What Type of Game Is Wanted: Dead?

Wanted: Dead casts you as Lt. Hannah Stone, leader of the Zombie Squad. But with her toting a sword and a gun, is this a shooter, a hack-and-slash, or something else entirely? Here’s the answer to what type of game Wanted: Dead is.

Developer Soleil Calls Wanted: Dead a Hybrid Slasher/Shooter, but There’s More to It Than That

Wanted: Dead is, in developer Soleil’s words, “a hybrid slasher/shooter,” but there’s more you need to know. Even though there’s shooting, this is a third person action game. Your view only switches to first person when you are aiming your gun — this is not a first-person shooter.

Also, while “hybrid slasher/shooter” isn’t wrong, we’d add the word “frenetic” in front of that. This isn’t a game where you take on small groups of bad guys at a time while they obediently take their turn. A lot of enemies will descend on you guns blazing and, if you don’t keep on the move, will gun you down.

It’s also a little retro — as a few people have noticed, it’s got a certain amount of PlayStation 2-style charm/jank (depending on your perspective). Soleil itself calls it a “love letter to the sixth generation of consoles.”

So, we’d call it a frenetic, retro-inspired, third-person hybrid slasher/shooter. And while that may be a bit of a mouthful, that’s what type of game Wanted: Dead is.