Deathwish Enforcers | PS4 Review

For those of you who are unaware 'Limited Run Games' released a physical, and digital version of "Deathwish Enforcers" recently for both last-gen, and current-gen consoles. This 4 player co-op arcade style brawler/shooter brought with it Hollywood cops, and porn era naughtiness. Hoes and pimps for days!!! Using the old sex sells adage as their marketing ploy the developer pushed the envelope of common decency and modern day censorship by including pixelated nudity that actually went uncensored. 

Alongside the porn star nods, and the homage to such Hollywood heroes as Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, and Charles Bronson's lead detective roles we find a world of 60's cinematic influence. All the pimps and prostitutes one could throw their money at as well as infamous crime lords from every facet of underground society. It is through this risque amalgamation of adult themes and antics that the developer tries to sell said product. Sadly, it does fall short in the gameplay department though ...

When it comes to delivering that classic arcade co-op experience, 'Deathwish Enforcers' falls flat on it's face due to a brutally unforgiving difficulty. With one hit deaths, slow paced movement, and awkward controls it makes progress damn near impossible, let alone completion. With enemies spawning frequently as if they were in a Contra game, and bosses having beefy health bars it makes for an unfair fight from start to finish. This could have been remedied through a player health bar, proper evasion mechanics, and static waves of lesser enemies that do not continue respawning. This is not the route the developer took though. They banked it all on the tits and ass gimmicks to make a profit. Too much so, in my opinion.

Underneath the lack of proper gameplay features lies a decent adult action game that could be enjoyable with friends. It's not bad outside of what I previously complained about, and does show promise both in stage, and set design. The hilarious nods to Hollywood characters, and porn stars adds a level of adult humor that we rarely see today, especially on the PlayStation brand consoles. Speaking of which, I don't know how games like this that show tits aren't censored, and Japanese games with clothed upskirt or cleavage shots are. It's a hypocrisy that will always baffle me. I digress ...

The Verdict ...

The bottom line is this. The mechanics, health system, and movement abilities need an overhaul. The one hit and your done bit needs to be replaced by a health bar system, and there needs to be easily applied evasion mechanics added. Not like the confusing control scheme the game currently has. Also movement needs to be sped up, and the enemy spawns killed off. Just let a certain amount of enemies in as 'Double Dragon' did, and be done with it. 

As far as a rating goes the game has potential. It's not a total loss. If patched properly it could be one of the genre's greats. Definitely has that oldschool arcade cabinet vibe, and some proper adult themes, to boot!!!