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Kusan: City of Wolves

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Kusan: City of Wolves Game Cover
91%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
Most mentioned negative aspects:character development, optimization
94% User Score Based on 154 reviews
Critic Score 83%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5CloudXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStationNintendo Switch 2
Kusan: City of Wolves Game Cover

About Kusan: City of Wolves

Kusan: City of Wolves is a single player arcade shooter game with a violence theme. It was developed by CIRCLEfromDOT and was released on July 30, 2026. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Kusan: City of Wolves now features two aiming modes, Stylish and Free Aim, adjustable in the settings at any time. These options adjust the level of ‘Aim Assist’ that you’ll have during combat. Stylish, the default setting, offers the highest level of aim assist for a streamlined experience that will keep your gameplay fast and fluid. If you’re up for a more hardcore experience, Free Aim gives you…

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Looking for games like Kusan: City of Wolves? Here are top arcade shooter recommendations with a violence focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with OTXO, Suit for Hire or Mr. Shifty.

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Reviews

94%Audience ScoreBased on 154 reviews
story30 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions

  • The game offers fast, fluid, and highly satisfying combat that expands on Hotline Miami's formula with new mechanics like charged punches, parrying, and an upgrade system allowing diverse playstyles.
  • Stylish and well-executed pixel art combined with unique comic book-style storytelling adds significant personality and charm to the characters and world.
  • The soundtrack, while divisive, is generally praised as a strong complement that enhances the game's intense atmosphere and pacing.
  • Difficulty can be very high and occasionally frustrating, especially with certain bosses and lack of mid-level checkpoints, which might turn off less skilled or casual players.
  • Some visual elements and effects reduce readability in combat, such as screen shake, flashing, zoomed-in camera, and enemies blending into the backgrounds.
  • The story is considered somewhat rushed and underdeveloped with minimal character growth, and the music and narrative presentation sometimes do not fully match the game's tone.
  • story

    85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    35% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The story is generally well-received for its engaging, fast-paced, and emotionally charged narrative told through stylish comic-book-style cutscenes and graphic novel formats. While praised for its art and presentation, many note it feels somewhat rushed, with underdeveloped characters and a plot that leans on familiar tropes without being groundbreaking. Players appreciate the story as a solid complement to the gameplay, hoping for future expansions or sequels to deepen its narrative and character development.

    • “Great story: I really liked it and hope it gets an anime adaptation someday.”
    • “The art looks amazing and the story is told through a comic-book format that gives the characters a lot of personality.”
    • “The story was engaging while not overstaying its welcome, and I enjoyed the manga style in between story sections that were blended with in-game scripted cinematic moments that make your character feel like a badass while not taking the controls away from you very much.”
    • “My only complaint is it feels short and the story a bit rushed, but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ if it doesn't manage to hit most of the beats it wants to hit anyway.”
    • “Kusan's story feels extremely rushed, as characters get introduced and taken out long before you can begin to care about them, almost as if big scenes are missing.”
    • “This game clearly was not made by native English speakers and the story is a bit of a jumbled mess with typos, weird writing, and a sort of unfinished feeling storytelling.”
  • music

    82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    28% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic hip-hop, breakbeat, and electronic beats that complement the cyberpunk aesthetic and fast-paced gameplay. While many find the soundtrack catchy, intense, and fitting for intermissions, some users note that it can be repetitive, feature overly short loops, or feel out of place during certain gameplay segments. Overall, the soundtrack is regarded as a strong, if somewhat polarizing, highlight that enhances the game's atmosphere and style.

    • “Kusan not only looks incredible, but has one of this year's best video game soundtracks.”
    • “The soundtrack is an absolute banger track after track with bass pumping beats that really go along with the fast paced action and is officially one of my favorites.”
    • “Between the stunning comic-inspired presentation, thrilling action, and fantastic music, Kusan: City of Wolves is an easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys stylish action games.”
    • “The music is extremely repetitive and some songs (like the one in the prologue stage) can be extremely annoying, because if you don't like a song, they're all 20 seconds loops of what feels like stock music made with very little effort.”
    • “The music would be solid for the intermission scenes between levels... but being used in the levels it's incredibly out of place, I just turn on some Katana Zero or Hotline Miami music in the background instead.”
    • “Spectacular gameplay, has me wanting to hit S rank every mission replaying each stage over and over, but unfortunately the soundtrack has been a major sour point as I've progressed, by chapter two scene 2 or so I opted to just mute it and listen to my own playlist, definitely gonna finish out the game though for sure.”
  • gameplay

    78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    37% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its fast-paced, fluid, and satisfying combat that evolves the Hotline Miami formula with added mechanics like charged punches, parries, throwable knives, and a customizable upgrade system, offering diverse playstyles. While generally addictive and stylish with intense one-hit-kill combat and varied enemy types, some players note occasional issues with hitboxes, auto-aim, and pacing, particularly in later chapters. Overall, it delivers a brutal, engaging experience that blends action, strategy, and customization for fans of top-down shooters.

    • “Gorgeous art and character design, a good if slightly standard story, a wonderful soundtrack, and that's before I mention the gameplay itself; fluid and satisfying with a few enemy variants and a form of skill system allowing for some playstyle diversity.”
    • “The gameplay is fast, flashy, stylish, and packs a mean punch, with a very fun upgrade system that works like RE4's inventory.”
    • “Brutal, stylish gameplay which will keep you coming back, time and time again, trying to perfectly master your way through rooms filled with different enemy types using a barrage of move sets and weapons.”
    • “That being said, introducing 4 new combat mechanics (6 if you depending on how you define 'new') in the final fight of the game was a lot, considering everything kills you in one hit.”
    • “Even the gameplay flow suffers: minor hitbox issues and delays when restarting stages to chase high ranks disrupt the game’s momentum and accessibility.”
    • “But due to the lock-on system and wonky hitboxes/hit detection for the dogs, the gameplay doesn't feel as fluid as it could be and I feel like I'm getting punished for wanting to do more than the game will allow me.”
  • graphics

    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    28% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions

    The game features a distinctive cyberpunk/furry art style that combines well-executed pixel graphics with comic book–style storytelling, creating a visually striking and atmospheric experience. While some appreciate the stylistic blend and strong character and level designs, a few find the furry aesthetic divisive or the camera zoom disruptive. Overall, the graphics are praised for their style, personality, and smooth integration with the narrative and gameplay.

    • “The visuals are wonderful, great character and level designs.”
    • “The art style is gorgeous, with every scene packed with personality and style.”
    • “I love the switching between comic-book or manga style stories/interludes mixed with the pixel graphics to tell the story, as I felt really enraptured by the flow as the story unfolded.”
    • “Also this is a weird final nitpick but the font in the comics is both hard to read and looks, like the music, incompatible with the aesthetic.”
    • “The "furry art-style" really isn't my cup of tea, and all of the scenes between stages were very obviously made by a furry artist.”
    • “Shame because whatever attention was brought to getting a good story written here, I just can't care about it because of the art style.”
  • character development

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    Character development is visually striking with excellent, stylized character designs and artwork, especially featured in the in-between level comics. However, while the main character has a compelling backstory as a war veteran, the narrative offers minimal growth or development throughout the game. Overall, the strong art and design enhance the experience, though the story's character progression remains relatively standard and limited.

    • “Gorgeous art and character design, a good if slightly standard story, a wonderful soundtrack, and that's before I mention the gameplay itself; fluid and satisfying with a few enemy variants and a form of skill system allowing for some playstyle diversity.”
    • “But where the game really stands out is the overall character design and art in the comics in between levels is 11/10.”
    • “The environment design, animations and character design are well thought out and give a lot of 'juice' to the gameplay (which is increased by the amazing soundtracks).”
    • “Main character, a war veteran and I respect that, but so far there has hardly been any character development and honestly I do not expect to see much of it.”
    • “This is very cyberpunk, with a lot of references to 2077 sprinkled throughout in some of the world-building character design.”
    • “The environment design, animations, and character design are well thought out and give a lot of 'juice' to the gameplay (which is increased by the amazing soundtracks).”
  • optimization

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, -25% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions

    Users generally find the game's performance acceptable but note occasional issues like spike frames and lower-than-expected frame rates on modest setups, suggesting room for optimization improvements. Some also feel the minimum specs are set too high, indicating potential optimization inefficiencies.

    • “No issues with performance, great game!”
    • “Needs some optimization (I'm getting like 30fps at 960x540 - my setup might be old but it shouldn't be struggling, and the minimum specs seem high).”
    • “Feels like there's a small optimization issue with spike frames.”
    • “Needs some optimization; I'm getting like 30fps at 960x540 - my setup might be outdated but it shouldn't be struggling like this and the minimum specs seem too high.”
    • “Performance needs improvement as the game struggles even on setups that should handle it better.”
  • atmosphere

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features a highly immersive and gritty atmosphere enhanced by a distinctive art style and likable characters. This engaging environment greatly contributes to the overall satisfying gameplay experience.

    • “Super gritty atmosphere and very likeable characters.”
    • “The character controls are great, the controls are easy to pick up, and the atmosphere is immersive.”
    • “This game is super satisfying to play and the atmosphere and art style are huge contributors to that.”
  • emotional

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's emotional impact is notable with ambitious themes like PTSD and government control, supported by strong art and music. However, some feel the story is rushed and lacks sufficient development to fully engage emotionally, though the unique comic/manga presentation maintains player interest.

    • “Overall, Kusan boasts stylish visuals, strong art design, and a story with emotional hooks like PTSD and government control.”
    • “The story, while ambitious and emotional, feels rushed; nothing has time to settle or develop.”
    • “The music and art are excellent, and although the story hasn't gripped me emotionally just yet, the way it's presented through a comic/manga art style has me itching for more.”
  • replayability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers solid replayability through its upgrade system and ranking challenges, despite a relatively short main campaign of around six hours. Additionally, the standout soundtrack enhances the overall experience, encouraging multiple playthroughs.

    • “Definitely replayable, and an absolutely killer soundtrack that does not disappoint.”
    • “The upgrade system is neat and allows for some replayability.”
    • “The length of the game felt short (around 6 hours) but I can see the replayability through the ranking system.”
  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game provides a light and charming contrast to its otherwise grim world, offering moments of sweetness and levity through its characters.

  • grinding

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is often seen as tedious and miserable, particularly during the vehicle section and boss fights, which feel clunky and detract from the overall experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Kusan: City of Wolves is a arcade shooter game with violence theme. Common tags for Kusan: City of Wolves include indie, gaming, pixel graphics, cyberpunk, soundtrack and others.

Kusan: City of Wolves is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Kusan: City of Wolves was released on July 30, 2026.

Kusan: City of Wolves was developed by CIRCLEfromDOT.

Kusan: City of Wolves has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Kusan: City of Wolves for its story but disliked it for its character development.

Kusan: City of Wolves is a single player game.

Similar games include OTXO, Suit for Hire, Mr. Shifty, Ruiner, Katana ZERO and others.