[Review] Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

[Lekon]

Title: Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit
Platform: XBLA, PC, PSN
Developer: Arkedo
Publisher: Sega
MSRP: $14.99 Steam, $14.99 PSN, 1200 MSP on XBLA.
ESRB: Teen
Editor: James "Lekon" Barry


We've had a number of good, colorful platformers lately. Recently we saw Rayman Origins bringing a bit of joy and silliness to the world. Origins was cartoony, charming, up beat, and those who've played it still have the Orange song stuck in their head. Hell Yeah: Wrath of the Dead Rabbit is what happens if we took Rayman Origins and blended it with a bit of Disgaea, Itchy and Scratchy, and Ren and Stimpy. Colorful, but using quite a different palette. The red colors are much more prevalent in hell.

Running rabbit running free!

Hell Yeah is the story of the current leader of the underworld, who's been pictured taking a very happy bath with his leather clad rubber ducky. The pictures are put on a website, with 100 unique views. Thus the rabbit descends into hell to hunt down all the monsters who've seen his pictures, kill them, find the pictures, find the person who took the shots, and kill them as well. Then it gets weird. Within the first fifteen minutes of the game, you'll have received a jet-pack made out of a buzz saw, killed three different monsters in odd mini-games, started using a bazooka, and been on the receiving end of a blood shower to heal you (complete with little nurse angels coming out of you.)

Arkedo has done a great job on the controls of Hell Yeah. The rabbit's jet-pack is easy to guide around, while the weapons are all aimed by the right analog stick. I should also note that whenever you're in a stationary gun or turret the game allows you to aim with either analog stick. Not enough games do that. Jumping is rarely floaty, even with the jet-pack. My only real complaint is the inventory system of guns gets a bit convoluted after you've collected a few. Having to bumper press through several categories/columns of guns in the middle of hell is not an easy task, especially when a boss monster is breathing down your ears. Luckily, most of the guns are quite effective at turning those monsters into a thin red mist... or starting a mini-game.

Pop Quiz, Bunny.

In any fight with one of the 100 monsters, you'll work towards lowering their life enough to trigger the mini-game. Here is where Hell Yeah becomes Wario Ware: Hell Edition. There are a good chunk of odd games meant to kill off/capture the monsters you'll be hunting, though a few get reused or re-skinned for certain monsters. If you land all the inputs or finish the game correctly, the monster is dead in a properly over the top fashion. Miss enough notes and instead you'll be taking damage while the monster is healed up a small bit. Those monsters you've killed are listed in a "capture log" that can be accessed throughout the game to see what sent that monster to hell in the first place. Past that, those monsters you've taken down can be sent to work on "The Island", an odd side option from the main menu. The Island lets you put monsters to work farming gold, rare items, or health power ups for you while you play. In theory, a great idea. In practice: I maybe received two items total through my entire play through, even with stepping out of the game repeatedly to set up my island. It's an easily overlooked part of the game, not needed at all to finish, and having it require you to quit out of the main game, go to the menu, and into the island to use it or collect your items from it is a huge detriment. A bit more work on the Island would have made it an awesome feature instead of feeling tacked on.

Welcome to the island of Dr. Ouchrow

While you're meandering through hell, you'll encounter ever so many changes of scenery, style, tone, and weaponry. At times the game feels like a dozen genres were tossed in a blender. Overall, it works quite well. The game does very little to take itself seriously. You'll be buying items like donut skins for your buzz-saw jet-pack, Napoleon hats, revolvers or shotguns, or just finding future versions of yourself challenging you to do Monster Truck tricks with your pack. This is a game that will have you saying WTF quite often. Between the luchador finisher moves, the T-rex biting a walking butt in half, to the use of the zoom out feature to cause motion sickness in an enemy, it's hard to put into words just how strange Hell Yeah gets.

Arguably the most horrifying level of Hell Yeah.

In closing, Hell Yeah's appeal will be highly dependent on your sense of humor. It hit me just right, the comedy constantly making me snicker as I caught an in joke, or saw a reference to an old game or cartoon. At the same time, the game is a constant barrage of jokes, humor, and silliness, with little time for applause or pause at all. If you're turned off by constant zaniness, then it is far more likely Hell Yeah will annoy instead of amuse. At the very least, everyone should give the demo a try and see if it tickles their bones. As a last note though, I really must commend Arkedo on one thing. Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit has the strangest credit sequence I have ever seen in a game. Said credit sequence still fits the story of the game, but has some utterly disturbing implications, perfectly ending the game on a WTF note.


James says, "This is one of the silliest and most out there games I've played in awhile. If it's your sort of humor, you're going to love it and be constantly surprised by how many directions they go with the jokes.

Score: 4 out of 5 CoGs

[Gorvi]

I tried the demo on PSN last week and had a lot more fun with it than I was expecting. I'm glad to see you liked it, Lekon, I had heard some people saying that it was OK in the beginning but tapered off really quick the further you get in the game.

[Lekon]

Originally Posted by Gorvi

I tried the demo on PSN last week and had a lot more fun with it than I was expecting. I'm glad to see you liked it, Lekon, I had heard some people saying that it was OK in the beginning but tapered off really quick the further you get in the game.

I can see how people would say that, honestly. They do repeat a few of the mini games, but they always kept throwing in new, random stages as I went on. The game was utterly bonkers though, and I was thoroughly amused.

[BLeeP]

I think Arkedo is one of the most underrated devs out there and I'm glad to see they are still filling their portfolio with fun and unique products.

[Widgetcraft]

It looks really cool, great art style. I was hesitant to buy it, but now I may pick it up.

[menage]

I've been playing this since we got it free with Plus. And I'm having fun. It reminds me of old Treasure stuff with all the madness. And it has hints of Sonic.

Want a good 2D old school platformer, this is it.