Death by Game Show

About

Death by Game Show is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Oointah Games and was released on January 21, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Death by Game Show" is a frantic, couch co-op game where players compete in wacky challenges on a game show set in space. Work together to survive dangerous obstacles, solve puzzles, and defeat rival teams in a race to escape the deadly game show. With a variety of levels and challenges, it's a chaotic and fun party game for up to four players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features a unique and quirky theme with a mix of action and strategy, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate experimental gameplay.
It has a solid series of tutorial levels that help players understand the mechanics, and the game offers a high replayability factor with numerous levels and challenges.
The art style and humor are well-received, with many players finding the writing witty and the overall presentation charming.

The game suffers from a cluttered interface and confusing mechanics, which can be overwhelming for new players and lead to frustration.
There are significant issues with the controls and UI, including a lack of clear instructions and a convoluted item progression system that detracts from the overall experience.
The difficulty spikes in later levels can be discouraging, with some players feeling that the game becomes nearly unbeatable without extensive grinding.

gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
14%
The gameplay is a challenging two-tracked lane-defense experience that combines action, strategy, and puzzle-solving elements, offering a rewarding sense of achievement upon mastering its mechanics. However, players have noted significant issues with the unintuitive user interface and lack of clear tutorials, which can lead to frustration. While the game features engaging power-ups and unlocks, it requires patience and practice to fully enjoy, and improvements in usability and guidance are strongly recommended.
- “The gameplay is quick and action-packed, but still incorporates a degree of strategy and puzzle-solving so that you're rewarded for that 'just one more go' way of approaching this.”
- “It mixes a few genres to create a really addictive gameplay with fantastic style.”
- “The devs were not lying when they said the game is hard; sometimes it will take several attempts just to finish a level as you try and build up the required buildings and power-ups via the 'spins' mechanic to complete a level, but when you do, it feels very satisfying.”
- “However, the UI and the game mechanics are so obscure and unexplained that it kills the game.”
- “This game desperately needs a) proper in-game help with game mechanics well explained b) usability testing and UI improvements c) less infuriating item progression system.”
- “Time limits are again a mechanic which is usually rather annoying than fun, and it's true also in this case, at least in their current ultra-strict configuration.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
50%
20%
The game's graphics are praised for their polished, cartoonish style reminiscent of classic comic annuals, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Players appreciate the vibrant artwork and humorous design, which complement the engaging gameplay without compromising it. Overall, the visuals are seen as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
- “Wonderful action strategy game with cartoon graphics and a Monty Python/Futurama sense of humor.”
- “The graphics in particular evoke memories of my childhood with the Beano-style comic annuals I used to read.”
- “I hope to see more games like this in the future: polished, lovely artwork, sound, and humorous, but not sacrificing gameplay in any way.”
- “The graphics in particular evoke memories as a kid of the Beano-style comic annuals I used to read.”
- “Before the game went on sale, I spotted it in the listings and was attracted to the art style.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is polarizing; some players find it appealing and unique, particularly appreciating its presentation and style reminiscent of "Idiocracy," while others criticize it as simplistic and aimed at less discerning audiences. Additionally, the in-game help is noted for being humorous yet unhelpful, which may frustrate some players. Overall, those who enjoy comedic 2D games are likely to appreciate its quirky humor.
- “I love the presentation, the art, the style (heavily inspired by Idiocracy movie), the humor.”
- “The in-game help is probably the least helpful help I've ever seen (it's funny, yes, but that doesn't help).”
- “If you like funny 2D games, you will love this; very unique to say the least!”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unfun, although some appreciate the developers' responsiveness in making adjustments to reduce grinding and ease difficulty. Despite these changes, many still feel that the difficulty spikes remain excessive, contributing to a frustrating experience.
- “Grinding is not fun.”
- “However, I find the difficulty spike to be pretty ridiculous and the grinding aspect of the game is really tedious.”
- “The developers were extremely responsive to my feedback, and while there haven't been big UI updates (which I understand budget-wise, since this wasn't probably a selling breakthrough), they changed at least a few things (made the game less grindy and probably a bit easier).”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story is complex and requires players to engage deeply with the game world to fully understand it, featuring themes of fake media, robot overlords, and mass mind control, which are subtly conveyed through environmental storytelling.
- “I had to learn to play and even decipher the story and setting.”
- “The signs in the background tell a story of fake media, robot overlords behind the scenes, and mass mind control.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game features decent tracks and voiceovers, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- “The musical tracks and voiceovers were quite decent.”
- “The game features a variety of decent musical tracks and voiceovers.”
- “The soundtrack and voice acting added a nice touch to the overall experience.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers strong replayability through repeated attempts at levels to achieve higher scores, and its quirky gameplay elements keep the experience fresh and engaging, preventing it from becoming monotonous.
- “The replayability of the game comes in the form of trying the same levels over and over to finish them or get a high score. While this may sound dull, the game manages to be quirky enough with the right mixture of different gameplay elements that it never gets stale.”