Packing a ton of content, gorgeous visuals, and fast-paced gameplay, last year’s The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai was a reminder that in a time of AAA blockbusters with million dollar budgets, the determined independent developer still has a place in the industry. Recently James Silva, the founder of Ska Studios and sole architect behind the bloody XBLA brawler, announced that he’s working on a sequel to Dead Samurai. The game is called The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile, and it looks to outdo Dead Samurai in every way possible, by sporting a brand new game engine, more over-the-top weapons, a new playable character, and even more challenging gameplay.
So far Silva hasn’t revealed many details regarding Vampire Smile’s story, other than the fact that the second playable character is Yuki, the Dishwasher’s sister, who he mistakenly killed in the first game (or so we thought). How Yuki will return from the dead is still unknown, but what we do know is that she’ll have her own solo campaign, in addition to the Dishwasher’s campaign, along with a third co-op campaign. Yuki also has a few unique characteristics, including an adorable pet cat named Paka that follows her around levels, and a slightly less adorable chainsaw that replaces her right arm, which can be upgraded into a machine gun. Yuki’s campaign features the same twisted visuals players know and love, but promises to play a little differently, thanks to different weapons and magic attacks than her brother has.
Silva also revealed two of the new weapons that will be included in Vampire Smile: the Violence Hammer, a steel girder wrapped in barbed wire, and the Painkiller, a six foot long syringe. From the footage we’ve seen, the game looks even more stylized than the original (not to mention bloodier), with a new cast of ridiculous enemies to slash your way through. Considering the fact that the first game had everything from cyborgs, to ninjas, to zombies, it will be interesting to see what Silva dreams up for the sequel.
The game will also feature a plethora of new arcade challenges, as well as the never-ending Dish challenge mode, for gaming masochists. On the other hand, those who were turned off by the first game’s unforgiving difficulty have reason to rejoice…sort of: Vampire Smile will have a new “Pretty Princess” mode, which not only makes the game easier, but turns the blood geysers spewing from your enemies into rainbows and hearts.
We’ll bring you more on The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile, as we approach its release.