is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom and published by Capcom for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda and produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi.
The game follows an elite group of assassins called the "killer7". The assassins, physical manifestations of a man named Harman Smith, perform hits on behalf of the United States government. Through these missions, the killer7 uncover a deeper conspiracy regarding the role of Japan in U.S. politics and secrets about the nature of their organization. Killer7 features first-person shooter elements and a unique on rails control scheme, but the core adventure-style gameplay has been compared to Myst and Snatcher.
Killer7 was Suda's first game released outside Japan. It initially received mixed reviews due to its unconventional control scheme, linear gameplay, and complex noir plot. While some reviewers appreciated the stripped-down controls and stylized arthouse approach, others criticised it as confusing and restricting. However, the game's soundtrack, presentation, visual style and thought-provoking story received generally positive responses from critics, were considered as the best aspects of the game and led to several accolades and nominations. Retrospectively, Killer7 has a cult following, which led to re-releases of Suda's older works and the successful launch of No More Heroes. A Windows port of the game licensed by Capcom was released by NIS America in 2018.
Gameplay
thumb|left|alt=Horizontal rectangle video game screenshot that is a digital representation of a hallway. The character's extended right hand points a gun at a number of yellow mutated humanoids.|The player battles enemies called Heaven Smiles in first-person view. The [[head-up display on the left indicates the player's health (the eye), weapon charge level, number of vials of thin blood, and amount of collected thick blood.]]
The player controls the on-screen character, a member of the killer7 group, from a third-person view using the gamepad. The gameplay consists of elements of first-person shooter and action-adventure game with restricted movement (i.e. "on rails")
Story
Setting
Killer7 takes place in an alternate version of Earth in the early 21st century.
A lot of the content in Killer7 was cut due to feedback from both Mikami and internal testing. About 2/3 of the map size and plot were drastically reduced and according to Suda, the cinematics in total was three hours long as opposed to the now one-hour duration. Of all the Smiths in the game, Coyote is Suda's favorite because of his backstory, but like with other elements, it had to be cut halfway in development.
Suda51 drew influence from film noir, particularly the theme of multiple personality disorder, and called Killer7 a "hardboiled action-adventure". Reflecting on his work, Suda51 considers Killer7 his proudest achievement. Nintendo Power claimed that Killer7 is a "highly rewarding" experience for dedicated gamers. The 2021 Nintendo 3DS game Gal Galaxy Pain features a laugh in homage to Heaven Smiles that can be heard during the game over screen and when hovering over the game's icon on the 3DS home menu.
Related media
Music
Killer7 Original Sound Track was released on June 20, 2005, by Scitron Digital Contents.
Comic book
In 2006, Devil's Due Publishing released a comic book adaptation of Killer7, written and drawn by Kinetic Underground staff. In a 2010 interview, he exclaimed that Killer7 is "part of his soul" and is certainly interested in making a sequel.
In 2012, Suda revealed a new game titled Killer Is Dead; word quickly spread that it was a follow-up to Killer7 since the game shares similar concept with an assassin protagonist, complex plot and cel-shaded graphics. Suda later clarified that Killer Is Dead is an original game and has no relation to Killer7.
During a panel at 2016's PAX East, Suda expressed his interest to remaster Killer7 and has begun talks with the game's publisher, Capcom. On March 17, 2018, during HOPPER'S Vol. 5 an event celebrating Grasshopper Manufacture's 20th anniversary, Suda verbally announced to attendees that there are plans to remaster both Killer7 and Flower, Sun, and Rain. However no platform or release date was mentioned. Suda later posted on his Twitter account stating that the Killer7 remaster will be out within 10 years. At the 2018 MomoCon, Suda announced a remastered version of Killer7 for Windows which was released on November 15, 2018.
In October 2024, when speaking about the then-recently released Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, Mikami said he would rather remake Killer7 than remastering Shadows of the Damned. However, he was sceptical about it, believing that if the remake were to replicate the visuals from the original, it may not appeal to modern audiences who want realistic graphics, which is not what Killer7 is about.