Adapting a film franchise like John Wick to video games would normally, by almost any understanding of convention, result in a first person shooter. Perhaps a hyper stylish one, reflecting the beloved action movies, but a shooter nontheless. Instead, John Wick Hex is a strategy game – but even then, it defies the rules.
Currently, most strategy games fall into one of two broad categories, turn-based — think XCOM, with the player moving each character around a map and executing their moves one at a time — or real-time; more like Total War, where the player reacts live to new threats and challenges. John Wick Hex fits into neither camp, which works to its benefit and detriment.
Instead, Hex blurs the line. With the game serving as a prequel to the first movie – with actors Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprising their roles as Winston and Charon from the cinematic outings, while the eponymous villain Hex is voiced by Troy Baker – players take Wick through the locations of each chapter, moving the elite hitman point-to-point via menu commands. Every action takes a certain amount of time to accomplish, whether it's walking to a new position, changing your stance, picking up a weapon, or attacking an enemy. Every action can be previewed before execution, with the time it takes to complete shown on an active timeline at the top of the screen. This system applies to opponents too, with their actions and time costs appearing on a timeline below yours.
It's hopelessly confusing to start with, especially with a tutorial system that's more "tell" than "show". However, a few missions into the opening Chinatown sequence, everything clicks, and the magic of Hex's systems becomes apparent. There's a flow to each encounter, and being able to see exactly when an enemy will complete their action compared to your movements makes for exquisite tactical gameplay. Every action must be considered, right down to when you reload – John's gun only has one spare magazine, and any unspent bullets are wasted if you reload before firing – or restore your "focus" bar, which allows you to pull off fancier melee moves. On top of that, line of sight is crucial, with enemies appearing from blind spots and interrupting your current movement, or recoil from your shots sending them out of view. It all blends into a mesmerising flow of gunplay and brawling, playing out in a temporal staccato that you control entirely.
Past the Chinatown sequence, matters get a touch more complex, with you having to decide where to stash additional weapons or health-restoring bandages before playing each mission. This can frustrate, as the first time through you'll have no idea where is most prudent to hide them, leading to several runs to work it out – more trial and error than tactics. Bosses can also irritate, being bullet sponges and requiring up-close physical attacks to force them to lower their guards, a process that can be onerously tricky to line up.
While the pacing works well for the game's mechanics, it does start to feel slightly rigid, janky even, compared to the source material. The ability to watch each successful mission back as a video replay highlights this, showing Wick hopping back and forth as you manoeuvre around enemies or robotically change direction. While the heavily shadowed, neon-highlighted, graphic novel aesthetic of the game nicely complements the movies, the animation and jerky movements often remind you how far removed it is.
However, John Wick Hex does stand out as not only a rare example of a movie tie-in game that is actually good, but a solid game in its own right. Its standing as a prequel may even lure in fans of the film who wouldn't normally chance a strategy game, especially now it's more readily available on PS4 as well as PC, but newcomers should be aware of the relatively sharp learning curve that comes with becoming the Baba Yaga.