Kusan: City of Wolves Reviews
Kusan: City of Wolves doesn’t attempt to reinvent top down action, but it polishes its core mechanics. By pairing lightning-fast twin stick shooting with kinetic melee parries, flexible modular upgrades, and a killer electronic soundtrack, CIRCLEfromDOT has delivered one of the most thrilling indie action games available on Xbox Series X|S this year. While its narrative over complications and occasional visual clutter hold it back from absolute perfection, its core combat loop is pure digital dopamine for reflex driven gamers and achievement / score hunters alike. If you have been waiting for a game to scratch that unrelenting Hotline Miami itch with a modern, stylish twist, Kusan: City of Wolves and fancy a challenge this definitely deserves a look in.
Overall, despite a couple of issues regarding the controls and narrative, Kusan: City of Wolves is a fun top-down action game that likes to challenge you, but rewards you for playing smart by taking advantage of the tools provided.
Kusan: City of Wolves doesn't mask where it has taken inspiration from. But the exploration of top-down action finds an incredible home here with addicting, acidic combat that strives for enough diversity and complexity to fuel numerous high score attempts.
Hardcore, high-stakes, top-down Rated M for Mature shooter in a neon-infused urban jungle
Perhaps the most successful attempt at a full-fledged Hotline Miami clone. Kusan won't replace the third installment in the series, but it will at least evoke emotions similar to those experienced many years ago while playing the Devolver Digital classic.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Set in an animal-filled cyberpunk world, Hotline Miami delivers a chaotic top-down massacre. However, it may not fully satisfy players and can be frustrating due to permadeath.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Kusan: City of Wolves is a spectacular, brutal and challenging top-down shooter that pleasantly surprises not only with its combat, but also with its dark world and well-crafted story. It’s a very good game for players who enjoy a challenge and beating their own high scores, but its unforgiving nature and limited variety mean it won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Kusan: City of Wolves is a fast-paced neon-noir action game inspired by Hotline Miami, putting players in the role of Jin, a former soldier turned hitman in a city inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, as he delves into a dark story involving gangs, biological weapons, and personal mysteries. Featuring a visual style defined by motion comics and 1990s influences, an art direction crafted by renowned artists, and a vibrant hip-hop and electronic music soundtrack, the game combines an investigative narrative, morally ambiguous characters, and intense gameplay that demands quick reflexes and varied strategies, delivering a brutal, stylish, and immersive experience that celebrates influences from pop culture, comics, and cinema in a high-quality product for hardcore gamers.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Although this game seems to have an intriguing plot, the polish on the Switch unfortunately doesn't quite live up to it. The characters also have a lively character, partly due to their excellent art style. However, the gameplay really fell short in too many ways, making the whole thing unfortunately feel rather questionable. An update might help, if only to give our protagonist a small health bar so that you don't have to start all over again at the slightest "hit." The controls on PC might be slightly smoother, but I still think the Switch version could use a more decent control update. With an update, this might be worth considering for fans of top-down shooters.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Kusan: City of Wolves is a mix of Hotline Miami's one-hit brutality and a neon-soaked, Beastars-flavoured world, bringing a tight but punishing gameplay loop, top-down combat, and beautiful visuals.
I honestly enjoyed this game more than Hotline Miami and I think that’s due to the more refined gameplay and upgrade system. Plus, I mean…you’re a panther with a fist that can destroy walls and take out enemies with one punch! What’s not to love there?
Kusan: City of Wolves offers a challenging and distinctive combat experience, combining engaging dramatic narrative with a captivating artistic style. Although the narrative suffers from some flaws resulting from the approach taken in presenting the story, the game compensates for it with fun gameplay, epic boss encounters, and a good variety of weapons and enemies, despite a flaw in the distribution of this variety. Additionally, some skills seemed to be of limited usefulness or virtually useless throughout the experience. With a good progression system despite a few notes, while level design stands out as one of the game's strongest elements, delivering, overall, a very excellent experience.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Kusan: City of Wolves is a rewarding experience. It might not topple the classic that inspired it from its perch, but it’s proof that Circle From Dot has the creativity and ambition to build something that’s worth playing on its merits.
Kusan: City of Wolves embraces its inspiration from Hotline Miami but finds room to create its own identity. With extremely frenetic combat, an excellent progression system, and a solid story for the genre, the game rewards those who persist in mastering its mechanics. The visual readability issues can be bothersome at times, but they don’t prevent this from being a great indie for fans of hardcore challenges.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Brutal, stylish, and unforgiving, Kusan: City of Wolves rewards patience and precision with one of the most satisfying combat loops in recent action games.
If you’ve been yearning for another game in the vein of Hotline Miami, Kusan: City of Wolves will be right up your alley.
Kusan: City of Wolves presents itself as the spiritual successor to Hotline Miami—a role it fulfills perfectly, infusing the game with its own soul and an incredibly well-crafted style.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Kusan: City of Wolves is a fantastic game that combines addictive action, a deeply complex upgrade system, charming art direction, and a soundtrack that really hooks the player. Its high difficulty and aggressive combat philosophy forge an identity that goes well beyond its acknowledged inspiration, Hotline Miami. While the base version suffers from a frustrating technical hiccup, the issue is limited to handheld performance on older hardware. Even though Kusan was my first foray into this genre, I had a blast from start to finish and can confidently recommend it—whether you’re new to this style of game or a die-hard Hotline Miami fan. It’s a pack worth following.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While there have been quite a number of titles looking to repeat on the success of Hotline Miami by copying its style, few have gotten as close as Kusan: City of Wolves
Kusan City of Wolves finds its balance in a convincing combat system, a distinctive art direction, and a relentless pace that never lets up. An action game capable of making every one of its mechanics shine, turning precision and adaptability into the true tools of enjoyment.
Review in Italian | Read full review