Kileak: The DNA Imperative is a First Person / Mecha Game released for the PlayStation in 1995.
In 2038, an outbreak of a biological viral strain had occured in an antarctic genetics research facility, triggered by the facility's head researcher Dr. Kim. Allegedly the head researcher of the facility's main project, codenamed Kileak, Dr. Kim turns out to be leader of a terrorist organization employing his own mech army, and the titular Kileak project, recovered from the fossilized remains of an extraterrestrial creature, turns out to be allegedly the ancestor to all life on Earth.
Matt Coda, leader of the International Peacekeeping Force's White Lightning team and an expert pilot of an SJ-107 Assault Suit. When Matt's transport is shot down in the South Pole, he bails in the SJ-107 and infiltrates Dr. Kim's Antarctic hideout. Now, Matt must stop Dr. Kim's terrorist organization who wants the Kileak DNA to Take Over the World.
A sequel titled Epidemic (Kileak: The Blood 2: Reason in Madness) is released in 1997, also for the PlayStation. Like the previous game, Epidemic is also a mech-themed action game from a first-person perspective.
The sequel is set decades later in 2065, starring Matt's son, Masao Coda as another pilot. A viral outbreak has occured in Neural City, the city's dominating supercomputer, Sirus, to seal everyone behind the city's walls. Masao suspects something is amiss and sets off to investigate with a SX-911 prototype mech suit.Both games have obtained a bit of a cult following ever since their release.
The Kileak duology contains examples of:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The first game is set in a crapsack version of 2038, several decades after it's publication (1995). The sequel is set another 27 years after.
- After the End: The sequel is set 27 years after a deadly viral epidemic wiped out most of the city's populations, and the survivors are struggling as a powerful MegaCorp takes over everything.
- Alliterative Family: The heroes of both game, Matt and Masao Coda. They're father and son.
- Anti-Air: In the original, Matt's SJ-107 attempts a landing on the South Pole base but was unsuccessful because of Dr. Kim's base being installed with SAM launchers.
- Arm Cannon: The SJ-107 and SX-911 has guns in place for arms.
- Attack Drone: Most early enemies in both games are hovering, drone-like pods, either on mini-helicopters or booster packs. Despite being a lot smaller than the SJ-107 and SX-911 they're surprisingly durable.
- Attack of the Monster Appendage: DNA Imperative game have tentacles and pincers sticking out the walls and ground in the game's middle half, set entirely within a cavern. These appendages can be exploded (at which point they slink back their holes, never to be seen again) but their owners are unseen.
- City in a Bottle: Neural City is sealed off from the world outside because of the Gigari virus.
- Critical Annoyance: When your energy level hits below 25%, the game will repeatedly announce "Battery Low!"
- Cut and Paste Environments: All over the place in both games, where almost each and every room and corridor looks the same! There are occasional stages which uses a new environment though, like suddenly sending the player to a mine tunnel.
- Distant Sequel: In-universe, 27 years have passed between DNA Imperative and Epidemic.
- Enemy-Detecting Radar: There's one onscreen in both games, thanks to the SJ-107 and SX-911 being a mech with it's own built-in radar.
- Happy Ending Override: Matt stops the Kileak virus from wiping out the world at DNA Imperative's conclusion. The sequel then reveals the apocalypse happens anyways, several decades later, and now Matt's son Masao must finish off what his father started.
- Have a Nice Death: Die in either game, and you're treated to a cutscene of the SJ-107 / SX-911 exploding, slooooowly bit by bit, Matt / Masao trapped in the cockpit screaming in agony as the whole thing blows. Then, a huge GAME OVER bursts out of the explosion and fills the screen.
- Homing Projectile: The SJ-107 and SX-911 can be upgraded into having a homing cannon, rapid-firing rounds that targets the closest enemy.
- I Am the Noun: The original game, when Kileak reveals itself to be sentient.Coda, can't you see the truth? Your lifeform began long after the comet that destroyed my civilization. I am Kileak. I was the beginning. And I am the end.
- Live-Action Cutscene: In the second game, between levels.
- Mecha-Mooks: Robots are basic, recurring enemies of both games, appearing in a regular basis in various sizes.
- Mission Control: The original game have Carlos serving this role to Matt, relaying information via intercom in cutscenes.
- Reclaimed by Nature: The sequel have every stage set indoors, until completing the final level. You then get a cutscene of New York, in the aftermath of the titular Epidemic, where the whole city is now overgrown with plants and vines, with the Statue of Liberty half-buried in all that green.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: What Kileak amounts to be in DNA Imperative. Until Dr. Kim opens that can, of course.
- Spider Tank: Hydra-Taran, who resembles a daddy-longlegs spider (extremely long and spindly legs, with a tiny pod for a body) shows up as a boss in DNA Imperative.
- Starfish Aliens: Hydra-Amin is a gigantic reptilian brain-thing on long, spindly legs, with a gigantic tail acting like a proboscis.
- Stationary Boss: After Kileak assimilates Dr. Kim and turns into a One-Winged Angel form, attached to a wall where it's main attack consists of spamming projectiles from a fixed position.
- Walking Tank: The SJ-107 and SX-911 in the games, a bipedal machine piloted respectively by Matt or Masao.
