot, but it's a lot of fun and doesn't become a chore due to repetition. One of the best features is the great amount of creativity that is employed in the enemy types, especially within the different types of bosses that players encounter along the way. The game also switches its style to 2D side-sidscroller with 8-bit zombie enemies, as well as a quiz show, at certain points. Fans will also be happy to know that the timed button press guitar solo sections also make a return.

James Silva and Ska-Studios employ one of the most creative and easily identifiable art styles within their games. So much so that it's always easy to tell which games he has worked on. Like its predecessor and the great Indie Game, I Made a Game With Zombies, Vampire Smile features a hand-drawn art style that utilizes muted tones with hints of colours. The art style is very reminiscent of a charcoal drawing and looks great. All of the characters animate well, but in a stylized fashion. There is a lot of blood spilled over the course of the campaign, with the odd drop hitting the screen. Overall, this is one of the most unique looking games out there. It's impressive to think that just one guy animated and coded the game.

Without very much voice acting, most of the game's story is told through the use of short comic panels with text bubbles. It works quite well for a game like this and the lack of voice acting did not detract from the experience at all. Vampire Smile makes good use of silence as well as sound, providing a good mixture of the two. Its original score sounds great, featuring some creepy rock music. Additionally, there are a myriad of different sound effects which fit in well, and sound great. The general quality of the audio is another impressive feature of this game. One of many in fact, showing just how much of a passion project this game really was.

In conclusion, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a gem. Fans of its predecessor and Ska-Studios will surely be impressed with the new additions, as well as the game's other impressive new content. Those who are new to the series will be able to pick up and play the game, so there's no reason to fear jumping into this game without having played its predecessor. The campaigns reference the events of the first game, but also do a pretty good job of having their own storyline. If you're looking for something new to play and enjoy hack n' slash games of this ilk, then this is a must-buy. The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a very well-made experience that is very fun, despite somewhat repetitive gameplay. Luckily, its unique variety of weapons helps break up the repetition by allowing for new ways to take out your foes. Give it a shot and thank me later.

Rating: 9.5/10

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is available this Wednesday (April 6, 2011,) on XBOX Live Arcade. It is going to sell for 800 Microsoft Points - the equivalent of ten American dollars.