Death Penalty: Beginning

About

Death Penalty: Beginning is a single player survival role playing game with a violence theme. It was developed by VI GAMES LLC and was released on January 23, 2017. It received negative reviews from players.

In Death Penalty: Beginning, you follow Alice, a skilled agent whose plane crashes in a hostile zone inhabited by victims of brutal experiments turned hyper-aggressive. Trapped in this dangerous environment, she must navigate relentless threats while uncovering the grim truth behind the chaos. Prepare for intense action in a chaotic, unforgiving world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Audience ScoreBased on 77 reviews

music5 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The music selection is surprisingly good and catchy, providing some enjoyment during gameplay.
The game features a large, open world that allows for exploration, which could be appealing to some players.
There are moments of humor in the voice acting and dialogue that may entertain players despite the overall quality.

The game is riddled with bugs, poor optimization, and performance issues, making it nearly unplayable.
The gameplay is generic and lacks direction, with many players feeling lost and frustrated by invisible walls and unclear objectives.
The developer has a history of revoking game keys without explanation, leading to distrust among players.

music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The music in the game is primarily pop rock, featuring tracks from indie bands that players find catchy and enjoyable, though it can become repetitive. However, the volume often drowns out dialogue and sound effects, leading to frustration as players struggle to hear important instructions. Overall, while the music is a highlight, its execution detracts from the overall experience due to poor audio balance.
- “Music selection is surprisingly good though.”
- “You can toggle between the music tracks with the 2 key and disable them with the 3 key. The game even pops up cover art and band/track info in the corner of the screen, which is a nice touch that you don't often see in games. The songs weren't bad, and I'd say they were the best part of the game.”
- “I mean, sure, the music is mostly nice.”
- “We're blasted with pop rock music throughout most of the game; it feels like I'm playing the game in some teenage boy's room.”
- “I mean really... you're a girl in the desert (or cave) fighting off zombies and giant spiders to poor performance lag to what I'm guessing is punk rock music.”
- “Constantly plays one song so loudly that you can't hear the characters speak, handles terribly, and is just generic UE4 models staggering or sprinting toward you like some zombies as you walk through a dimly-lit cave.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its generic mechanics, tedious checkpoint system, and lack of engaging content, often reducing the experience to monotonous tasks like running from point A to B and battling hordes of zombies. Players have noted issues with vehicle controls and overall sluggishness, leading to a frustrating and uninspired gaming experience. Despite some potential for improvement, many reviewers express little interest in revisiting the game due to its current state.
- “The gameplay is far less than titillating; essentially a 'run from point A to point B' event with some minor vehicle driving and minimal combat.”
- “The majority of the gameplay is running to checkpoints that are too far away, possibly to force the use of vehicles that are either bugged or require an item from the shop which doesn't have English language text.”
- “This could be good, eventually, although I'm mainly basing that on finding the voice acting amusing; if sprint gets patched in the opening sections in the next couple of days, I probably won't return it.”
- “The shooting mechanics are generic.”
- “Terrible gameplay, worse voice acting... it's just all around awful.”
- “The majority of the gameplay is running to checkpoints that are too far away (possibly to force the use of vehicles that are either bugged or I don't know how to use them because they require an item from the shop which doesn't have English language text) & without the vehicles it is just a war of attrition between swathes of zombie assets/some sort of ant or spider, the horrific aiming & the sheer mind numbing boredom of it all.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, leading to significant performance drops, especially in areas with high activity like caves filled with zombies. Players report poor graphics quality, numerous glitches, and a lack of adjustable settings, making it unplayable on various PC configurations. Overall, the game is criticized for its technical issues and inadequate optimization, leaving it in a frustrating state.
- “The optimization of the game is crucial, as it significantly impacts performance during intense moments.”
- “This game serves as a great example of how optimization can make or break the experience, especially in resource-heavy environments.”
- “While the graphics are impressive, the optimization feels like it hasn't evolved much since 2015.”
- “There are several zombies in the cave and all this activity causes your performance to drop like a stone.”
- “After finally managing to bring it to a working state, this game is not optimized to run on any level of PC, and has massive graphical and technical issues.”
- “The game is very poorly optimized, incredibly glitchy, and unusually loud - without a mute sound or volume button - (really??) I do not at all endorse this game; maybe with a major overhaul it could be at least playable.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The story is criticized for being poorly developed and lacking context, with a disjointed narrative that begins with a plane crash and exploration of a desert. Reviewers express frustration over the absence of a coherent plot, suggesting that even minimal storytelling could have improved the overall experience.
- “However, that is not where the story ends.”
- “If I at least had that, I can easily deal with update after update and watch the story unfold.”
- “So, here I am again, trying to recall what I had written for this asset flip garbage years ago... the text has a lot of grammar errors, and the story starts off with you playing a character whose plane crashes and you are stuck exploring a desert.”
- “- no context or story at all”
- “As with similar games, this would be an open and shut case; another asset flop on Steam and the story ends.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized for being subpar, with many users noting poor visual quality and significant technical issues. Additionally, the game suffers from optimization problems, making it difficult to run smoothly on various PC setups. Overall, the visuals fail to impress and detract from the gaming experience.
- “The visuals have nothing special to them.”
- “The graphics are bad.”
- “After finally managing to bring it to a working state, this game is not optimized to run on any level of PC, and has massive graphical and technical issues.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for being buggy and frustrating, particularly with the dune buggy mechanics, which can leave players stranded if it flips or runs out of gas. Users express disappointment, suggesting that the game's issues may not be resolved even with future patches during early access.
- “Buggy and pointless.”
- “Maybe I had to go over the land some more, but a few times I tried, it was too steep and if the dune buggy flips or runs out of gas, you're stuck on foot.”
- “I have previously written that the Doctor Watson games were so buggy and boring that it felt like it was actually being aggressive towards me for paying for the game. This may get added to that list; who knows if patches during early access will save it from the fate of some guy not thinking it's any good; time will tell.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional impact, with moments that evoke deep feelings, such as tears in response to significant stakes within the game's narrative.
- “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- “The story's depth made me feel a profound connection to the characters, leaving me emotionally drained yet fulfilled.”
- “I found myself reflecting on my own life choices as the game unfolded, which is a testament to its emotional impact.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by unintentionally funny voice acting and scripting, particularly during a lengthy and unskippable opening cutscene. While some moments elicit laughter, the overall experience is marred by a lack of context and slow pacing, which detracts from the comedic potential.
- “The opening cutscene is surprisingly cinematic, featuring unintentionally hilarious English voice acting and scripting that adds a unique charm to the experience.”
- “The voice acting is so over-the-top that it becomes a source of laughter, especially when you find yourself wandering aimlessly with no clear direction.”
- “The combination of absurd situations and quirky dialogue keeps the humor alive, making even the slow moments entertaining.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express disappointment with the monetization strategy, feeling that the game's advertisements are misleading and do not accurately represent the actual gameplay experience.
- “For actual gameplay instead of the false and misleading advertisements, check out the video below.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that the atmosphere could be significantly enhanced with more immersive audio elements, such as the sounds of shifting desert sands or echoes in caves, to create a more engaging environment.
- “I'd much prefer more atmospheric audio like desert sands shifting when in the desert, or droplets and hollow echoes in the cave for a better effect.”