To Be or Not To Be

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 175 reviews
  • humor
  • story
  • music
To Be or Not To Be Game Cover
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"To Be Or Not To Be" is an interactive, non-linear game based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, written by Ryan North and featuring art from notable webcomic artists. You can guide different characters, such as Hamlet or Ophelia, through their own storylines, leading to often humorous deaths. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, with multiple outcomes depending on your choices. The game showcases North's wit and the unique art style of various talented contributors.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 175 reviews
humor101 positive mentions
gameplay2 negative mentions
  • The game offers a humorous and irreverent take on Hamlet, making it enjoyable for both fans of Shakespeare and newcomers.
  • There are numerous branching paths and endings, providing high replay value and encouraging exploration of different storylines.
  • The art and voice acting are well-received, adding to the overall charm and engagement of the game.
  • The checkpoint system is poorly designed, making it tedious to backtrack and explore different choices without having to replay large sections of the game.
  • The humor can be hit or miss, with some players finding it overly simplistic or not funny, leading to a lack of engagement.
  • The narrator's condescending tone and frequent interruptions can detract from the experience, making players feel belittled for their choices.
  • humor103 mentions

    The humor in "To Be or Not to Be" is widely praised for its cleverness and irreverence, often drawing comparisons to the style of the Reduced Shakespeare Company and the author's previous work in webcomics. Many players found themselves laughing out loud at the game's witty writing and unexpected twists, although some noted that the humor may not resonate with everyone, particularly those unfamiliar with Hamlet or Ryan North's comedic style. Overall, the game is considered a hilarious and engaging reinterpretation of the classic play, with a variety of endings that enhance its replayability.

    • “The humor in this is wonderful, the choices vast and varied, and the whole experience is fantastic.”
    • “I couldn't stop laughing and smiling like a goof pretty much the whole time.”
    • “To be or not to be is an awesome and hilarious interactive novel with dozens of story paths and over 100 endings, each one beautifully and humorously illustrated by a wide variety of artists.”
    • “Some people will say it's not funny.”
    • “Unless that was supposed to be funny, which leads me to my next criticism: the humor.”
  • story73 mentions

    The story of "To Be or Not To Be" is a humorous and creative parody of Shakespeare's Hamlet, offering players a chance to explore various absurd and entertaining storylines while maintaining a playful relationship with the original text. While the game features numerous branching paths and endings, some players noted that the checkpoints are poorly placed, making navigation cumbersome. Overall, the narrative is engaging and accessible, appealing to both fans of Hamlet and newcomers alike, though it sometimes sacrifices depth for comedic effect.

    • “This game is to Hamlet what Galaxy Quest is to Star Trek - it's 100% making fun of Hamlet, but it's also clearly made by people who love the play as much as I do.”
    • “Marvelous storytelling, great love for the literature subject, nice jokes, exciting plot twists, and stew.”
    • “The great thing about this game is you don't really have to know much about Shakespeare or Hamlet to get into the storyline, but if you do, it just makes it even funnier.”
    • “The checkpoints you can use to restart your story don't make any sense.”
    • “The content itself is fine and can be fun, but the whole checkpoints thing is really bad for a 'choose your own adventure' story.”
    • “Adventure games are to make the players engage in the story, but this is just a painstaking buffoonery that is hard to follow.”
  • music17 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its fitting background themes and humorous elements, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of volume control options. Although the soundtrack enhances the experience, many users find it too loud compared to the narration, leading to a preference for turning off the narration altogether. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, its execution leaves room for improvement.

    • “Very humorous and enjoyable game, with nice art and soundtrack.”
    • “The art is enjoyable, as is the music (my favorite thus far is the 80's montage music for the montage scene), and my only complaint is that some sections will briefly circle back to decisions you had made earlier.”
    • “The music also is quite good and matches well the sequence that you are reading whenever it changes.”
    • “The set of songs in the background is far too repetitive.”
    • “The music and narration volumes cannot be controlled.”
    • “The music is too loud and there aren't any modifiers to make it quieter unless you turn it off.”
  • graphics12 mentions

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the engaging and humorous artwork, particularly noting contributions from renowned comic artists. However, others criticize the overall quality as merely passable and point out that the artwork is sparse and primarily serves as non-essential rewards rather than enhancing the gameplay experience. While the user interface is easy to navigate, the lack of in-game access to the artwork diminishes its value for players hoping to enjoy a more immersive visual experience.

    • “Thoroughly engaging, surprisingly funny, and with stupidly entertaining artwork.”
    • “The artwork is great, the sense of humor is funny, and the user interface is easy to understand.”
    • “Clever use of Shakespeare's work, amazing artwork, and the suavest Ophelia that ever graced this planet.”
    • “The lack of ability to create your own save points is one of the reasons why I don't think I'm ever going to manage to collect all the pieces of artwork.”
    • “I have to point out that the artworks, unlocked by reaching various endings, are not present in the game itself, but rather serve as non-useful rewards, so if you were hoping to see a ton of cool art, you're kind of out of luck.”
    • “The artwork is also somewhat sparse (one for every unique ending) and not worth the inconvenience in my opinion.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its numerous choices and branching storylines, allowing players to experience different outcomes and endings with each playthrough. Users appreciate the humor and unique take on classic narratives, which further enhances the incentive to replay. Overall, players find that every experience can feel fresh and entertaining, regardless of familiar paths.

    • “There's a very high replayability aspect and even with a few sets of decisions where you get the same endings in different ways/on a different timeline, every experience is a new one if you choose for it to be!”
    • “It also has a great replayability due to the fact that there is no winning state per se, but loads of interesting and funny forks which lead to also interesting and funny endings.”
    • “This game has huge replayability to it because of the large number of choices and branching storylines.”
  • gameplay3 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized as lighthearted and suitable for older children, featuring a no-pressure environment focused on reading and decision-making. However, it lacks depth, with limited interactivity primarily involving mouse clicks to progress through text, and it suffers from issues like the inability to save, adjust narration speed, and unclear end-game mechanics.

    • “Very silly, great game for kids (like 10+ probably, some jokes), no-pressure gameplay with lots of reading!”
    • “However, you cannot save, you can't change the narration speed, and they do not explain some of the end-game mechanics.”
    • “As such, there's not much 'gameplay' - it's literally just clicking the mouse to advance text boxes and select options.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, often feeling compelled to repetitively click through content to unlock all endings and achievements, which detracts from their overall enjoyment. The necessity to skip parts of the story and make numerous saves adds to the frustration, making the experience feel laborious rather than engaging.

    • “And then if you're like me, you'll tediously click through it for another hour trying to collect all the ending images and achievements, while not having fun.”
    • “Having to skip parts of the story is just as tedious as having to make tons of saves.”
    • “When you're going through every decision trying to get all the endings, it can get a bit tedious to go through so many choices again.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The game effectively blends humor with emotional depth, showcasing Hamlet's amusingly dramatic teenage perspective while also delivering poignant moments. Players can explore the emotional complexities of characters like the brilliant yet unstable Ophelia and Hamlet's father, enhancing the overall emotional experience.

    • “Hamlet's emo teen logic in the game is just too amusing, and somehow the whole thing also manages to have a touching moment or two.”
    • “You can also choose to play as the beautiful, brilliant, emotionally unstable Ophelia or Hamlet's dad!”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is primarily defined by a simplistic pseudo-baroque piano theme that plays throughout, with occasional shifts to enhance spooky or action-packed moments. However, the repetitive nature of the soundtrack, lasting around eight minutes over a two-hour playthrough, may detract from the overall immersive experience.

    • “The simplistic pseudo-baroque piano theme plays throughout most of Hamlet's run, with occasional shifts that perfectly match the spooky atmosphere or action-packed scenes. The entire soundtrack, in my experience, felt like 8 minutes in total, yet it accompanied at least two hours of gameplay.”
    • “The simplistic pseudo-baroque piano theme plays for most of Hamlet's run, except for two or three occasional shifts to match either a spooky atmosphere or an action-packed scene. The whole length of the soundtrack, in my experience, seemed like 8 minutes in total... for two hours of playthrough at the very least.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected from a game set in such a rich narrative world.”
    • “Despite the game's potential, the overall ambiance is dull and fails to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report stability issues, including slow UI transitions, unresponsive mouse clicks, and bugs such as the haml-o-meter not disappearing. Additionally, the inability to rewind after completing a path adds to the overall friction in the experience.

    • “The UI transitions were slow and often buggy, with mouse clicks not registering and the haml-o-meter failing to disappear. Additionally, rewinding was not available once the path was completed.”
    • “There were multiple sources of frustration, including slow UI transitions and bugs that prevented mouse clicks from registering properly.”
    • “The overall stability was compromised by various issues, such as the haml-o-meter being useless and the inability to rewind after completing a path.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The reviews indicate that players are pleasantly surprised by the game's optimization, suggesting it runs smoothly and efficiently, enhancing the overall gaming experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
3-28hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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