Shank is a highly stylized 2D brawler coming out from Klei Entertainment (the makers of N+).  I've always been a fan of button mashers and comic books so this game looks to be a dream come true for me.  The gameplay is reminiscent of the recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine or Devil May Cry series, where a lot of the depth in the gameplay comes from pulling off combos.  The combos range from pulling out chainsaws on downed enemies to shooting them in the air John Woo style.  Oh, and of course shanking them with your shank.  Though the demo was only five minutes long, one gets the sense that the developers have a lot more in store in terms of weapons and combos.  Shanks's art style seems to wonderfully contradict the violence of the game.  Games with this type of look get me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.  I admittedly squealed like a school girl when the characters got silhouetted from the setting sun on the bridge while doing battle.  I just hope the developers can keep a solid frame rate with this look in HD.

Some friends of mine got to play it when it was announced at PAX and readily called it the game of the show.  From the looks of the demo, I don't blame them.  Few details have yet to be mentioned though, including a lack of release date or platform (even though at PAX the station was set up using a 360 controller.)  To me it has the makings of a perfect XBLA or PSN title.  Regardless of the platform, this game already looks like a day one purchase for myself, whenever that may be.  Check out a video of the demo after the jump.

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