It's all very simple to understand and, when it's flowing well, it does a fantastic job of making you feel like you're a stone-cold killer capable of taking down a gangster, stunt-rolling across the floor to pick up a discarded gun and rising to your feet just in time to throw it at an incoming goon, nailing him right between the eyes before finishing him off with some CQC. The more complex the manoeuvre you want to pull off, the longer it takes to complete, with bandaging up wounds to heal yourself, reloading your gun or performing sick takedowns the most expensive options in this regard. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) A parry is a quick option that will beat an incoming attack if you're fast enough to get it in, for example, and simply stepping to the nearest node, crouching or rolling is a fairly reliable way of dodging a bullet. An assailant who's about to pull the trigger or throw a fist at you will have the duration of that action flagged up, giving you the opportunity to cycle through your choices in order to find a counter-measure that can be pulled off quick enough to beat them to the punch or interrupt their action. John has his own timeline and any enemies he's currently engaging with also have their incoming action times represented alongside. Focus points can be replenished by finding a quiet spot and some space to refocus Wick, an action which results in him shaking his head in a very 'woah, dude' Keanu way, giving you a fresh bar of points with which to take down anyone dumb enough to get too close.Įvery single action you take in John Wick Hex also takes a certain amount of time to complete, a factor which is indicated via a timeline sat at the top of your screen. Where shooting an enemy may be loud, it's also quick and easy, and doesn't cost you any of your precious focus points – a vital resource for pulling off close-range strikes, takedowns or flashy stunt-rolls that can pull you quickly out of range of a bullet, foot or fist. Once you've got your eye on a bad guy, you can choose to take them out by shooting from range – an action which will draw the attention of anyone within earshot – or, more preferably, get up close and personal for some of Wick's signature CQC bad-assery. You pick your way across enemy-infested areas via nodes and slowly reveal your surroundings which are covered in a fog of war that hides your foes beyond a certain distance. Upon jumping into a level, you'll find yourself in a Superhot-style world where time is paused until you make a movement. Kicking off with a very quick tutorial, John Wick Hex wastes no time in flinging you into its turn-based battles, giving you a quick overview of its tricksy timeline mechanic, tactical options, movement, focus points, gunplay and so forth.

It's all told through graphic novel-style cutscenes that bookend each of the action-packed levels and, although it doesn't particularly go anywhere interesting or throw up any real surprises, it certainly gives proceedings a nice air of authenticity having the actors from the movies lend their voices to the tale – and Austin Wintory's score does a fantastic job of setting the right mood. The story that's told here ties nicely into the events of the John Wick movie franchise, and fans will no doubt be pleased to see the likes of Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprise their roles as Charon and Winston, with Troy Baker also joining in the fun as the titular Hex, an angry man with a bloody score to settle.

John wick hex gameplay trailer