The 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards this past weekend showcased dozens of videos games. The ceremony celebrated 12 games from 2021 with awards and several other games got promoted as their release dates draw closer. Wanted: Dead’s newest trailer debuted during the ceremony with Stefanie Joosten cast as the game’s protagonist Vivienne Niemantsverdriet. “Before moving to Hong Kong and joining the Manu Militari mercenary unit as a master gunsmith, Vivienne Niemantsverdriet tried herself in a few careers. As a retired Olympic medalist she assumed the mantle of a celebrity chef. These old VHS tapes give us a glimpse into why later in life she quit cooking and started assembling things that go boom.”
110 Industries and Soleil (the team developing Valkyrie Elysium) are behind this 3rd person action game. “Set in dark and dangerous vision of cyberpunk Hong Kong, it places players in the role of Lt. Hannah Stone, leader of an elite team known as the “Zombie Squad,” who work outside the purview of the traditional police force.” The game was first announced late last year at the Tokyo Game Show with similarity and inspiration attributed to gameplay from Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. 110 Industries, by way of Gematsu, stated that the “deep combat system will give you the opportunity to take on enemies up-close and personal, or engage with guns from a distance, with cool slow-motion sequences, and a limb-severing mechanic that changes enemy attack patterns adding style and substance to combat encounters.” If all that action ever gets tiring, the game provides, “a change of pace,” with, “non-combat sections and the chance for Lt. Stone to chill at the HQ to consume food and drinks for buffs gives the game intriguing variety, as well as offering players the chance to soak in more of its rich lo-tech science-fiction world.”
Another influence that may appear in the game is Ninja Gaiden. Two former developers from the series, Hiroaki Matsui and Yoshifure Okamoto, are serving as the director and producer for Wanted: Dead. Developers from the Dead or Alive series will also be contributing to the game’s creation. Look for Wanted: Dead on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC later in 2022.