My copy of MadWorld spent most of the late ’00s sitting untouched on my shelf, gathering dust while I was probably making another run through Virtua Tennis 2009. I remember being impressed by the incredible box art. What I don’t remember is ever actually playing it which feels kinda ridiculous in hindsight, because MadWorld actually has one hell of a claim to fame: it’s the most violent game to release on the Nintendo Wii. Yeah, really. The same console that pulled your nan out of retirement to trash talk you for being shit at Wii Sports also played host to this over-the-top hack and slash gorefest. I can only imagine that the developers looked at the usual Nintendo Wii audience, then back at their game and just shrugged. Somehow it’s even more absurd because MadWorld manages to deliver its gratuitous acts of senseless violence in black and white, no less. Bold choice.
MadWorld was released by PlatinumGames in 2009 and throws you into Varrigan City during an event called the Death Watch. It’s more or less a city-wide murder game show where contestants butcher each other that’s broadcast live for… uh, entertainment. We control Jack Cayman, a chainsaw-wielding maniac who enters the competition for reasons that slowly unfold through short cutscenes and story snippets between levels. The story is a pretty straightforward revenge-adjacent angle that never really takes itself seriously. It knows it’s ridiculous and it fully commits to being an over-the-top splatfest from start to finish. Despite the black and white visual style, the screen manages to be drenched in blood and flying body parts to the point where you almost forget about the lack of colour entirely. The story definitely isn’t anything special and I don’t think anyone was trying to reinvent storytelling at all here, but it does just enough to keep the momentum moving forward through the next wave of lunatics.
MadWorld’s visual style is easily its biggest draw card and honestly PlatinumGames probably deserves more credit for pulling it off as well as they did. The game is presented in this fairly harsh black and white comic book style with bright red blood splattering across the screen as you rip your way through each enemy, acting as a pop of colour. It immediately reminds me of Sin City with its heavy contrast and stylised violence that feels more like a graphic novel jumping off the page than a traditional splatter film. It has this distinct art style and there’s really nothing else on the Nintendo Wii that looks quite like it. The art direction goes a long way when it comes to the game’s identity and it really feels like a deliberate aesthetic statement rather than cheap shock value. I remember thinking it looked pretty bold back in 2009 and revisiting (or I guess, visiting) it now, I honestly think it holds up incredibly well. It’s definitely brutal and over-the-top, but it carries with it a level of confidence and flair that makes it stand out. They really nailed the look they were going for here.
The art direction ties in perfectly with the gameplay and if you’ve played Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect. MadWorld is nearly identical. It’s a third-person action brawler, but it’s built around spectacle first and depth second. It also makes exactly zero attempts at hiding that. Every level feels exactly like a violent game show cranked up to 11. We’ve got a pimp delivering instructions to each level’s challenges, with who I can only assume is his ‘ho signing off those instructions by murdering him in some horribly over-the-top fashion. It’s stupid, but in the exact way the developers intended and the game fully commits to the bit. Repetition definitely creeps in after a while but the motion controls, environmental kill devices and varying challenges do enough to keep things feeling fresh and satisfying. MadWorld is also smart enough not to drag things out too long. At the point where you do feel the repetitive creep, you’re near the end. It’s a short game and the tighter runtime works massively in its favour.
Comedian Greg Proops deserves just as much, if not more, credit than the gameplay because he absolutely carries the energy of this whole thing. His instantly recognisable, squeaky voice as Howard ‘Buckshot’ Holmes constantly blasts over the chaos with cheesy expletive-laden catchphrases, ridiculous one-liners and jokes that genuinely feel like they shouldn’t be anywhere near a Nintendo Wii. Alongside him is John DiMaggio as Kreese Kresnik and hearing Bender himself screaming through what can only be described as a blood-soaked circus somehow makes this whole thing even better. They bounce off each other ridiculously well and genuinely sound like they were having the time of their lives recording this stuff. Half of what comes out of their mouths is more suited to a comedy roast than a Nintendo console and that’s honestly a huge part of why it works so well. The commentary comes off sounding like a completely unhinged sports broadcast, complete with trash talk, crude jokes and references that range from stupid to straight up absurd. A lot of it is shamelessly over-the-top and both Greg Proops and John DiMaggio commit so hard that it becomes weirdly infectious.
MadWorld feels like one of those games that probably shouldn’t have worked on the Nintendo Wii, but somehow it absolutely does. Between the comic book style, absurd violence and the bizarre gameshow presentation all with Greg Proops screaming filthy nonsense over the top of it all, it ends up feeling completely unlike anything else on the console. Underneath all the blood, gore and references to anal sex, there’s some pretty repetitive gameplay and it’s clearly not the deepest, or longest, action game ever made. But, I don’t really think that was ever the point. MadWorld quite obviously knew from the outset what it is and from the moment it starts, it never deviates from that identity all the way through to the end credits. Looking back, I’m a little annoyed at myself for letting my copy gather dust before hocking it. This thing is such a weird, confident and unapologetically over-the-top time capsule from an era where some developers were willing to throw absolutely anything at the wall. The fact that it landed on the Nintendo Wii of all places somehow makes it even better.
Verdict:
MadWorld is brutal, ridiculous and completely over-the-top and still feels unlike anything else on the Nintendo Wii. Combat can feel repetitive and the story isn’t much to talk about but the incredible comic book presentation, absurd sense of humour and Greg Proops’ unhinged commentary carry it the whole way through.
Deck Compatibility: 10/10
Overall Game Rating: 7.5/10 – Callously Carved Cadavers!
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