Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Artistic but exceptionally violent, bloody 2-D beat-'em-up.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Shank
What's It About?
SHANK is the story of a hit man on a quest for vengeance after his gang murders his girlfriend. Set in cartoonish side-scrolling 2-D environments, separate narratives play out in the single and local co-op campaigns. The latter sets up the story of the former by depicting events leading up to the gang's betrayal of Shank. Levels are generally composed of a series of minions followed by a more challenging final boss. Shank (and in co-op, a fellow hit-man) employs a massive arsenal of weapons as well as acrobatic hand-to-hand combat moves in potent combination attacks. Special pounce moves allow Shank to take to the air, coming down on enemies in powerful, creative strikes. Co-op play encourages players to work together, combining attacks and moves to take down more powerful foes.
Is It Any Good?
Shank is bloody, outrageous, and thoroughly unbelievable. It also can be a lot of fun for mature players, especially if they have a friend with whom to play the separate local co-op campaign. The art is excellent. Animations are so smooth that it's almost like controlling a cartoon character, and the occasionally interactive environments (streets, rooftops, cellars, clubs) are a treat. Twilight sequences wherein the player's character appears and fights as a silhouette are particularly memorable.
The action isn't particularly innovative, but combat is fun, fluid, and often spectacular. Just remember it's pretty grisly, too, and frustratingly tough in a few spots. Shank has much of the polish and visual sparkle of a boxed game but comes at the affordable price of an indie downloadable, making it an easy recommendation for older gamers interested in over-the-top cartoon combat.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the impact of violence in media. Do you think the impact of bloody, deadly violence is the same or lessened when it's presented with an artistic vision? Do you think stylized violence in popular culture can affect the way people behave in the real world?
Discuss justice and how our culture leaves judgments and sentencing up to people deemed impartial to the specific offense. Do you agree with this, or should there be a place in the justice system for victims of crime and their relatives to have their say in what happens to criminals?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Electronic Arts
- Release date : August 24, 2010
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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