Have a Nice Death originally launched in March this year. The 2D rogue-lite game sees players take control of Death, the CEO of Death Inc., who must battle his wayward employees to restore order to his company. It’s an interesting concept that developer Magic Design Studios has brought to life with a huge amount of attention to detail. Roguelikes have grown in popularity and appeal thanks to titles such as Hollow Knight and Dead Cells, and Have a Nice Death is another example of a game trying to capitalize on this genre.
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Have a Nice Death Shares a lot of Similarities with Hollow Knight
Players only have to spend a few minutes with Have a Nice Death before the similarities it shares with Hollow Knight become apparent. Perhaps the most telling of these is the game’s visual design and color palette. Part of Hollow Knight’s charm is its excellent art style. The cold, gloomy world of Hallownest is perfectly brought to life by an array of suitable colors and shades. The art style is a joy to behold, and in this regard it seems that Have a Nice Death took notice. Death Inc. is brought to life beautifully, and the game’s artists clearly worked incredibly hard to ensure the in-game world finds that difficult balance between vibrant and gloomy.
As a character, Death himself moves quickly and is easily able to navigate the diverse terrain of Death Inc. He is also able to use a growing array of moves and abilities as the game progresses. These are unlocked through the usual methods of defeating bosses and collecting experience points from felled enemies. The game offers all the usual tropes associated with the great Roguelikes, without ever threatening to overcomplicate players. Much like the stylish art design, things are kept relatively simple, and this works in the game’s favor.
Hollow Knight: Silksong focuses on Hornet, a character players will remember from the first game as initially a boss who later becomes an ally. It should shed some light on Hornet’s backstory and the kingdom of Pharloom from where she hails. Hollow Knight is often labeled as one of the best Metroidvanias on the market, and as a result of this, the sequel is expected to be equally impressive. Team Cherry seems to only be showing glimpses of the game when it feels the time is right to do so, refusing to buckle to fan demands, which is a commendable approach that will hopefully pay dividends.
As yet, there’s no real indication as to which part of the year Silksong could be launching, which makes it difficult to know just how big the gap will be between Have a Nice Death’s Switch release. For those gamers who feel like they’ve been waiting an eternity for Silksong, Have a Nice Death should hopefully offer some opportunity to satisfy fans until its eventual release.
Have a Nice Death is available now on PC, and launches on March 22 for Nintendo Switch.
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