Mike Bithell’s John Wick Hex, a tactical strategy game using low-poly cel-shaded visuals, is the latest entry in video games based on a Keanu Reeves movie property. The game will release on PC first, similar to Bithell’s other titles like Thomas Was Alone or Subsurface Circular. However, unlike Bithell’s previous outings, it won’t be coming to Steam.
WRAL TechWire picked up the news when it was announced that Good Shepherd Entertainment and Lionsgate Games have teamed up together with Bithell to produce John Wick Hex, and Epic has secured it as an exclusive on the Epic Games Store.
As explained by WRAL, the game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC, but later on there are plans to port it to home consoles…
“Movie production firm Lionsgate is participating in the game development with Mike Bithell, a very well known and successful gaming veteran, overseeing the project.
“Epic has the exclusive for PC users. A console version also will be developed.”
In case you don’t believe the news sources reporting on the exclusivity, the logo is plastered at the end of the trailer for the game, which showcases the tactical, strategy-oriented gunplay present in the game.
Visually the game looks like something from the PS2, but the gameplay is rather unique insofar that as Wick encounters enemies he has a choice in how to dispatch them. This allows players to execute specific maneuvers when they’re in position or takedown enemies with melee attacks if they’re close enough.
The tactical elements are actually a lot more in-depth than I thought they would be. The segments are brief but we do get to see some of the options at Wick’s disposal, which includes striking, pushing, taking down, parrying, shooting, and throwing the gun. Some of these options are only available at specific ranges and they have different rates of success, similar to X-Com games.
The concept looks kind of cool in the video, but I’m more concerned how the actual stages play out, how well paced they are, and how long it’ll take to complete a single mission.
Of course, none of that really matters given that a large portion of people will likely find themselves turned off from the Epic Games Store exclusivity.
There’s no release date on the title, even though one would have expected it to be ready in time for release alongside the movie, but it will likely arrive soon enough.
