MDK Was Ahead Of Its Time and Deserves A Remake

MDK came out way back in 1997. It was one of the few games that could run at a constant 30fps, and featured 3D animation that was far ahead of its competitors. In fact, the developers made their own programming language, and were one of the first companies to use motion capture technology for their games.

The Game

MDK is a third-person sci-fi shooter that had incredible 3D graphics and a run and gun playstyle. The hero, Kurt Hectic, has to save Earth from an alien invasion using his coil suit and sniper rifle. Along for the ride are the mad inventor Doctor Fluke Hawkins, and genetically modified six-legged dog, Max. The coil suit offers protection to Kurt and features an integrated machine gun with limitless ammo that can become a sniper rifle when attached to his helmet. Other interesting features are the ribbon chute, which allows the player to glide and catch updrafts, and unique pickups.

The Story

As far as the premise, Doctor Hawkins built a space station called the Jim Dandy to get away from his critics on Earth and took his janitor, Kurt, along to clean up for him. An invading alien force arrives through light steams in space and decides to strip it bare using large city Minecrawlers, similar to the mobile cities in the Mortal Engines movie. Kurt, then, is Earth's only hope for survival. He suits up and descends to earth on a mission to destroy the Minecrawlers and all their inhabitants.

Each mission starts with him freefalling to Earth and trying to avoid the Minecrawlers' radars and missiles. Once he lands, he has to battle his way through different levels - fighting enemies and solving puzzles. The enemies range from grunts to robots, tanks, sentry-drones, spaceships, with every Minecrawler having a boss to fight at the end of the stage. One of the unique aspects of MDK is the grunt generator. It's a machine that continuously respawns enemies and has to be destroyed if you want to get past. There are also platform-style obstacles to overcome by jumping or gliding, as well as the ability to get special weapons and health pickups.

Gameplay

The sniping aspect is a big part of the game and is also unique compared to most other games. Many stages and boss battles are completely reliant on sniping, especially using the different types of sniper ammo and the 100x zoom mode. Sniper grenades can function as mortars flying through gaps and detonating like grenades, while homing ammo locks onto the target. Sniping mode brings up a HUD, which displays the health, zoom levels, and ammunition type. There are also three "bullet cams," which track each shot you fire to show where they land.

Each level was developed by a different designer, and had a unique aesthetic to it. One has open desert-like areas, one has Kurt on a snowboard on ice, and yet another has a space station vibe. There is also a lot of humor in the game, with some enemies hiding in fear instead of fighting and weapons like the world's "smallest nuclear explosion." For its time, the game was also very detailed, and Kurt could shoot individual limbs off enemies.

Development

MDK was the brainchild of Nick Bruty, who'd previously worked on family-friendly games like The Jungle Book, Aladdin, and the Earthworm Jim series. As a fan of the Alien movies, he loved science fiction and wanted to make something action-packed. The first-person shooter genre was already in full effect, and games like Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem were dominating the market. He wanted to go in a different direction and use a third-person perspective so players could actually see all the character's unique movements and fluidity. 3D graphics were also still in their infancy, and he had to develop the game for PC because the consoles as the time weren't capable.

The Name

In the beginning, there was a lot of confusion as to what the letters MDK stand for. Some said it was "Murder, Death, Kill," and others said it was the initials of the character's names, "Max, Dr. Hawkins, Kurt." The developers said it stood for whatever they felt like, including "Mother's Day Kisses," and "Mission Deliver Kindness." It was only in 2011 when Nick Bruty confirmed that it stood for "Murder, Death, Kill." They shortened the original name because it could have impacted sales for the planned toy range.

The End

The game was incredibly pretty when it was released, and received excellent reviews for its graphics, fluid gameplay, and fun factor. It was also something original and didn't follow the usual first-person style that was so popular at the time. From a technical standpoint, it could run at a constant 30fps framerate and advanced enemy AI compared to other games. The game was ported to the PlayStation and also had a much less successful sequel. MDK's style and gameplay would still stand out today, and it's a game that deserves to be updated for the modern generation.

Sources: Gamefabrique, Wikipedia