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Have A Nice Death is a fun roguelike that needs more meat on its bonesLean with potential to be really mean
Lean with potential to be really mean
Have A Nice Deathis a roguelike where you take control of an overworked Death, whose employees have ditched their jobs and run amok. You’ll journey into the bowels of your company, find the miscreants, and scythe them back into work.
Despite the game’s grim backdrop, it’s a joyful experience stacked with cracking combat and funny characters. The moreish roguelike hook is there, albeit with some early access hiccups to overcome. Give it some time and it could really shine, but whether it’ll get lost in the Steam release cycle before it even has a chance to fill out remains to be seen.
Have a Nice Death | Early Access Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube
Have a Nice Death | Early Access Launch Trailer
You might be thinking it, but Have A Nice Death isn’t much likeHollow Knight, really. It’s more of a mash-up betweenDead CellsandHades, in the way you’re slicing through progressively difficult 2D stages and uncovering bits of story in the process. You upgrade as you go, and you go as far as you can, selecting stages that’ll best complement your ever-evolving build.
While Have A Nice Death’s story doesn’t strike me anywhere near as deep or complex as Hades, it still motivates in a similar way: you’re keen to meet these employees of yours and give them a whooping. Early on you encounter Brad, a burly security guard who reclines with a bit of bat and ball. He’s just sitting there, relaxing, while you’re working overtime to even make it down to his workspace. It’s easy stepping into Death’s shoes at this stage and letting your scythe set him straight.
And over successive runs, the game will drip-feed you new interactions, many designed to keep your runs fresh with… mixed results. There’s a coffin that’ll offer you incremental upgrades and a weird dude with post-it notes plastered all over his head that can tinker with your scythe. You’ll stumble into a shop, too, with a few bits and pieces on offer. Many of these characters are quirky and fun, albeit with wares that aren’t super clear on whether they’re permanent or temporary. Spend a valuable chunk of Prismium (a super rare resource) on a new slot for the shop and it’ll disappear on the next run, which seems a bit much.
Teething issues aside, the game’s roguelike battling is wonderful. The combat is super crisp, with movement that’s precise and responsive. Death has a zippy dash that feels great and he’s lithe with that scythe, capable of slashing upwards, downwards, and hanging in mid-air for some flashy aerial antics. Couple this a variety of collectible weapons - of which, you can wield up to three at a time – and you’ve got serious combo potential here.
Despite some minor annoyances, Have A Nice Death is a good, if familiar, time. Aside from its charming art style and premise, other roguelikes have it beat on sheer wealth of “stuff you can come across and collect and eat”. But the game is a Steam Early Access title, after all, so it will only continue to add more challenges, bosses, and zany characters. Given some time, it definitely has the potential to compete with the big boys. Death’s a joy to scythe around with, so I just hope he doesn’t get lost in the endless churn of the video game release schedule.
