Take every over-the-top action movie you’ve ever seen and roll it all into one game, and you get WET. Bethesda’s slow-mo, grindhouse infused third-person acrobatic shooter, fronted by a sexy heroine full of bad-assery (it’ll be in the dictionary, just you wait) is set to cause a stir, while leaving a blood bath in its wake. But can WET have a good slash at the action genre?

In WET, you play as Rubi Malone, a samurai-sword and duel-pistol wielding “problem solver” who handles life’s more ‘complex’ situations – almost like a bounty hunter, without rules or morals. After a deal goes south with a rich business man, Rubi is forced to deal out some revenge, taking players on a globe spanning escapade to find her double-crosser and set the record straight. The story isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not Oscar winning material. It unfolds with a few plot diversions and twists, although it doesn’t actually require any of these elements, as WET is all about the action, and that is where the gameplay comes in.

WET plays out almost like a Tony Hawk’s game with guns. You shoot and slash your way through levels, usually destroying certain objects in order to block enemy entrances, allowing the player to clear the room with a combination of acrobatic skills and stylish gunplay. Rubi’s health regenerates in accordance to the style points earned from killing enemies.

In terms of acrobatics, Rubi can jump, dive, slide, wall run, vault, scale ledges, swing, slide down ladders – all while firing from a range of weapons, spanning from pistols to shotguns. All these acrobatic elements culminate into some great platforming moments that would even make the Prince of Persia blush. Rubi’s weapons and acrobatic abilities can also be upgraded throughout the game, giving the player a greater variety of moves to score big (and kill even bigger) with.

Different from games such as Max Payne and Dead to Rights which use ‘bullet-time’ bars, slow-motion is activated whenever the player shoots while performing any of Rubi’s graceful stunts. Whether diving through mid-air, wall running, or sliding on her knees, time will be slowed down while firing, allowing for players to cause some beautiful chaos, which results in some awesome action sequences that even Michael Bay would be proud of.

The shooting is also rather unique in WET, allowing players to fire at two targets simultaneously. While one gun auto-aims at the closest enemy, players can aim Rubi’s other gun at another, allowing for the continual death-count to be taken up a notch, as well as helping with those over-whelming enemy situations.

Swordplay is also a lot of fun in WET, giving the ability to strike using the sword from a number of different style moves, such as leaping off walls, an upward thrust out of a slide or slashing through mid-air. The normal attacks are your typical hack-and-slash combos, but are incredibly entertaining with some slow-motion and dismemberment thrown in there.

‘Rage’ events also come into play, where pre-determined segments, literally (and figuratively) have Rubi seeing red, whereby the colours turn red and black, while blood appears as a contrasting white. These moments are pure eye-candy, and with the heightened artistry, comes a drastic increase in body-count as Rubi will easily shoot and slash away enemies in her enraged state.

In addition to the normal gameplay, there are certain sequences, such as a highway car chase where Rubi leaps from vehicle to vehicle thanks to some action-packed quick-time events. There’s always something special about cars flipping and exploding in slow motion, and WET has it all.

Past the story mode, there is a ‘Points Count’ mode where a required style score is needed to progress through levels, as well as a ‘Challenge Mode’ which pits Rubi against the clock in order to take out certain targets while performing her trademark jaw-dropping stunts.

Where WET excels is in its style as it is reminiscent of 80’s grindhouse action films, full of boyishly awesome gore and foul-mouthed dialogue. A film grain and scratched-frame effect is incorporated, allowing for a unique yet over-the-top action game to be presented.

Rubi is also a pure badass, yet charming enough to really enjoy and like. Voiced by Eliza Dushku, she sounds and looks great with flawless animations and movements. Enemies, although varied, are still the produced goons, but at the fast rate and pace that you kill them at, it doesn’t really matter. Complete with retro film adverts between each scene of the game, WET is one stylish outing.

WET is an exciting title in terms of its action and presentation. While it’s not the most polished game in existence, its over-the-top action and grindhouse style emmits awesomeness and will be loved by any fans of the genre. WET is proof that a game can be outrageously fun by disregarding common technicalities which limit many games today. Some of the mechanics may not make sense on paper, but when you sit back and play WET, you’ll soon understand just what fun is all about.

[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]