Wild 9 is a Shiny Entertainment PS1 action-platformer featuring Wex Minor and his versatile grappling hook. Capture enemies to use as weapons or throw them at others. Dark humor and zany sci-fi universe. An original and overlooked niche title on PS1.
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Category
Platformer1 player12+
Description
Western Shiny Entertainment action platformer, where cybernetic hero Wex returns to Earth via dimensional portal to free his friends. Created by Shiny Entertainment and Interplay, released in 1998 in the United States and Europe under the Wild 9 title. Over nine 3D platforming-and-combat worlds, magnetic Rig lasso gameplay to grab and throw enemies, over fifteen cybernetic enemies with specific behaviors, Dave Perry character design and electronic rock soundtrack. Western edition under the Wild 9 title.
Wild 9 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
An action-platformer by Shiny Entertainment, Wild 9 unfolds a dark, edgy and original art direction, running counter to the usual colorful platformer. The hero Wex, his weapon the Rig that can grab and torture enemies, and his industrial, surreal settings make a strange, aggressive world full of personality. The readability of the action and the offbeat design serve the game's adult, violent tone. A striking, bold rendering, singular in the genre.
Wild 9's soundtrack accompanies its dark action with edgy, menacing rock and electronic music. Distorted riffs, industrial rhythms and unsettling pads match the game's aggressive, surreal world, reinforcing its adult tone. This energetic, atmospheric score contrasts with the platformer's usual lightness, serving the title's singularity. A punchy, coherent backing, matching the game's visual boldness.
Wild 9 unfolds a dark, atypical science-fiction story, following Wex, leader of a band of nine young rebels with special powers, fighting the galactic tyrant Karn. Far from the classic platformer's naivety, the story embraces a mature tone, stylized violence and singular dark humor. This strange world and its offbeat cast give the game a strong personality, apart in the catalog. Bold writing, in the image of its art direction.
A Shiny action-platformer with a subversive tone, built around a beam weapon that twists and crushes enemies, an unusual concept for the time. Still common in the West, its interest lies in this singular mechanical-torture mechanic and the studio's cachet rather than scarcity. An affordable curiosity for fans of offbeat late-1990s action.
Is Wild 9 still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 1998 on PS1, Shiny Entertainment's project signed Dave Perry offers a very original 2.5D action platformer around the young Wex equipped with a telekinetic beam. The kinetic cartoon staging, the enemies that have to be lifted, hurled and exploded onto the environment install a real singularity. The synthetic music and the irreverent humour keep a tenacious charm. The camera and some platforming have aged. Recommended today for Shiny Entertainment devotees, for Dave Perry fans curious about an original signature and for PS1 collectors fond of off beat 2D action on Sony's first home console hardware globally.
