Demo of the Day: Wet

A lot of things came to mind when I was trying to decide how best to describe the upcoming action game Wet. Mirror's Edge with weapons. A more polished, agile version of Bloodrayne. Kill Bill, starring Eliza Dushku.

But in any case a demo is now available on Xbox Live, so you can decide for yourself, and if you're at all into action games it's more than worth the download. The demo is broken up into three levels, each of which shows off a different aspect of the gameplay.

The first has you exploring the 1970s pulp-flavored world. And by "exploring," I mean doing slow-motion backflips while unleashing a hail of hot lead on a street full of enemies; wall-running through levels and dismembering bad guys; and running up people's chests, springing into the air, and unloading your dual pistols on them from above. It's almost impossible to be killed, so the emphasis is squarely on performing the moves with as much style as possible, which is a lot of fun.


The second level shows off the main character Rubi's Rage mode, which turns the entire screen into something resembling a really gory ipod commercial. When in Rage mode, you shoot and slash your way through more enemies faster - like some sort of blender of death - with blood and body parts filling the screen until it's almost impossible to see. Which isn't a problem since basically all you have to do when in this mode is mash buttons and watch the destruction unfold.

The final level in the demo lets you play through a car-surfing section, in which Rubi leaps from roof to roof as the automobiles swerve through traffic and enemies take potshots at her from passing cars. It's not nearly as difficult as it sounds: For the most part, it involves sitting perched on a car roof, firing at enemies, until you're prompted to hit a button to jump elsewhere, a la Dragon's Lair. As long as you hit the button in time, it's all good.

I was alread excited about the game, but after playing the demo it's easily one of my most anticipated titles of the year. Wet hits shelves Sept. 15.