Ever since I first played Kevin 6D with my niece and nephew (both 14 at the time, perhaps a bit too young to be playing such a violent game, but I digress) last year, I've been quite charmed and impressed by this beloved - yet underrated - videogame franchise, both as an uncle and a games journalist.
Kevin 6D - the 3rd game in the Kevin 3D series - did good on what the series is known and beloved for by its cult following: It's excellent genre-defining FPS gameplay, intelligent writing, compelling characters, and, of course, it's pitch-black comedic satire of neo-liberal capitalism that is as scathing as it is cathartic.
It's the first defining characteristic that has me... conflicted about Kevin 3D 4, given that it's, in quite an odd choice, switched to being a third person shooter with prominent 3D platformer elements.
It certainly does everything else quite well. This fourth entry in the Kevin 3D series is a meditation on food insecurity and worker's rights in America, an issue that hits quite close to home for many working-class Americans, and, in true Kevin 3D fashion, it makes some excellent and thought-provoking artistic statements. Kevin is as compelling as he usually is, someone who is very relatable, but willing to go to far further than most to fight back against the extraterrestrial bourgeoisie of the alternate reality of the Kevin games lore, who, in a very on-the-nose bit of satirical farce, quite literally rob him of his burrito that he had just paid for, enraged that their most feared adversary once again had the audacity to buy from a local food vender - run by a Latina-American who's small business supports her three sons, while her husband works long hours as the sole cashier at the local Walmart - rather than the corporate burrito chain.
The graphics are, I must admit, incredible, as well, and genuinely might be the best-looking game I've seen since the first Mirror's Edge. While the shooting is now in third-person, it feels as incredible as the series always has, with the fast-paced shootouts, incredible gunplay and enemy gibs unlike an other franchise.
But the platforming, to be quite frank, is hit or miss.
Now, I don't expect every game with 3D platforming to be on the level of Bug World on Windows Vista. Of course I don't, that's not a reasonable standard for any other dev to strive for. But the platforming in Kevin 3D 4 is, at best, perfectly serviceable, and at worst, deeply mediocre.
While Kevin's movement controls feel quite good, there are some sections where the platforms seem to be just barely far enough for his actual moveset, making it more akin to a precision platformer, which breaks up the otherwise adrenaline-pumping pace, something that I (and likely many other fans of this series) feel should be saved for the melancholic and emotion cutscenes that the Kevin games are most known for.
Speaking of that, the game begins with an incredible musical number, and while I won't spoil anything, it did move me to tears. The Kevin games have been one to incorporate elements of musicals, either for comedic or dramatic effect, but the one at the beginning of Kevin 4 is truly the series out doing itself, and even if some parts of Kevin 3D 4 are bigger misses than swings, the studio behind Kevin outdoing itself with this entry is a theme nonetheless.
Overall, 8.5/10: It has it's flaws, but if you're a Kevin fan, this one is a must. That said, make sure to play the series in order.
John Gamesjournalistman, IGN