This shooter paved the way for Gears of War and Uncharted. Kill.switch shaped future of action games
Kill.switch wasn't a commercial success, but it earned its place in gaming history. Thanks to this game, the system of shooting from behind the cover has permanently entered the canon of TPP shooters.
In the gaming world, some games are celebrated and others are justly forgotten, but there is also room for those that never became cult classics, yet still impacted the industry - one such title is Kill.switch. The third-person shooter created by Namco contributed to the popularization of cover shooting in games. The mechanics used there - over 20 years after the release - still remain present in modern games.
Take cover. Aim. Take over
Let's clarify one thing from the start - Kill.switch (or kill.switch, as the developers proposed) wasn't the first game with a cover system. The arcade rail shooter WinBack: Covert Operations by Omega Force Studio, we could stick to the wall and open fire after peeking out from behind the corner. Nonetheless, it was Kill.switch that turned this into a core aspect of gameplay, forcing constant switching between covers.
The opponents didn't spare ammunition to make us "stick" to the walls, crates, or car wrecks. In the game, we were relatively safe with the use of a single button. All it required was to peek out from behind the cover and take down the stragglers who failed to hide. In 2003, this exchange of fire became an intriguing twist to the game, adding significance to the interactive environmental elements. The devs even went a step further, introducing for the first time the "blind fire."
Thanks to the option of extending our weapons beyond our shelter, we were able to shoot at our opponents blindly in a truly cinematic way. On the one hand, the spectacle didn't align with accuracy, making it typically a perfect method for wasting ammunition. On the other hand, this tactic allowed for the effective handling of oncoming opponents and enabled the surprisingly effective use of grenades. Speaking of weapons, the developers have provided us with machine guns, assault rifles (including AK-47), a shotgun, and a sniper rifle. Every model enabled accurate aiming with a scope or iron sights, transitioning the game into first-person mode. The arsenal ended with grenades (including flash and adhesive types) and stationary guns.
Concluding the topic of shooting, it's worth mentioning that artificial intelligence usually didn't cause any problems. Opponents sometimes experienced drops in IQ, but there were moments when they terrified us with a barrage of fire, attacked from the flanks, or bombarded us with grenades. Combined with strength in numbers, this could have meant trouble for us. A wrong risk assessment was enough to force us to replay the stage from the beginning because Namco didn't introduce checkpoints, and manual saving was limited to a few select moments.
Cover fire and blind fire weren't enough
Back then, Kill.switch could count on a positive reception among reviewers, but the shooter didn't achieve commercial success. The main issue with the game is that every single element is simply a backdrop for fighting. After stripping away the cover system, the gameplay is reduced to killing all enemies, occasionally planting a bomb, or finding an access card.
The situation could have been saved by the plot, but it turned out to be as inventive as it was marginal. The story focuses on the fate of Bishop - a soldier remotely controlled by the Controller, who is essentially us. As him, we are trying to provoke another war, getting under the skin of the parties referred to as the North and the West. All this so that the main antagonist could profit from the neural technology hidden in Bishop's head. Fortunately, the main character regains his memory, and we get the chance to save the world. And all this in less than 4 hours.
In Kill.switch, there was an element that BioShock executed much better a few years later. The main thread included the topic of manipulation, questions about free will, and efforts to reclaim control over one's life. The story, which took us to the Middle East, North Korea, a station on the Caspian Sea, and even ancient ruins, was not lacking in ambition. Everything was ruined by the poor narration and lack of depth. Namco reduced Bishop's fate to constant trigger-pulling, only to conclude it in a short, disappointing cutscene. Theoretically, there were a few reasons to return to all the stages once they had been completed. And yet... the gameplay encouraged this.
Namco's game as inspiration for other games
Kill.switch managed to captivate and provide a lot of fun for action fans. Even though many issues have affected the game's popularity, this title has earned its place in industry encyclopedias and textbooks.
The combat system presented by Namco caught the attention of Lee Perry and Cliff Bleszinski from Epic Games and eventually made its way into the first installment of the Mass Effect.
The title also influenced Naughty Dog, serving as inspiration during the design of Watch Dogs: Legion.
How to play Kill.switch today?
Namco decided to release its title on PC, PS2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance. I could run Kill.switch on Windows 10 without any problems, although I had to change the resolution in the configuration file manually, and the gameplay was more satisfying than outstanding.
Unfortunately, the title wasn't released in digital distribution, so it won't be available on Steam or GOG.com. Nevertheless, it was once included as a full version in gaming magazines, so it still might be available for purchase (for a few bucks). We will only pay more for the original edition, but it shouldn't cost a fortune. The situation is similar with the versions released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
Only the port for the Nintendo console stands out - its limited availability goes hand in hand with a high price, reaching around $123. It's worth adding that Kill.switch on GBA, due to obvious hardware limitations, turned into a pixel shooter. However, the cover-based system was still included, allowing portable console s to experience it as well.
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