Worse Than Death

About

Worse Than Death is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by BancyCo and was released on October 8, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "Worse Than Death," attend a high school reunion that turns into a horror adventure. Evade shadowy creatures, solve puzzles, and delve into Holly's past in this action-packed game. Features 3D positional audio, three difficulty modes, and support for keyboard/mouse and gamepads.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

story26 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The pixel art and comic book-style graphics are visually appealing and well-executed.
The puzzles are engaging and provide a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
The atmosphere is creepy and effectively builds tension throughout the game.

The story is clichéd and lacks depth, with predictable twists and an unsatisfying ending.
Stealth mechanics are overly simplistic and detract from the horror experience.
The game is relatively short and offers little replay value, with limited monster variety.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
5%
The game's story is generally well-received, praised for its intriguing plot, character development, and atmospheric setting, though it suffers from pacing issues and some plot holes. While many players found the narrative engaging and enjoyable, others criticized it for being cliché or poorly executed, with some twists being predictable. Overall, the story is seen as a strong point, but it could benefit from deeper character exploration and clearer explanations of key elements.
- “The atmosphere and the story are exceptionally well-crafted; they had me hooked, and I couldn't put the game down.”
- “This game has a compelling story, lovable characters, action segments, stealth segments, detective segments, plenty of gore and horror—something for everyone!”
- “The mystery surrounding the story will get you hooked.”
- “My only gripe with this game is in the story where it is never explained in dialogue or through world-building where the monster came from or how they were created. It's a minor thing, but I care about it.”
- “Shit's stupid. It could have been an okay horror drama story, but they had to add a 'big monster' who isn't even related to the plot.”
- “The story is a mass of clichés that aren't even that well put together.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
32%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the pixel art and comic book-style animations for their quality and atmospheric appeal. However, some players find the combination of these styles jarring and feel that the overall visual experience is undermined by bland gameplay and a lackluster story. Despite these criticisms, the art style is often described as excellent, with a unique blend that enhances the game's spooky atmosphere.
- “The artwork is excellent and the atmosphere is terrifying.”
- “The art style varies between pixelated gameplay segments and flash-animated cut scenes in comic book style—and I loved both equally!”
- “The pixel art/graphic style is really good with well-designed backgrounds and levels.”
- “Almost nothing in its cliched mystery, cookie cutter puzzles, bland writing, nor its cartoony art style feels fresh.”
- “The story is intriguing and I really like the art style, but the awful 'stealth' sections absolutely killed it for me.”
- “The visuals of the game were well done.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
80%
12%
The gameplay of "Worse Than Death" is characterized by a simple loop of hiding from enemies, managing a stamina meter, and solving straightforward puzzles, which some players found repetitive and lacking depth compared to similar titles like "Lone Survivor." While the pixel art and audio create an atmospheric experience, the mechanics are often seen as bland and derivative, leading to mixed feelings about the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a smooth experience that keeps players engaged without excessive frustration.
- “Tells an interesting enough tale with some simple puzzles, a few scares, and some straightforward avoid-the-monster gameplay.”
- “The art style varies between pixelated gameplay segments and flash-animated cut scenes in comic book style—and I loved both equally!”
- “Worse than Death won't win any awards on its gameplay alone, which consists of scrolling left to right through areas, avoiding enemies by hiding in convenient dark spots while also managing your stamina and solving puzzles along the way, but with the pixel art/drawn close-ups presentation and excellent audio, the sense of urgency is convincingly presented.”
- “While the pixel-art visuals are nice and atmospheric, bland gameplay and an outright bad story prevent enjoyment of the game.”
- “However, hiding from enemies is dead simple, the obstacles serve no purpose that I could ascertain, and the stamina meter’s only impact on gameplay is that for painfully brief stretches you can run faster toward the credit roll.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The atmosphere of the game is described as both captivating and terrifying, with many reviewers praising its spooky and eerie qualities, enhanced by excellent pixel art and detailed levels. However, some critiques highlight a lack of horror and suspense, suggesting that while the atmosphere is strong, it is undermined by poor writing and gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a standout feature, effectively engaging players despite other shortcomings.
- “The atmosphere and the story are exceptionally well-crafted; they had me hooked, and I couldn't put the game down.”
- “The art work is excellent and the atmosphere is terrifying.”
- “The atmosphere is really good and spooky and keeps you on edge the first time you play it.”
- “But that doesn't save the bad writing, almost no horror/suspenseful atmosphere, and a really boring and tedious gameplay.”
- “- creepy/eerie atmosphere.”
- “While the enemy mechanics are similar to Lone Survivor, Lone Survivor is a much better game in all aspects (gameplay, story, atmosphere, etc).”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
10%
10%
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and contribution to the overall experience, with particular highlights on the catchy intro track and effective sound effects that enhance the atmosphere. Reviewers appreciate the custom feel of the music, noting that it complements the game's art style and ambience well. Overall, the sound design is considered a strong aspect of the game.
- “The music is excellent and it really adds to the whole experience.”
- “The sounds and music in the game were also really good.”
- “I really like the art style and animations; the sound and ambience are quite nice, especially the intro music, which is a bop. It makes me wonder if there's a full version somewhere out there.”
- “Oh look, it's cold and the music's amped up.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, with many expressing frustration over the lack of engaging gameplay and atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “But that doesn't save the bad writing, almost no horror/suspenseful atmosphere, and a really boring and tedious gameplay.”
- “My second and third (to hunt achievements) were more tedious.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to its short story length, which can be completed in one or two sessions. While different difficulty settings offer some incentive to replay, many players feel that the lack of substantial content diminishes the overall value of replaying the game.
- “The story is pretty short (can be beaten in a night or two), though the different difficulty settings encourage some replay value.”
- “The story is pretty short (can be beaten over a night or two), though the different difficulty settings encourage some replay value.”
- “Somewhat on the short side and little to no replay value (but at the price I got it on sale, I'd say it was a great bargain anyway).”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development has been criticized for not living up to the potential of the character design, with reviewers expressing disappointment that the depth and growth of the characters do not match their visual appeal.
- “Honestly, it's really kind of a shame they wasted such a pretty character design on this schlock.”