Kill The Man In The House is a video game title I can get behind. It tells me exactly what I need to do before I even boot up the game, which is otherwise powerfully weird-looking. The cover art is reminiscent of a children’s book, if it were for adults. Or a lost episode of Ed Edd and Eddy, where a fourth older sibling (Eddie) acts on his murderous intent and engages in some slick FPSing. Either way, there’s a demo out on Steam and despite being very short and limited, I am excited for its future.
In Kill The Man In The House – Kill House, I’m going to call it – you have a revolver, an uzi, and a shotgun. Press F for a satisfying kick. Press Space to double or even triple jump. Land a headshot and there’s a chance you’ll enter slow-mo for a brief period. Oh and red barrels explode. Follow the compass at the top of your screen to lead you to the aforementioned Man, and once he’s been killed, you need to get back to your car. Fin.
While the assassination process is similar to lots of other minimalist FPS games, I do think Kill House’ foundation is strong. The controls are responsive, the guns have character, and the gore is gratifying. Also, the layout of the demo’s level is well thought out, with buildings and barrels positioned in ways to promote stylish violence.
Really, I think it’s the game’s surreal, polygonal art style and how that intertwines with the violence that elevates it beyond a normal FPS to a fun, experimental one. I love the feel of being a cold-blooded assassin seeking awful bastards who have taken up residence in kaleidoscopic reflections.
It’s all about the little things, like how you start off next to your car, a bodyguard with his back turned to you – a cue to punt him into the stratosphere. And how the demo opens up as you round a corner and the sharp corners unveil a jagged valley of reds and greens and yellows, the man’s house nestled in this surreal condo. Not to mention that some enemies will slide and ragdoll upon death, leaving bloody trails that act like you’ve constructed your very own cobbled path to the next victim.
It’s worth mentioning that there’s no official release date just yet and that the Steam demo is very short and composed of a single mission. But more updates are planned, with “many features and refinements to come”. These include NPCs, pickupable, stackable and destructible objects, fire propagation, driveable cars, customisable loadouts, and large open-ended levels. Goodness me.