Killer7 is a rail shooting/action-adventure game released in 2005 by Grasshopper Manufacture. Featuring unique 3D cell-shaded graphics and a complex plot, Killer7 tells the story of assassin Garcian Smith and his alternate personalities that make up the group Killer7. The game is known for its confusing yet intricate plot, and an analysis was written in 2005 that can be found here. The game's reception was initially divided during its release, but has since developed a cult following for its story, unique visual style, 2D animated cutscenes, and soundtrack.
A Boss fight between Killer7 persona Dan Smith and Julia Kisagi, a Liberal Party member sent to kill U.N. Party Leader Toru Fukushima.
Story
In the early 2000s, a terrorist organization known as Heaven Smile threatens an era of peace after all nuclear weapons were destroyed. The United States is locked in conflict against Japan, represented by godly entities Harman Smith and Kun Lan. The main two parties of the Japanese government are the U.N. Party and the Liberal party, which are at odds with each other ideologically. The US government sends agent Christopher Mills to give assassin Garcian Smith contracts. Joined by his alternate personalities, Garcian battles numerous Heaven Smiles in his mission to assassinate his targets. Along the way, Garcian learns more about his forgotten past and realizes a horrifying secret about himself and the Killer7.
Killer7 persona Coyote Smith aims at a Heaven Smile. The Heaven Smile will walk towards the player and unless defeated will explode upon contact, injuring the player.
Trivia
A beta trailer for the game released in 2002 shows early versions of the main characters. Some look very different from their final versions, particularly Kaeda Smith and Garcian. The trailer can be viewed below.
Killer7 director Goichi Suda has stated only one-third of what was written for the story made it into the final game. More cut content was discovered when the source code for the game was leaked in 2016. This included more early character model builds and scrapped cutscenes.
