Shank 2

Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.

Very Positive · 83%Very Positive · 83%2012

$9.99

US Steam price, checked 2 h ago

The verdict

A fast, stylish, gory 2D brawler with great art and a fun co-op survival mode, but short with a weak story. Skip it if you loved Shank 1's co-op campaign or dislike its controls.

Great for

Fans of Shank 1, retro beat 'em ups and gore who have a controller and a co-op friend

Main risk

Clunky controls, harsh difficulty and no co-op campaign make it feel like a downgrade from Shank 1

What players love

Improved over Shank 1

Mentioned in ~1 in 4 positive reviews

“Shank 2 improves upon its predecessor in almost every way.”
Steam review · 21.3 h played ↗

“The second one is better than the first. It became faster, prettier and less corridor-like.”
Steam review · translated · 71.2 h played ↗

Fast, fluid, brutal combat

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews

“The counter system and mid-combo weapon switching make chaining kills genuinely satisfying”
Steam review · 30.9 h played ↗

“much better gameplay that doesn't feel clunky like in first game”
Steam review · 3.2 h played ↗

“Bone-crushing, hard-hitting action, a flexible combat system and a great look”
Steam review · translated · 1.5 h played ↗

Fun co-op survival mode

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews

“the real beautiful core of this game is in the survival mode, which is one of the most delightful co-op experiences I've ever had”
Steam review · 41.1 h played ↗

“the best and most enjoyable part of the game was it's survival mode!You are gonna absolutely enjoy it with a buddy”
Steam review · 26.8 h played ↗

Gorgeous hand-drawn comic art style

Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews

“The hand-drawn comic-book art style looks fantastic”
Steam review · 11.5 h played ↗

“the visual style and artwork are very pleasant (as if everything was drawn in ink)”
Steam review · translated · 4.9 h played ↗

Nostalgic, still holds up

Mentioned in ~1 in 8 positive reviews

“played it 10 years ago, loved it, still holds up”
Steam review · 0.5 h played ↗

“the game is still awesome! I happily carved up people like in the old days)”
Steam review · translated · 4 h played ↗

Cheap, short and fun

Mentioned in ~1 in 25 positive reviews

“Short game, enjoyable throughout. Will recommend anyone interested in this pick it up on a sale and you won't regret it.”
Steam review · 4.8 h played ↗

What players complain about

Worse than Shank 1

Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews

“worse dash, worse gameplay, worse bosses, worse story tldr play shank 1 instead”
Steam review · 3.7 h played ↗

“It's worse than Shank 1 in every single way.”
Steam review · 5.3 h played ↗

Clunky, awkward controls

Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews

“And why the hell would you move the doge to 'second thumbstick'?”
Steam review · 5.5 h played ↗

“the controls are as crooked and unresponsive as possible, the character moves with noticeable lag”
Steam review · translated · 1.3 h played ↗

“Attack direction is always toward mouse position.”
Steam review · 0.2 h played ↗

Weak, forgettable story

Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews

“the story is the worst”
Steam review · 16.4 h played ↗

Frustrating difficulty and bosses

Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews

“you die not because of clumsy hands but because one boss attack takes over half your HP”
Steam review · translated · 3.1 h played ↗

“Shank 2 isn't just difficult, it's frustratingly difficult.”
Steam review · 7.7 h played ↗

No co-op campaign

Mentioned in ~1 in 13 negative reviews

“I bought this specifically for the co-op, so if thats what youre here for, look elsewhere, you will be disappointed.”
Steam review · 0.9 h played ↗

“the ability to play together is gone (not to mention a separate co-op campaign)”
Steam review · translated · 5.6 h played ↗

Few checkpoints, no mid-level saves

Mentioned in ~1 in 17 negative reviews

“it has a HUGE problem: the checkpoints.”
Steam review · 16 h played ↗

“This game in hard mode has so so rare checkpoint to save game.”
Steam review · 1.3 h played ↗

System requirements

From the Steam store page

Steam Deck: Verified

Minimum

OSWindows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1

ProcessorIntel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) running at 2.4GHz or greater; AMD Athlon 64 (or equivalent) running at 2.4GHz or greater

Memory1.5 GB or greater

GraphicsNVIDIA Geforce 6800 Ultra (256MB) or ATI Radeon X1950 PRO (256MB) or greater

Storage1.5 GB

OSWindows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1

ProcessorIntel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) running at 2.4GHz or greater; AMD Athlon 64 (or equivalent) running at 2.4GHz or greater

Memory1.5 GB or greater

GraphicsNVIDIA Geforce 6800 Ultra (256MB) or ATI Radeon X1950 PRO (256MB) or greater

Storage1.5 GB

More games to check

Other games we’ve read the reviews for

See all →

−25%

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion

Very Positive · 88%

+ Nostalgic arcade feel and Marvel fan service

− Too short and little replay value

analyzed 3 h ago

Lost Castle 2

Mostly Positive · 78%

+ Great couch and online co-op fun

− Unstable online multiplayer, no rejoin

analyzed 23 h ago

Rampage Knights

Very Positive · 93%

+ Great co-op with a friend

− Clunky controls and hit detection

analyzed 1 d ago

Megabyte Punch

Very Positive · 94%

+ Deep robot part customization

− Repetitive, bland levels and gameplay

analyzed 2 d ago

Weekly digest

Fresh games worth a look, in your inbox

The most interesting games we’ve just analyzed, once a week.Once a week we send the most interesting games we’ve just analyzed: the verdict, top pros and cons, and what changed. No spam.

One email a week · unsubscribe in one click