Shank is a 2D side-scrolling hack and slash video game developed by Canadian independent studio Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts in 2010.

The player can collect temporary-use weaponry from fallen enemies, such as machine guns, rifles and hand grenades.

Some acrobatic abilities can also be performed, such as swinging from lampposts or other tall structures, and running along the front of things such as billboards.

The Butcher (voiced by Dave White) was supposed to lose the fight, but the wrestler instead decides to defeat his opponent El Raton.

[6] The single player campaign begins as Shank walks into a bar looking for vengeance for Eva, his murdered girlfriend.

In a nearby bar he encounters a man from the Venom gang named Mello (voiced by Eric Reidman) who has information.

The player learns through another flashback that Shank used to be part of a cartel mob ruled by a man named Cesar.

[3] The idea for the game was created by Jeff Agala and Klei Entertainment CEO Jamie Cheng.

[9] Klei Entertainment artist Meghan Shaw was responsible for conceptualizing the level design for the game.

[3] The team used a combination of level and effects tools along with a custom flash pipeline for the animators to build assets in.

[3] The art style was influenced by Golden Age comics, Saturday morning cartoons and graphic novels.

[10] On August 5, 2010, Klei Entertainment announced that they would release Shank original soundtrack for free to download on their official website, if 1,500 people joined their community on Facebook.

Subsequently, the full soundtrack was remastered to be "suitable for consumption" and released free of charge on August 23, 2010.

"[20] Joystiq's Justin McElroy stated "animations are so smooth between attacks that you scarcely get to enjoy snuffing out one human life before you're on to stabbing the next soon-to-be-ghost.

"[24] Tom Mc Shea of GameSpot agreed, adding "colorful visuals and well-crafted cutscenes add a lot to the experience.

"[25] McElroy was more forgiving, stating that the blood and gore has "a great Americanime, Samurai Jack-esque style that makes the murder look cool but never so real that you wonder about the families of the people you're beating to death.

"[24] Sharkey expressed approval, stating Shank is "bloody, violent, adolescently indulgent, and absolutely beautiful in execution.

"[21] A review by GameTrailers called Shank "a savage Saturday morning cartoon filled with blood, boobs and Berettas.

"[22] While some reviewers gave high marks for the game's control scheme and responsiveness, others expressed frustration with the same issues.

Sharkey lauded the controls, saying they were "split-second responsive even with the absurd amount of lovingly rendered action happening on screen.

[23] GameTrailers' review likened the game to a cartoon series, then called it a "short season, [...] one that you can finish in a single sitting.

[31] The sequel was released in February 2012 for the same platforms (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), also developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.

Klei Entertainment's Jamie Cheng said: "What we did was rip the game apart and reconstruct it to allow us to have more responsive controls and better graphics.

With his mentor figure Cesar dead, Shank heads back home to find that the cartels have been replaced by a military regime and his foster family is fighting to oppose the general who is slowly dying.

When Shank attempts to break past a military checkpoint, he becomes embroiled in a battle between the rebels and the army.