Milanoir

The soundtrack is the reason to play this. Fuzzed-out guitar, brass stabs, that particular grimy swagger of a 1970s Milan car chase, and Italo Games clearly built the whole thing outward from it. The pixel art earns the comparison too: rain-slick streets, smoke-hazed interiors, ugly beautiful faces in the cutscene portraits. It is a poliziotteschi revenge story about a man out of prison and out of patience, told in three hours and smart enough not to stretch to four. I will always defend a game that knows its own runtime. What lets it down is the part you actually hold in your hands. The top-down shooting is stiff where it should be snappy, the ricochet trick shots feel more like luck than skill, and a couple of stealth and vehicle sections stop the momentum cold right when the mood has you. Local split-screen co-op is a nice touch, though not the reason you are here. Come for the atmosphere and the score, accept the friction, and the mixed reception makes complete sense.

Kai · Scout Team

Indie & narrative

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