Kusan: City of Wolves

Overall, despite a couple of issues regarding the controls and narrative, Kusan: City of Wolves is a fun top-down action game that likes to challenge you, but rewards you for playing smart by taking advantage of the tools provided.

Kusan: City of Wolves doesn’t attempt to reinvent top down action, but it polishes its core mechanics. By pairing lightning-fast twin stick shooting with kinetic melee parries, flexible modular upgrades, and a killer electronic soundtrack, CIRCLEfromDOT has delivered one of the most thrilling indie action games available on Xbox Series X|S this year. While its narrative over complications and occasional visual clutter hold it back from absolute perfection, its core combat loop is pure digital dopamine for reflex driven gamers and achievement / score hunters alike. If you have been waiting for a game to scratch that unrelenting Hotline Miami itch with a modern, stylish twist, Kusan: City of Wolves and fancy a challenge this definitely deserves a look in.

Kusan: City of Wolves is a fast-paced neon-noir action game inspired by Hotline Miami, putting players in the role of Jin, a former soldier turned hitman in a city inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, as he delves into a dark story involving gangs, biological weapons, and personal mysteries. Featuring a visual style defined by motion comics and 1990s influences, an art direction crafted by renowned artists, and a vibrant hip-hop and electronic music soundtrack, the game combines an investigative narrative, morally ambiguous characters, and intense gameplay that demands quick reflexes and varied strategies, delivering a brutal, stylish, and immersive experience that celebrates influences from pop culture, comics, and cinema in a high-quality product for hardcore gamers.

Although this game seems to have an intriguing plot, the polish on the Switch unfortunately doesn't quite live up to it. The characters also have a lively character, partly due to their excellent art style. However, the gameplay really fell short in too many ways, making the whole thing unfortunately feel rather questionable. An update might help, if only to give our protagonist a small health bar so that you don't have to start all over again at the slightest "hit." The controls on PC might be slightly smoother, but I still think the Switch version could use a more decent control update. With an update, this might be worth considering for fans of top-down shooters.

I honestly enjoyed this game more than Hotline Miami and I think that’s due to the more refined gameplay and upgrade system. Plus, I mean…you’re a panther with a fist that can destroy walls and take out enemies with one punch! What’s not to love there?

Perhaps the most successful attempt at a full-fledged Hotline Miami clone. Kusan won't replace the third installment in the series, but it will at least evoke emotions similar to those experienced many years ago while playing the Devolver Digital classic.

Kusan: City of Wolves offers a challenging and distinctive combat experience, combining engaging dramatic narrative with a captivating artistic style. Although the narrative suffers from some flaws resulting from the approach taken in presenting the story, the game compensates for it with fun gameplay, epic boss encounters, and a good variety of weapons and enemies, despite a flaw in the distribution of this variety. Additionally, some skills seemed to be of limited usefulness or virtually useless throughout the experience. With a good progression system despite a few notes, while level design stands out as one of the game's strongest elements, delivering, overall, a very excellent experience.

Set in an animal-filled cyberpunk world, Hotline Miami delivers a chaotic top-down massacre. However, it may not fully satisfy players and can be frustrating due to permadeath.

If you’ve been yearning for another game in the vein of Hotline Miami, Kusan: City of Wolves will be right up your alley.

Kusan: City of Wolves presents itself as the spiritual successor to Hotline Miami—a role it fulfills perfectly, infusing the game with its own soul and an incredibly well-crafted style.