Shank Review Summary

A fun, satisfying beat 'em up with beautiful hand-drawn art and engaging local co-op, but it is very short and suffers from a cliched story and limited enemy variety.

Fun Beat 'Em Up: Players consistently describe the game as an enjoyable beat 'em up with satisfying combat, often comparing it favorably to classic 90s titles.

Overall Fun and Satisfying: Many players find the game thrilling, delightful, and entertaining from start to finish.

Engaging Local Co-op: Local two-player co-op is a major highlight, with fun shared gameplay and funny character interactions.

Excellent Art and Visuals: The art design, graphical style, and sharp visuals are highly praised, often noted as unique and outstanding.

Brutal Satisfying Combat: Combat is often described as brutal, quick, and satisfying, with a great feel despite occasionally being a spam fest.

Game length is very short: Players consistently report the game can be completed in about 2-4 hours, with some finishing in under an hour. This brevity is a common complaint.

Story is simplistic and clichéd: The narrative is often described as simple, lacking depth, and clichéd, with a generic revenge plot. Many find it uninteresting and unimportant.

Enemy variety is lacking: Combat grows monotonous due to few enemy types and tactics, with the same enemies behaving similarly. This contributes to repetitive gameplay.

Hard difficulty lacks checkpoints: On hard mode, checkpoints are removed, leading to frequent deaths and requiring memorization of levels. This makes the game frustratingly difficult for many players.

Controls and movement are clunky: Many players find the controls terrible and the movement janky, which detracts from the overall experience. Combat is also described as clunky and unfair.

Side-scrolling beat 'em up genre: The game is consistently described as a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up, often highlighting hack-and-slash elements and classic arcade action. The focus is on melee combat against groups of enemies, sometimes with shooting or platforming mixed in.

Local two-player co-op supported: Feedback frequently mentions a local co-op mode for two players, with its own campaign, story, bosses, and cutscenes. This cooperative feature is a prominent and highly praised aspect of the game.

Co-op offers separate prequel story: The cooperative mode features a distinct storyline that serves as a prequel to the single-player campaign. This means players experience different narratives depending on whether they play solo or with a friend.

Variety of weapons available: The game offers a wide arsenal including katanas, shotguns, mini-guns, chainsaws, pistols, Uzis, machetes, and more. Each weapon has its own feel and playstyle, encouraging experimentation.

Normal and hard difficulties: There are two difficulty settings: normal and hard. Hard mode increases enemy difficulty and removes mid-level checkpoints, offering a more challenging experience.

Mixed PC performance experiences: Some players say the game runs smoothly or on any PC, while others call it bad on PC and report lags despite high FPS. Performance appears inconsistent across different setups.

Refresh rate fixes crashes: Several players report that the game crashes unless the monitor refresh rate is manually set to a lower rate, such as 60Hz. Workarounds include using an HDMI dummy plug or a low refresh rate screen.

Keyboard and mouse issues: Controls occasionally feel laggy and the game is not well optimized for keyboard and mouse combinations. Sticky keys can also appear during play.

Great on Steam Deck: The game is reported to be great for Steam Deck. One player specifically highlighted this positive experience.

Cartoon graphics enable low-end: The cartoon graphics style allows the game to run on low-end PCs. This art direction helps with accessibility on older hardware.

Buy on sale, not full price: Many reviewers suggest waiting for a discount, as the game is short and overpriced at full price. It is considered a good value when discounted, especially under a few euros.

Recommended for beat-em-up fans: Fans of side-scrolling beat 'em ups and classic arcade-style combat will find this game appealing, especially if they enjoy violent and frantic action.

Violent and stylish action: The game features over-the-top violence, gore, and a distinctive hand-drawn art style. It appeals to those who enjoy brutal, cinematic brawling and slasher action.

Use a controller or gamepad: Playing with a controller is highly recommended for a better experience, while keyboard controls are less satisfying. Many stress that a gamepad is almost necessary.

Short but entertaining experience: The game can be completed in a few hours, making it a quick, action-packed diversion. Its brevity is seen as both a positive and a negative, depending on the price.

Community fair range: $4.99 - $9.99.

Game completion: 3.5h.

Story completion: 3.0h.

Session length: 3.0h.

Endgame: 29.4h.

Shank is generally fun immediately through stylish, fast-paced combat, but many players report it becomes repetitive or boring after a short time.

Friction: Keyboard-and-mouse controls feel awkward; a controller is recommended.; Only local co-op is supported, with no online multiplayer.; Combat can become repetitive because of limited move and enemy variety.; The game is short and offers little content outside the main story.; Some platforming timing and difficulty spikes are frustrating..

Old-School Beat 'Em Up Veteran: Fast, aggressive side-scrolling brawling focused on mowing down enemies and mastering retro-style boss patterns. Motivation: Reliving the simple, violent thrill of classic arcade and 2D beat 'em up combat. Stance: buy.

Local Couch Co-op Companion: Local two-player couch co-op, often completing both the solo and prequel co-op campaigns across short sessions. Motivation: Sharing a chaotic, violent co-op story with someone sitting next to them. Stance: buy.

Hardcore Challenge and Achievement Chaser: Repeated full-level attempts on hard difficulty, optimizing attacks and routes for survival and 100% completion. Motivation: Proving mastery by beating punishing hard mode and collecting all achievements. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The reviewed feedback is dominated by praise for fluid, responsive controls and a controller-first design that suits the Steam Deck's gamepad. However, the sample provides weak Steam Deck-specific validation: one reviewer notes reviews came from offline mode or consoles, and another reports crashing that requires a hardware workaround (using a low-refresh-rate screen). The core experience appears playable and well-tuned for gamepad input, but a stability workaround and limited platform verification introduce moderate friction.

Very short game length: Many players report the campaign takes only 2-4 hours, sometimes less, and can be finished in one or two evenings. This brevity is frequently noted as a defining characteristic.

Local co-op support: The game includes a local co-op mode with a separate storyline that can be played with a friend. It is couch co-op only, with no online functionality.

Developed by Klei Entertainment: The game is consistently attributed to Klei Entertainment, the studio also known for Don't Starve, Mark of the Ninja, and Invisible Inc. This is mentioned as a key identifier.

Lacks non-English language support: The game is only available in English and has no translations for Chinese, Spanish, Russian, or French. Some players note it does not hinder gameplay.

Early Klei title: This is one of Klei Entertainment's first games, often described as a classic older title. It is part of the studio's early work.