Have a Nice Death is the latest indie exploratory platformer with roguelite elements, but fear not, it’s quite unique. The cynical take on the afterlife combined with sharp visuals and quick, exciting gameplay makes for an enjoyable (and pretty funny) trip through Death Incorporated.
In Have a Nice Death, you play as Death himself. After being overworked for way too long, Death trusts his Sorrows, big buff minions, essentially, to take souls for him as he works a desk job filing paperwork. The Sorrows go a little crazy and start taking far too many souls, forcing a now shrunken Death to step back up to the plate to fix his company. It’s a silly and pleasantly cynical take on the macabre topic of death, juxtaposing the heavy subject matter in the most hilariously drab office environment imaginable.
The gameplay is snappy and quick, with the impact of each hit feeling just right. Platforming feels light but satisfying, and jumping around foes to slash them up from behind is a blast. You can find different weapons and skills to give you different skills and attacks, adding depth to the fairly simple base gameplay. Your timing and speed are important, as dying sends you right back to your paperwork-encumbered desk. You can pick different curses that boost your stats and have other such effects, allowing you to focus on the stats that you feel are most important or most fun to use. There’s just enough depth to make Have a Nice Death feel full, which I appreciate.
Bosses are challenging and intimidating, partially because they’re fairly big compared to your chibi death, and partially because they are relentless. Conquering the Sorrows is no easy task, but you feel immensely powerful after doing so. Using all your gathered skills, abilities, and buffs to take down these powerful foes is gratifying, and the humorous cutscenes that come before and after the fights are a nice cherry on top.
Visually, Have a Nice Death is a treat to look at. The hand-drawn aesthetic has a ton of style and makes for a delightfully smooth experience all-around. The various NPC and enemy designs stand out as memorable, with Death’s co-workers feeling especially unique. One is a stubby man with a knife in his head, while another is seemingly skinless. All around, the designs are great and add even more personality to this already bursting title.
All-in-all, Have a Nice Death is a lot of fun in a morbidly adorable package. It’s just the right amount of challenging, and nice to look at to boot. If you’re already a fan of this exploratory platformer genre, or even just attracted to the grand visual aesthetic, I’d say you won’t regret giving Have a Nice Death a try.
