Bleak exploration doesn't stop The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile's amazing graphic design and intense, but fluid combat.
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile follows The Dishwasher (the hero from the previous game) and his stepsister Yuki. While The Dishwasher is out to pick up the pieces from his last adventure, Yuki has her own inner demons to contend with. Yuki was imprisoned on a space prison after the cataclysm of The Dishwasher's journey, and after experiencing some frightening visions, she escapes the frigate and aims to get revenge on whoever imprisoned her. The storyline has branching paths, but the two protagonists on occasion encounter each other, adding to the tumultuousness of the narrative. It's not complex and can feel a bit melodramatic at times, but Vampire Smile is engaging thanks to some memorable characters.
Vampire Smile makes a great first impression. The overall presentation is beyond any other game on the XBLA service. It's dark. It's violent. It's amazing. The cutscenes play out in comic-book panel form, with some fantastic art design. Though some fully animated scenes would've been better, the cutscenes are captivating in their haunting construction. Even better is the in-game animation. Like an alternative graphic novel in motion, Vampire Smile has beautifully gory art design, echoing the works of Jhonen Vasquez or Roman Dirge. When the battles start, every animation is strung together into a crazy combo of animation. Chainsaw duels, decapitations, and shotgun blasts are frequent and never get old. To complement the near flawlessness of the combat animation, the music is just plain awesome. Heavy metal guitar solos sound off during the heat of combat, keeping the pace moving. The Dishwasher and Yuki can even play through button-tapping minigames where they rock out to heavy metal performances. By far, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile makes a name for itself with its beautifully dark presentation.
But the presentation is just the appetizer. The main course for The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is easily the combat. Both The Dishwasher and Yuki have a superbly crafted set of skills, allowing for some of the smoothest and most fluid combat this side of Bayonetta. Both characters can slash, shoot, and grab enemies, along with using context-sensitive finishing moves. They can also perform chainable mid-air dodges with the right analog stick. Topping off the melee and ranged attacks are magic spells that can be used to clear rooms of enemies or restore health. All of these simple ideas come together unbelievably well. Every battle is a treat. To be fair, Vampire Smile does walk the line of button-mashing (the three-slash X button combo is a fine weapon), but those who explore the intricacies of the combat design will find fluidity to rival Devil May Cry. It's smooth, some of the smoothest seen on XBLA, and demands that the player find a gameplay style all their own.
Both characters can earn different weapons and skills throughout their journeys. The Dishwasher may find meat cleavers to swing around, while Yuki can use the aptly-titled "Cloud Sword". Each weapon can be assigned to a "loadout" for quick access and weapons in the same loadout can be swapped on the fly. Floating Shop Bots appear frequently and offer items to use in battle along with upgrades for weapons, magic, and health; this all comes at a price, specifically currency which can be collected from fallen enemies. While these features have become standard ingredients in the modern action game formula, Vampire Smile's use of these ideas just makes the combat even more versatile and diverse. Plus, using a giant hypodermic needle to take out enemies just never gets old.
The boss design is creative and engaging. Along each character's campaign, you'll encounter fire-breathing tanks, butterflies with knives, and even the occasional mental patient. The bosses are challenging and take advantage of the dark aesthetic in cool ways. Still, while the boss fights are fantastic to play through, they have one significant flaw. Almost every boss can only attack from the front, so finding their blind spot is usually all you need to do. The rest mostly depends on quick dodging and attacking at the right time. It doesn't ruin the action, but it feels a bit weak after taking out waves of ninjas, chainsaw maniacs, and cyborg soldiers. Overall, though, the bosses are crucial to the shadowy appeal and always seem to surprise visually, even if the actual fight is slightly underwhelming.
Sadly, though, the exploration is neglected. The main gameplay architecture involves running from room to room, the exit doors closing, leaving the player to take out waves of enemies. Once all waves of enemies are destroyed, the doors open. You can collect keys to open doors, fight bosses to end chapters, and if you're adventurous enough, go off the beaten path to find hidden beads to collect. It's nothing complex. The exploration is a skeleton used to link the many battles together and doesn't do anything to add depth to the running around. While games like Devil May Cry have added some minor, but interesting diversions to gameplay, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is all about the combat. It's excellent combat, but it's just combat.
At 800 Microsoft Points ($10 US), The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is rich with content. Aside from the combined campaigns between The Dishwasher and Yuki, there also are challenge rooms, multiple difficulty levels, and leaderboards. Those looking to tear up enemies with a friend will also find the cooperative multiplayer to be a treat. Compared to many other games on the XBLA service, Vampire Smile has all of the bases covered, offering a satisfying single-player with plenty of replay value in addition to a fun multiplayer mode.
Pros
+ Over-the-top, combo-pushing combat is blissfully intricate and deep
+ Dark and unquestionably violent presentation captures a fantastic macabre style
+ Great amount of content for a good price
Cons
- Exploration is horribly neglected
- Boss fights rely more on attrition than on creative tricks
The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile is a blissfully action-packed experience hindered only by a few jabbing factors. The room-to-room movement is tedious and the boss fights (despite their creative aesthetic) aren't as complex as hoped. However, if you're looking for combat that doesn't hold back in intensity, challenge, or style, Vampire Smile is the brawler to have. The stunning presentation combines seamlessly with the fluid battles. Whether tackling a wave of enemies with a friend or climbing the difficulties as a lone warrior, finding fun in Vampire Smile is extremely easy to do. If the exploration elements weren't as repetitious and the boss fights a bit more intricate, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile could've been the next absolute must-have on XBLA. Still, while the tedium can set in on occasion, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile remains a fantastically choreographed brawler, one with style to spare and guts to spill.