WET Review

September 14, 2009 - Combining a grindhouse film presentation style with Max Payne and Stranglehold-like slow-motion combat mechanics, Artificial Mind and Movement's WET certainly has a promising setup. You play as Rubi Malone, a raven-haired vixen clad in leather armor. Armed with dual pistols, she's as likely to fire bullets as she is to unload curse words and can flip, slide and swing around combat arenas. For the developer the game represents a spark of originality on a resume populated mostly with licensed products and ports, and its release was not always a sure thing. Amidst the shedding of intellectual property as the publishing giant Activision-Blizzard settled into its new skin, the title was let go, picked up earlier this year by Bethesda Softworks. It's a violent, crude, and often inane title -- which fits in neatly with its presentation style and tone -- but unfortunately its gameplay isn't as dynamic as it wants to be, falling flat and failing to sustain the experience.

As Rubi you're thrown into a world of murderers, double-crossers, drug runners, impossible action scenarios, and conspicuously dressed villains. There's a film grain effect skittering across the screen the entire time, which can be turned off, but while active reinforces the B-movie angle of the plot, dialogue, and characters. Rubi is wronged and angry, and the game in an appropriately inelegant manner smashes together pieces of story that move you through a series of combat arenas and quick-time event action sequences.