"John Wick Hex" is a refreshingly different game adaptation
"John Wick Hex" is not necessarily the game that comes to mind when you think of Keanu Reeves' ultra-brutal action series. But appearances are deceptive. Raphi and I are streaming the game today at 1pm.
Spectacular fights, fast-paced action and faces contorted in pain. That's what most people associate with the film trilogy "John Wick". The new turn-based tactics game "John Wick Hex" is the exact opposite. At least that's what you might think at first glance. On closer inspection, it captures the style of Keanue Reeves' cult films surprisingly well - albeit in an unusual form.
"John Wick Hex" was developed by Mike Bithell. His better-known titles include "Thomas Was Alone" and "Volume". Two genuine artsy-fartsy indie titles that impress with their minimalist graphics and unusual gameplay. I was probably not the only one who was surprised that the creator of these works was granted the licence for the currently most popular action series. However, I was also extremely excited about the experiment. Obviously rightly so, as I can see after the first few levels.
Tactics instead of wild shooting
"John Wick Hex" has parallels to the stealth game "Volume". You control John Wick from a bird's eye view and navigate him step by step through various levels. As soon as enemies appear, the game is played in turn. You have a range of actions at your disposal: shooting, throwing a gun at your head, pushing, punching, etc. As soon as you select an action, the bar at the top of the game shows you which action is triggered and when. Depending on the distance and timing, the opponent may shoot in front of you or give you a few slaps in the face before you can lunge. There are also different hit probabilities and not every shot will find its target.
If you duck, you can roll away and dodge quickly. This in turn costs you focus points. You also need focus points for certain special moves such as takedowns. Eliminating several opponents requires tactics. This really brings out the atmosphere of the action scenes in the films. When your little polygon-poor John performs a pike roll, throws an opponent to the ground, throws the gun at the head of the next villain as he stumbles, goes for the punch and knocks down the last of the armed tieflings with the gun he's picked up again, it feels almost as spectacular as when Keanu delivers a punch on the big screen.
You can get a better impression of the game in our Let's Play.
"John Wick Hex" is available for PC and Mac.
We stream every Wednesday on Youtube. You can also check out our Discord channel.
This is how we stream
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.