Goichi Suda has established himself as one of the most unique video game directors and writers in the industry. He got his start writing and directing the story mode forSuper Fire Pro Wrestling 3. As one of the darkest stories in the genre, he cementedFire Pro Wrestling’s legacy as one of the greatest wrestling games ever and quickly gained a fan following thanks to his creativity and artistic vision. After his breakout hitKiller7hit Western shores, the director gained a cult following in the West too.
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Now, alongside the likes of Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, and Yu Suzuki, Suda is considered one ofthe greatest video game developers in the worldand is currently in talks with Marvel thanks to his interest in creating aDeadpoolvideo game. Stylistically, he is arguably the perfect choice for aDeadpooltitle, but, until then, these are some of the bestSuda51games.
7Fire Pro Wrestling World: The Vanishing
First released in 2017,Fire Pro Wrestling: Worldhas gained a cult following and is considered by many fans of the genre to be one ofthe best wrestling games ever made. However, at launch, the game lacked a proper story mode like the ones that many of its predecessors had.
Suda was the director and writer forSuper Fire Pro Wrestling 3 Final BoutandSuper Fire Pro Wrestling: Specialin 1993 and 1994 respectively. The games were notorious for their dark storylines that were the complete opposite of what one might expect from a WWE game. In 2020, Suda penned the story forThe Vanishing, a story expansion forFire Pro Wrestling World. While it’s not as dark as his original efforts, it’s still refreshing to see a proper story mode in a wrestling game with mechanics as rewarding asFire Pro’sare.
6No More Heroes 3
TheNo More Heroesseries is Suda at his grindhouse best. The most recent title,No More Heroes 3, was released in 2021 and continued the wacky and outrageous gameplay and humor that the series had become known for. More importantly, the gameplay is just as good as it ever was
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The third entry isn’t a departure from the first title released in 2008, but, thanks to Suda51’s work, there are very few games like theNo More Heroestitles. The third entry is also the easiest game to get a hold of, but it’s worth seeking out the entire trilogy and the spin-off if possible.
5Killer Is Dead
Released in 2013,Killer is Deadis another third-person action game. It’s darker than theNo More Heroesfranchise, though the same surreal sense of humor is present for fans of his work.
The game takes inspiration from theJames Bondseries with Mondo Zappa’s protagonist. However, there’s very little aboutKiller is Dead’sgameplay that resembles a stealthyBondgame. It’s a third-person action game with awesome boss battles and a unique combo-building system for action fans.
4Killer7
As his first title to be released in the west,Killer7was and still is one of the most unique action-adventure games available. It’s considered the first game in Suda’s Assassins series and is still a cult hit to this day. It’s another title that’s long been thrown into the debate for games as art. With an experience that comes into its own, it’s easy to see whyKiller7fits the bill.
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The game is played through the eyes of an assassin with seven different personalities. Each version of himself is gifted with specific skills that can be used to complete certain jobs. Visually, its cell-shaded graphics still hold up very well, as evidenced by its 2018 remaster on the PC.
3Shadows Of The Damned
As a collaboration between Goicha Suda and Shinji Mikami ofResident Evilfame,Shadows of the Damnedis an action-horror title that merges Suda’s penchant for dark humor and Mikami’s skill with gruesome action in a gaming experience that feels reminiscent of Sam Raimi’sEvil Deadmovies.
The game puts players in the shoes of Garcia Hotspur, a Mexican demon hunter tasked with trying to rescue his girlfriend from Fleming: a Lord of Demons that rules over the City of the Damned. It’s easily Suda’s darkest work to date, but the humor has a 90s B-movie horror feel that can provide some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Now would be the perfect time to remasterShadows of the Damned, asSuda has hinted at making a follow-upto the critically acclaimed horror game.
2The Silver Case
Originally released in 1999, Suda’s visual novelThe Silver Casefinally hit the West in 2017. The gameplay is purely text-based, so those hoping for a 3D action game as seen in Suda’s recent works will be disappointed.
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However, those who love his particular style of storytelling can play some of his best work available.The Silver Caseis a murder mystery game full of twists and turns that puts the player in the shoes of several different characters (from detectives to a reporter) with intertwined stories focusing on a serial killer that has reemerged after 20 years.
1Lollipop Chainsaw
IfShadows of the Damnedfollows elements ofThe Evil Dead, thenLollipop Chainsawis zombie-slayingBuffy the Vampire Slayer. The combat system is reminiscent of aDevil May Crygame and, despite having a short main story campaign, the game is packed with replay value.
The humor and atmosphere are on point and, interestingly, the script was written bySuicide Squad’s James Gunn. Gunn was so fond of his timecreatingLollipop Chainsaw,that his Harley Quinn fight scene where flowers and birds replaced blood is a direct allusion to the game.
