Death's Life

About

Death's Life is a single player casual puzzle game with a horror theme. It was developed by Umbu Games and was released on February 12, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Now you’re the new apprentice for Death. And it's your job to help gather souls. Only thing is, you can't just go and kill people to get the souls, it has to look natural. Like an accident. And that means setting up bottles, knives, brooms, and other regular objects in such a way as to create deadly chain reactions. Try a day in Deaths Life. Dying has never been more fun!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+10

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews

humor10 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features humorous and creative death sequences that provide entertainment after solving each puzzle.
It includes recognizable characters and pop culture references, adding a layer of charm and nostalgia for players.
The trial and error gameplay allows for a relaxed experience, making it accessible for casual gamers.

The graphics and overall production quality are low, making the game feel outdated and visually unappealing.
Gameplay is primarily trial and error, leading to a lack of depth and replayability, with many players finishing it in under two hours.
The controls and interface are overly simplified, which may frustrate players looking for a more engaging and skill-based experience.

gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplistic trial-and-error mechanics, focusing on creating humorous death animations through Rube Goldberg-style puzzles. While some players find enjoyment in its quirky charm, many feel the experience is shallow and lacks depth, with limited gameplay time averaging around 1-2 hours. Overall, it offers a light, snack-like experience that may appeal to those seeking casual fun, but it struggles to maintain engagement beyond its initial novelty.
- “Weirdly enough, I was hooked on its simplistic death trap mechanics. Many smarter people could get it done maybe in thirty minutes, but I was able to find enjoyment here, no matter how small it was.”
- “The gameplay is simple; you move objects between 2-3 set positions in order to create a Rube Goldberg reaction leading to a funny death animation.”
- “When you start the game, objects have 2 positions to choose between. The added steps give extra gameplay with multiple positions, time delays, power switches, breakable objects, and speed decisions.”
- “It's overpriced for what you get, and the gameplay becomes a bit shallow almost immediately, so the only real point is to watch how each death happens.”
- “Gameplay is pure trial and error.”
- “1 hour of gameplay, 2 hours for completionists, biggest win: great style, biggest loss: failure to advance the gameplay through new mechanics.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its dark and morbid undertones, featuring absurd and comical death sequences that result from player-driven chain reactions. While the humor may not resonate with everyone, it is cleverly integrated into the gameplay, with references and amusing character interactions that elicit chuckles. Overall, the combination of simple mechanics and humorous outcomes contributes to a lighthearted yet macabre experience.
- “Morbid and dark sense of humor to it, and that's what makes it fun.”
- “This game plays out like a puzzle/hidden object game, but the end result is you get to murder people in hilariously absurd ways.”
- “The sense of humor in the game is well worked in, with the victims having funny deaths; you'll even see a Breaking Bad reference adding extra to the game.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The graphics have been widely criticized for being below modern standards, with many describing them as cartoonish and lacking detail. Performance issues further detract from the experience, as the visuals fail to support the gameplay effectively, particularly in puzzle-solving scenarios. Overall, the graphics may appeal to casual puzzle game enthusiasts but will likely disappoint players accustomed to high-quality visuals.
- “Graphics are cartoonish but decent.”
- “I recommend it for gamers who like puzzle games but not for those who play FPS or games where the graphics are above everything.”
- “It's far below the state-of-the-art visuals gamers expect as a result of their decisions.”
- “The graphics aren't great and the puzzles are mainly trial and error.”
- “You can't solve visually, because every event is arbitrary (it's not physics-based), and the poor graphics aren't up to the task anyway.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing and charming, while others describe it as annoying and detrimental to the experience. There are suggestions for improvement, particularly in enhancing the tension of the music during critical moments. Overall, the soundtrack seems to evoke a range of emotions, from enjoyment to frustration.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “+ I somewhat found the music charming.”
- “The music I found after a short time unfortunately became extremely annoying, and I quickly turned it off.”
- “Absolute garbage. I was interested in the topic and it seemed fun, but I didn't like it at all. The OST can drive you crazy; I had to turn it off.”
- “When you click to start the killing sequence, the music should be more tense.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's story revolves around the theme of perseverance, as players take on the role of Death's assistant tasked with collecting souls. However, the narrative is criticized for its lack of depth, with some players noting that the absence of a substantial story limits the potential for humor and engagement. Additionally, technical issues can disrupt gameplay, particularly during the final achievement that requires completing the game in one sitting.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “You are Death's new assistant, and your mission is to collect new souls.”
- “You've succeeded in your mission.”
- “But as no story is in the game, the chance of laughs is limited but well worked in.”
- “You are death's new assistant, and your mission is to collect new souls.”
- “For the last achievement, you have to play through in one sitting, which can be a problem because for some people the game will glitch out on a mission and will not advance to the next mission, causing you to have to forcefully shut down the game either from Steam or from Task Manager.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game offers minimal to no replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed in under two hours. As a result, it may not provide enough content to warrant multiple playthroughs, making it less appealing for those seeking a game with lasting engagement.
- “There's zero replayability, and you can probably finish the game in less than 2 hours. That's another problem here.”
- “If you catch it on sale, I wouldn't blame you if you had it in your shopping cart with a bunch of other stuff, just don't expect much replayability.”
- “Doesn't seem to be any replayability.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization has been criticized for its poor performance, especially given that the graphics appear to be prerendered, leading to a jarring experience for players.
- “Also disappointing is the jarringly poor performance, which is particularly disconcerting considering all of the graphics - as best I can tell - are prerendered.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite the impressive visuals, the lack of optimization results in long loading times and crashes that ruin the experience.”