Breath of Death VII

About

Breath of Death VII is a single player role playing game with a comedy theme. It was developed by Zeboyd Digital Entertainment LLC and was released on July 13, 2011. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

Breath of Death VII is a turn-based RPG with a heavy emphasis on humor and parody. You play as a skeleton hero exploring a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies and other undead creatures. The game features classic RPG elements such as experience points, character development, and dungeon exploration, all presented with a unique and entertaining twist.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,067 reviews

humor339 positive mentions

grinding87 negative mentions

Breath of Death VII is a charming homage to classic JRPGs, filled with humor and clever writing.
The combat system is fast-paced and introduces unique mechanics like a combo system and limited random encounters, making battles engaging.
The game is short and sweet, providing a satisfying experience without overstaying its welcome.

The story is minimal and lacks depth, often relying on references and jokes that may not resonate with all players.
Dungeon design can be tedious and maze-like, leading to frustration during exploration.
Character development is limited, with choices during level-ups sometimes feeling unimpactful.

humor
345 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in "Breath of Death VII: The Beginning" is a standout feature, characterized by playful, self-aware jokes and clever references to classic RPG tropes. While some players find the humor hit-or-miss, many appreciate its lighthearted tone and witty dialogue that keeps the experience engaging. Overall, the game successfully blends nostalgia with a comedic twist, making it enjoyable for fans of retro RPGs.
- “What begins as a simple journey soon becomes a lighthearted romp through the remnants of a dead world, filled with self-aware humor, endearing characters, and surprisingly tight gameplay.”
- “Breath of Death VII stands as a testament to how simplicity, humor, and genuine affection for the genre can come together to create a memorable adventure that’s as fun to play as it is to laugh with.”
- “The humor is playful but never grating; lots of jokes about genre clichés, but also genuine character banter that makes the party memorable.”
- “It's not funny or cute, it's just annoying.”
- “Not funny enough to be a comedy, not RPG enough to be a good RPG.”
- “Doesn't feel like a lot of love was put into this game when you walk through a graveyard and every single tombstone has the same unfunny quip.”
story
290 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The story of *Breath of Death VII* is intentionally simplistic and serves primarily as a vehicle for humor and nostalgic references to classic RPGs like *Dragon Quest* and *Final Fantasy*. While some players appreciate its lighthearted tone and comedic elements, many find the narrative lacking depth, with minimal character development and a linear plot that often feels forgettable. Overall, the game is more focused on gameplay and humor than on delivering a compelling story, making it a fun but shallow experience for those seeking a rich narrative.
- “While Breath of Death VII's story is intentionally simple, its humor and pacing keep it engaging throughout its short runtime.”
- “The story is very funny, with references to other RPGs.”
- “The characters are endearing and fun, the humor and references are spot on, and the story is lighthearted.”
- “The story doesn’t aspire to deep character arcs or dramatic twists, and some players may find it too brief or lightweight compared to the sprawling narratives of the games it references.”
- “The story is terrible.”
- “The story is very silly and full of references to older RPGs.”
gameplay
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay of "Breath of Death VII" is a blend of nostalgic turn-based mechanics and modern innovations, featuring a unique combo system and enemy strength progression that adds depth to battles. While some players appreciate the streamlined design and humor, others criticize the repetitive nature of combat and lack of strategic depth, leading to mixed feelings about its overall engagement. Despite its simplicity and occasional monotony, the game offers a fun, quick experience for fans of classic RPGs, especially at its low price point.
- “It’s a compact, well-designed homage that manages to combine familiar mechanics, brisk pacing, and clever writing into a satisfying experience that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly efficient.”
- “What begins as a simple journey soon becomes a lighthearted romp through the remnants of a dead world, filled with self-aware humor, endearing characters, and surprisingly tight gameplay.”
- “The gameplay features some really nice ideas (like the unite skills, combo boost, random encounter limit, level-up choices, and enemy strength progression during battle) that I liked a lot.”
- “The turn-based combat system is slow and unengaging, leading to repetitive and tedious gameplay.”
- “My biggest complaint is the outdated JRPG gameplay mechanic where just walking around the game gets you into battles.”
- “The writing begins self-aware, with you being in on the joke of how bad it is, but as time-wasting dungeons wear you down it becomes more and more pithy, until it is as subpar as the gameplay itself.”
music
109 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its nostalgic and catchy soundtrack that enhances the retro RPG experience, while others criticize it for being repetitive and uninspired. Some players highlight the energetic battle themes and melodic overworld tracks as standout features, contributing to the game's charm, while a few note the lack of variety and originality in the music. Overall, the soundtrack is generally seen as a strong point, despite some complaints about its repetitiveness and simplicity.
- “The soundtrack, composed by HyperDuck Soundworks, enhances the experience with energetic battle themes and melodic overworld tracks that perfectly capture the spirit of early console RPGs.”
- “The music is both nostalgic and modern, full of catchy rhythms that fit the game’s mix of comedy and adventure.”
- “It's a solid, well-designed retro turn-based RPG with innovative combat design and a very nice soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is uninspired and repetitive.”
- “The music is not great though, and gets pretty repetitive pretty quickly.”
- “The musical background lacks variety.”
graphics
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
The graphics of "Breath of Death VII" are a nostalgic homage to retro 8-bit and 16-bit RPGs, featuring sharp pixel art that captures the classic aesthetic while being updated for modern hardware. However, opinions are mixed; while some appreciate the vibrant visuals and humor, others criticize the simplistic and sometimes uninspired graphics, noting that they can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's visuals evoke a sense of nostalgia but may not appeal to those seeking contemporary graphical fidelity.
- “The presentation of Breath of Death VII, especially in its remastered 'Reanimated' edition, captures the retro aesthetic with vibrant precision.”
- “The visuals are sharp and clean, updated enough to look good on modern hardware without losing their classic charm.”
- “Breath of Death VII is a short and quite simple, but yet so detailed and amazing(!), turn-based RPG in a classic 2D styled graphic.”
- “The graphics and two-frame animations are incredibly basic.”
- “It's built like an old Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest title: four-directional movement on a tiled plane, hub towns that are roughly the same size as your sprite on the overworld map, turn-based combat (which has a design that actually reminds me more of Mother or Earthbound than FF), retro synth music, pixel art graphics, and lots of recolored enemies.”
- “Ugly (even by SNES standards) uninspired graphics.”
grinding
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game receives mixed feedback from players. While some appreciate the streamlined mechanics that reduce tedium—such as automatic health restoration after battles and a finite number of encounters in each area—others find the necessity for grinding to be repetitive and tedious, particularly in longer dungeons. Overall, the game offers a balance where grinding can be quick and manageable, but it may still feel excessive for those not fond of the genre's traditional leveling systems.
- “Turn-based RPG, not too grindy.”
- “A Final Fantasy-like game that requires no grinding whatsoever.”
- “Turn-based, no grinding required, fantasy story with a bit of humor.”
- “But the story doesn’t really hook you, and the progression gets repetitive and tedious.”
- “Unfortunately, that means you have to love grinding through an area until you've killed enough of the same monster to move onto the next area, which will require you to repeat the grinding pattern to move onto the next area, and so forth.”
- “The game started out fun and light, but the difficulty quickly went through the roof which would seem to require hours of mind-numbing grinding to overcome.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with some players noting the presence of alternative modes and character customization options that offer a degree of replay value. While certain features like hard mode and branching paths can enhance the experience, many reviewers feel that the overall replay potential is constrained, often resulting in only a few additional hours of gameplay. Overall, the game provides some replayability, but it may not be enough to sustain long-term interest for all players.
- “Nevertheless, there are other game modes and difficulties to make the overall experience more challenging, which gives the game some replay value.”
- “This is where the game shines in replay value, as there are numerous branching paths that expand organically as you evolve your characters throughout.”
- “Replay value can also be found within this game, as there are multiple hidden dungeons and secret bosses that offer weapons and armor you can't find anywhere else in the game.”
- “No replay value at all and makes me hesitant to try Chthulu Saves the World and Cosmic Star Heroine, both Zeboyd games I have on my Steam account.”
- “Replay value is decent but limited, even with some bonus modes, because despite customized character progression, there aren't enough good choices to theorycraft.”
- “Sadly not much replay value and it feels like an actual numbered game, as if it's in the middle of a series or part of some 'episodic' DLC series.”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while it offers extensive leveling options and creative character designs, many players feel that it lacks depth and variety, with linear storytelling and limited equipment choices detracting from the experience. The humor and dialogue are highlights, but some reviewers noted that these elements sometimes overshadow meaningful character growth. Overall, the potential for diverse character paths exists, yet it often feels underutilized amidst fundamental gameplay issues.
- “Despite its short length, the game excels with creative character development, a good difficulty mix, witty dialogue, and a charming soundtrack.”
- “The amount of options are staggering and can lead character development in wild directions, but even then, I never felt the game become unbalanced.”
- “The game has the same dialogue of humor C'thulu has, with unique and funny character designs.”
- “However, the humor seems kind of thrown together, and it seems to come at the expense of character development.”
- “There is not much character development or a big world to explore; instead, most of my personal enjoyment came from the dialogue and basic gameplay.”
- “The story (as well as most levels) is very linear; there is not much variety to character development and equipment, and only one combat item exists (potions).”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that while "Breath of Death VII" offers a lighthearted and witty experience, its emotional depth is limited due to its parody tone and compact length. However, the game features a surprisingly memorable and impactful ending that resonates with some players, evoking strong emotions despite its brevity. Overall, it balances humor and heartwarming moments, though not all players find the emotional payoff satisfying.
- “An incredibly heroic ending that's surprisingly memorable and emotionally impactful.”
- “The writing is very witty and, while not for everyone, I found it funny and heartwarming.”
- “Awesome RPG, can mess with 20-40$ games; sadly, it's a bit short and the end made me cry ;_;”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The atmosphere of the game is a mixed bag; while it evokes nostalgia with its phantasy star-inspired dungeon design, it lacks the visual payoff of its predecessors. Some players appreciate the entertaining story and humorous tone, finding it fitting for the game's purpose, though others feel it doesn't stand out significantly. Overall, the atmosphere is enjoyable but may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more immersive experience.
- “Fits the atmosphere and its purpose.”
- “It's definitely worth the money; it's nothing special gameplay-wise, but it's entertaining enough with the story and atmosphere.”
- “The phantasy star-inspired dungeon design lacks the visuals and atmospheric payoff that made it worth enduring back in the day.”
- “The gameplay evokes the atmosphere of the past but with modern convenience.”
- “You want a humorous storyline and atmosphere that doesn't take itself too seriously?”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, particularly on the Steam Deck, with most of the experience being bug-free. However, players have reported a notable increase in issues towards the end, including gameplay inconsistencies and freezing problems that disrupt the experience. While there are no major glitches, the frequency of minor bugs and the need for constant button pressing to resume play detract from the overall stability.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “There are no glitches, there is a maximum number of fights for each area, you can save everywhere, and the fighting mechanics are RPG Maker standard (in a good way).”
- “Imagine that every few seconds, the image freezes, and the only way to continue watching is to press the 'A' button between four and seven bazillion times.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which severely impacted my enjoyment of the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its superb performance and excellent optimization, ensuring a smooth gameplay experience. Additionally, players can regain health and some magic points after battles based on their performance, adding to the overall positive experience.
- “The game does run superbly though and is very well optimized.”
- “Oh yeah, you also regain all health and some MP after battles depending on your performance.”

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90%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Xbox Live Indie Review - 'Breath of Death VII: The Beginning'
Worthplaying.com
90%

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6h Median play time

6h Average play time

5-8h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs

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Breath of Death VII is a role playing game with comedy theme.

Breath of Death VII is available on PC, Steam Deck, Windows, Xbox 360 and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Breath of Death VII.

Breath of Death VII was released on July 13, 2011.

Breath of Death VII was developed by Zeboyd Digital Entertainment LLC.

Breath of Death VII has received positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its humor but disliked it for its grinding.

Breath of Death VII is a single player game.

Similar games include Cthulhu Saves the World, Cosmic Star Heroine, Skyborn, Epic Battle Fantasy 4, I am Setsuna and others.

Breath of Death VII

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Xbox Live Indie Review - 'Breath of Death VII: The Beginning'

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