The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai is a 2D side-scrolling action game – and while many games in the “beat-‘em-up” genre are often similar and quickly become redundant, The Dishwasher is quite the opposite. What puts it ahead of the pack is its combination of deep gameplay mechanics, a unique art style, and a gracious supply of content. When you browse the main menu and look through the different game modes, it’s really amazing to remember that a single person was in charge of making it all by himself. You can choose from Story Mode, Arcade Mode, Dish Challenge, and Multiplayer. Each mode is slightly different than the others, but the basic premise is always similar: as the Dishwasher, you are confronted by waves of enemies that must be dispatched in order to proceed and finish the current stage. Story Mode takes you through 14 different levels that explain who the Dishwasher is and what his reasons are for his determined effort to eliminate everything that stands in front of him. Arcade Mode challenges you to play the game in new ways in each of its 50 stages by forcing certain conditions and bombarding you with progressively larger waves of enemies and boss characters. Dish Challenge is the simplest mode of play – you fight to survive with massive combos for a high score that is displayed on Leaderboards and compared to the efforts of others. Finally, Multiplayer allows you to play cooperatively with your friends on Xbox Live or locally. Co-op play makes even the most challenging of the Arcade Mode's stages into a tolerable feat. Story Mode becomes multiplayer-accessible after you find two hidden emblems early in the game. While the Dishwasher (1P) and his “shadow” (2P) do all the slicing and dicing, a hovering guitar (3P) can use magic spells and attacks that are activated by strumming notes and swinging a Rock Band/Guitar Hero guitar controller. I might be missing something really crazy out there, but this is probably the most off-the-wall concept for cooperative multiplayer that I've ever seen. It is also a great way to coast through the harder difficulties without needing to deal with as much frustration or as many broken controllers.

All of the modes in The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai can be played with a friend for more gory carnage.

The first game mode that you'll want to play is Story Mode – which, by the way, I suggest finishing on the “Easy” difficulty before braving the virtual masochism of the next four brutal settings. In each level you progress from one area to the next, taking out everything along the way. The “dishwasher” idea is supported by each new room's metaphorical resemblance to another kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes that need to be wiped clean before reaching the “cherry-on-top” boss fights at the end of every level. Although there is nothing wrong with the 14 levels or the foes that populate them, the game's only head-scratching element is present in Story Mode: its storyline. Throughout Story Mode, you are given the background information about this “Dishwasher” guy, but it is somewhat confusing. The plot reveals through comic strips that he was a hard-working restaurant dishwasher whose life ended when he refused to follow his sister Yuki into the ranks of a cyborg army that took over the world. After this refusal resulted in his heart being torn out of his chest, the chef of his restaurant – known simply as “Chef” – brought him back to life with alien blood. The revived Dishwasher swears to exact his revenge by exterminating every last zombie, cyborg SWAT agent, and walker robot that remains. The comic strip sequences provide essential information through the written text, but the art itself is difficult to make out due to its dark and messy style. It may not make a lot of sense, but I look at it this way: if you really need a sensible reason to kill stuff with a pissed-off guitar-shredding samurai-zombie-ninja-dishwasher, you probably need to stop taking video games so seriously. Besides, the story isn't why you should care about the Dishwasher – it's his ass-kicking abilities that matter.

With tight controls that allow incredibly precise attacks and evasive maneuvers, the game mechanics are executed as gracefully as the Dishwasher's victims. The basics are simple enough: you use the X and Y buttons to perform weak and strong attacks that can be chained together to form combos. Some of the ground-based attacks can be used to push enemies into a corner, and others are effective at bringing the battle into the air and using the bad guys as bloody juggling balls. Each of the game's five weapons have unique combo moves, attack powers, functions, and finishing moves. These weapons include a pair of meat cleavers that the Dishwasher carries at the start of the game, a “Shift Blade” katana, a pair of scythe-like kama, a chainsaw, and a shotgun-uzi duo known as the “Arsenal”. Using the “spirals” currency that you gather from the corpses of your foes, you can upgrade these weapons with stronger attacks and bigger move lists.

The Dishwasher's strong attacks can send his enemies flying across the area.

Once you begin to understand the fundamentals of the fighting system, you can master it by instantly switching between your primary and secondary selections with the right bumper. This allows you to extend your combos, flowing smoothly from one to the next without hesitation. You can effortlessly execute a lightning-fast flurry of kama attacks and then transition into a powerful thrust of the Shift Blade or a shotgun blast with the Arsenal. The Dishwasher can also perform “throwdowns” with the B button or activate his “Dish Magic” with the left bumper. These powerful spells typically stun everything in close proximity, allowing you to clear the area and unleash brutal finishing moves. By pressing the correct button that appears over a stunned enemy's head, you are treated with a vicious display of animation that leaves behind a mangled and dismembered corpse that generates some valuable health and magic refills.

Even with proficient use of weapons and Dish Magic, you absolutely have to master some evasive tactics and the patterns of the enemies if you hope to move beyond the first couple of stages. The Dishwasher can dodge-roll in any direction with the right analog stick or by holding the left trigger and using the left analog stick. Rolling will usually keep you out of harm's way, but it isn't as effective as the Shift Blade's special teleporting ability. You'll need to master this tactic as soon as possible. Although it is as simple as rolling, it actually allows you to stay off of the ground and “fly” around the area as long as you want to. If you are low on health, you can simply warp around the room and keep your distance until you find the perfect chance to retaliate with a powerful downward strike or a quick airborne combo. Some of the later bosses require you to utilize this ability, but I used it as my primary method of moving around before that was even necessary. After all, there is no need to give your deadly opponents an easy target by walking or jumping around when you can become an untouchable annoyance to them with the warping ability.

As I mentioned before, knowing the attack patterns and movements of your enemies is very important. Even if you have learned the fighting system and the evasive moves, you can't expect to succeed without knowing the dangers that are bombard you in every confrontation. Each new target that you meet throughout the game is unique and has its own way of chewing away your health bar. Early foes like the Matrix-like “Mr. Smith” agents serve as fodder material that pester you with their basic attacks, but it isn't long before you face the game's most threatening enemy: the SWAT trooper. They like to hover above you and fire down on you with machine gun rounds, but they particularly enjoy jumping toward the ceiling to drop explosives on your head. These guys introduce you to the importance of listening for audio cues as they call out their attacks with “Fire in the hole!” or “Grenade!” Eventually you will encounter tank-treaded robots that fire rockets and slam you into the ground with their massive mechanical arms. Jetpack-equipped troopers swat you out of the sky with missiles before jumping down to the ground for a combo attack. Mindless zombies are hardly threatening, but their kamikaze brothers surprise you with quick knife combos and explosive suicides. Other enemies include the quick and vicious assassins and “Freaks”, both of which like to confuse you with speedy movements that frequently allow them to attack you from behind.

Some of the smaller, cramped rooms make the action even more intense.

Although any enemy is capable of killing you, the combinations of certain enemies provide the biggest challenge. For example, you are never safe in the claustrophobic elevator scene that takes you on a hellish ride out of the catacombs level. Kamikaze zombies populate the elevator floor and blow you up whenever the SWAT troopers distract you with their their submachine guns and grenades. When you think that it is safe to attack the airborne SWAT guys, jetpack troopers swat you down like a fly, back to the maniacal zombie horde. The reward for surviving this onslaught is a showdown with a pair of the tank-treaded robots, whose ground-pounding attacks and missile salvos are much harder to dodge in the cramped confines of the elevator.

The boss fights at the end of each level are usually tougher than all of the enemies that chop through to reach them. Some of these screen-sized foes are masters of distraction and confusion who send a dozen missiles at you in the blink of an eye or trample you as they charge around the stage. Examples of these bosses include massive robots like the bipedal walkers, jetpack robots, and the big daddy of the standard tank-treaded robots. Smaller foes like the chainsaw-wielding pumpkinheads and “shotty creeps” avoid you with erratic movements before wildly cutting through you or turning you into a bullet sponge. There's even a Viking cyborg whose powerful, lightning-summoning axe is only given a rest when he ducks his head and runs toward you. The last half of the game kicks it up a notch and frequently throws two or more of these boss characters at you simultaneously. Harder difficulty modes often spice up routine battles by sending clones of boss characters to help their evil friends. The final confrontation is an appropriately rigorous test of your Shift Blade aptitude, so I'll say it again: master that warping function!

The gameplay is pulled off with an expert brilliance, but the artistic qualities are equally commendable. The scribbled-ink visuals and charming character designs are fresh, unique, and give the game a very special personality. Although some might say that the blurry filters and the color scheme’s abundance of black and gray make The Dishwasher look drab and depressing, I disagree. Fatalities are animated with smoothness as fountains of blood spray from the wounds of the on-screen characters, staining the backgrounds with a thick coat of crimson. Vicious sound effects accompany the Dishwasher's furious attacks. The soundtrack adds to the mood with traditional oriental material that is infused with intense electronic beats and the blistering shredding of electric guitars. The combination of these elements creates a dark tone that perfectly embraces the game’s violent and fast-paced gameplay.

I am not typically a fan of punishing games like The Dishwasher. While I'm not proud to admit it, I prefer the games that let me feel like a badass without requiring the understanding of their every nuance. For some reason, though, I connected with Mr. Silva's game – even when I was struggling through its hardest Arcade stages and the Samurai difficulty. I realized that there really isn't a justifiable reason for playing poorly except for a personal lack of skill. I have read comments around the Internet that scold the game for its punishing difficulty, but I disagree with most of them. I think that The Dishwasher is very fair with its challenge. There is no excuse to blame the game for getting killed. Sure, you face a lot of difficult enemies that can easily tear you apart, but you are given the ability to avoid almost everything with a warp move that you can use indefinitely. Even on harder difficulty settings, you can easily avoid damage and deal plenty of harm to your enemies. When the going gets tough, you are able to play with friends to even out the playing field. I strongly believe that this game is a rare example of one whose execution is pulled off so well that there is only yourself to blame for reaching the game over screen. While I can't put my finger down on the exact reason for my determination to master The Dishwasher, the fact that I did so allowed me to capitalize on my purchase and enjoy all of its content. I have never been the type to play through games multiple times, but I completed four of the Story Mode's difficulty settings, finished all 50 Arcade stages, and unlocked every Achievement with a smile on my face and a strong desire for more. I can only hope that Mr. Silva follows up the game's release with some downloadable content – perhaps a couple of new weapons to use or a dozen new Arcade Mode stages? I would be all over that like flies on...well, you know.

Quite possibly the only thing missing from this package is a competitive multiplayer mode. I would have loved to play against my friends, warping around the arena and sparring each other in the air like characters in Dragonball Z. Still, I don't feel like The Dishwasher is an incomplete experience. After all, what more should you demand from a game that costs $10 that isn't offered already offered in this one? If nothing else, The Dishwasher is a testament to the capabilities of XNA. The fundamentals are all delivered in expert fashion. The art style and soundtrack effectively detail a twisted, violent game whose mechanics shine brilliantly through the blood and the dismemberment. There is enough content to last for more than 20-30 hours. The Achievements are fun to unlock. Leaderboard support lets you compare your fastest times and highest scores to other players and their best efforts. Last – but certainly not least – cooperative multiplayer allows a shadow ninja and a killer guitar to join the Dishwasher in the ass-kicking. I think that's a pretty sweet deal! Don't let the odd title, the XNA development, or the relentless challenge discourage you – this one is as expertly crafted as the best of the bunch on the XBLA. If you are afraid of the difficulty, I still urge you to check out the trial game on Xbox Live and give it a shot. If you are a fan of games like Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, God of War, and Castle Crashers, you should definitely take a look at this one. I would be incredibly surprised if you didn't fall in love with it just like I did.

Final Score: A

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