Technology has come a long way in terms of graphics. So far, in fact, that we sometimes lose sight of how awesome traditional, hand-drawn animation can be. Think about it, the best Disney films these days are CGI films from Pixar, with most of the traditional hand-drawn stuff being straight-to-DVD crap. The last feature-length traditionally animated feature I saw hit theaters was Ponyo, which was an imported feature from Japan. So you can see why I enjoy seeing traditional hand-drawn animation making a comeback. However, it seems to be popping up where I least expected: video games.

More Shank after the break…

I already mentioned my experience with Dust: An Elysian Tail at PAX. However, there was another game that caught my eye from indie developers Klei Entertainment. And that was something that was almost the opposite of Dust. While Dust was a beautiful voyage into a fantastic world, Klei Entertainment’s Shank was a bloody, violent 2D side-scrolling beat-em up. Two very different styles, but both incredible in their own right.

While what I played was an early build (a very early build according to Jamie Cheng, founder of Klei Entertainment) of Shank, it’s easy to see that the game’s roots come from animation. In fact, the creative director, Jeffrey Agala has roots in animation, having worked as a director on the cartoon series Atomic Betty. In addition, the game looks smooth, almost as if you’re playing a cartoon.

Shank definitely takes inspiration from several beat-em ups, but to a whole new level. You start off with 3 different weapons, your knives, dual pistols, and a chainsaw (along with a shotgun for some grapple moves), along with grenades that you use in tandem with each other to string together awesome combos against your enemies. The game itself is pretty bloody and violent, so expect an M-Rating upon its release.

Shank takes on a Boss.

In this day of photorealistic graphics, its great to see that traditional hand-drawn animation still has a place. While only a 2D side-scroller, it definitely looks like a good game and I look forward to seeing what the team over at Klei has in store for Shank. If this trend with hand-drawn animated games continues, could we eventually see a 3D hand-drawn (not to be confused with cel-shaded) game? It maybe asking too much, but that would be awesome to see.