Have a Nice Death Review Let’s get on with our Have a Nice Death review! I’ve made sure to cover the main elements regarding art design, sound design, gameplay, and characters in the game. Now, I may be biased as …
Let’s get on with our Have a Nice Death review! I’ve made sure to cover the main elements regarding art design, sound design, gameplay, and characters in the game.
Now, I may be biased as a lover of all things spooky and dark, but I absolutely adore this game. It’s incredibly addictive and easy to pick up to play, whether you prefer to experience roguelikes in short bursts or you enjoy the neverending grind!
Have a Nice Death has the usual elements of roguelike games, including selective weapons, abilities, and a limited-time currency. However, what makes this game stand out amongst the others is the overarching story. We’re not saying that the overall lore is extremely deep, but the comedic factor is turned up to 10 at some points – and I love it.
Firstly, I can’t write a Have a Nice Death review without mentioning that you get to play as the official Grim Reaper who goes by the name, Death. Understandably, he’s a pretty busy man, but the introduction of office workers who can do the hard work for him has led to some unfortunate circumstances. With an entertaining cutscene, we find out that Death has shrunk quite a bit due to his daily grind of sitting at his desk stamping papers all day.
As you progress through the game and unlock new interactions with the office workers, similar to Hades, there are a few characters who are just as shocked as you to see Death now standing at a mere few inches. It’s quite an obvious appearance change considering he once loomed over everyone in sight.
I don’t want to spoil too much of the lore or story, so let’s move on to what I actually think of the gameplay. Well, I love it. Again, I’m probably biased as someone who genuinely enjoys the constant grind and repetitiveness of roguelike games – I’m an avid fan of Hades, Cult of the Lamb, and Moonlighter!
The combat is satisfyingly fluid and flashy. You can quickly dash back and forth to dodge enemy attacks and AoE damage, as well as double jump up across platforms to get to your destination more efficiently. Now, I’ll openly admit that I forgot about this quick dash quite a few times when first defeating Brad, but that’s because I was having too much fun trying out the variety of curses and weapons during the fights.
Regarding the weapons and curses that are available in this game, there are a ton of them! It’s easy to find the abilities and weapons that work best for your desired play style. Personally, I like to use the Diss Sycthe for long-range attacks, which can then pull the enemy in closer for fast-paced melee strikes.
You can then find Cloak weapons on certain floors of the building. These are basically your secondary weapons which can be used during battle alongside your main weapon such as a Scythe. My personal choice is the Revelation Bow as it makes defeating airborne enemies much easier! Although, the Slaymore is a fun Cloak weapon to use as it slams into the ground destroying everything in sight.
As well as these additional weapons, you can also obtain curses throughout your run. If you see O’Shah, you’re in luck! He harbors a range of cards that fall under the categories of Blue Cards, Red Cards, or Green Cards. Keep in mind that O’Shah only has 3 cards available each time you visit him, so you need to choose wisely depending on your current loadout.
Moving on to sound and art design, I’ve got a lot to say. I find it oddly amusing that every time you come back to life, you get a fun little jingle as Death lands on his office chair. Just wandering through the main area and the VIP area is a treat to the eyes, with gorgeous hand-drawn art filling the entirety of the screen. That’s another thing I need to touch on – all of the art is hand-drawn! It’s clear to see that the talented team behind the art direction of the game has put a lot of love into the overall style.
Whether it’s the swing of a scythe’s blade or the sound of an arrow quickly shooting bows towards enemies, the sound design is also a great addition to the game. Not only that, but the soundtrack is fantastic – even the main menu music! It wouldn’t be a game focused on the concept of the Grim Reaper without some charmingly haunting songs playing in the background.
As you can tell from this review, I love this game. Sometimes I’ll do a quick run before I go out, or I’ll sit there for hours delving deeper into Death, Inc. I haven’t found anything I dislike at the moment, except for the fact that the game can sometimes stutter for a couple of seconds when loading onto a new floor. However, this isn’t game-breaking, and will probably be patched out with further updates.
Overall, the entire concept of an office building being run by the Grim Reaper, or Death, himself brings a smile to my face. I look forward to making it back to the main area so I can watch the NPCs hold their coffee mugs as they gossip about other members of staff. I think my favourite NPC at the moment is the adorable Pump Quinn who clearly loves her work and is often seen clutching a bunch of papers.
I’ve already recommended this game to everyone that I know, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves roguelike games. Even if you’re not usually a fan of the genre, you should give this one a try purely for the fast-paced combat and comedic situations that pop up throughout the game.
For more information about the game, visit the official website! If my Have a Nice Death review has convinced you to try it out, you can purchase it on Steam or on the Nintendo Store!
