Have a Nice Death reviews point to another great indie roguelike

Have a Nice Death, which is set to launch on March 22nd, has just had its review embargo lifted- allowing critics to share their feelings on the 2D roguelike. The game, developed by studio ‘Perfect World Entertainment’, draws parallels to other hit indie releases from the past few years like Hades and Death’s Door. In it, you play as Death, and are tasked with stopping the rampage of your employees who have apparently had enough with harvesting the souls of the dead. As a result, you will move through each department of Death incorporated to put an end to the uprising so you can get back to your holiday plans. Taking a quick glance at the reviews on Metacritic, it seems critics are enjoying this one- giving it an impressive overall score of 83:

Of course, the roguelike aspect of the game is leaned into with the fact that you are literally death itself and, unsurprisingly, can’t be killed for good. The clever set dressing for why your hero can keep ploughing through the same areas and enemies, again and again, adds a certain charm that similar games like Hades nailed. According to critics, this is also conveyed in its setting and presentation. Reviewer site ‘But Why Tho?’ praises the parallels between a cutthroat business setting and the literal underworld that Have a Nice Death presents in its 8/10 review:

“Have a Nice Death smartly utilises a corporate setting that pairs so well with the roguelike genre.”

But, considering the fact that you’ll be effectively doing the same thing over and over again, there is one far more important factor of all roguelikes: the gameplay. Luckily, it seems that Perfect World Entertainment has done a great job of emulating the greats of the genre. ‘Noisy Pixel’ had the following to say in its very high 95/100 take on the game:

“Its systems are intensely addictive to provide a reason to return to the grind and clock in for overtime. The action combat is some of the best I’ve ever felt, with compelling progression systems and fantastic enemy designs.”

While the gameplay is praised as fun and versatile enough to make the loop fun and exciting, some critics have had reservations about the game’s difficulty. While roguelikes (and roguelikes for that matter) live on the premise of being easy to learn but tough to master, Have a Nice Death has been criticized for being a little too easy for its own good. Gamer Escape gave the game a 7/10 with the following conclusion:

“Have A Nice Death is sure to please roguelite fans for its playability, but it’s a tad too easy to want a bit more from it.”

Generally, the reviews for the game are very positive- and point to an enjoyable take on the roguelike genre with a fun setting and premise. Whilst its difficulty and lack of big innovations do seem to hold it back slightly if you’ve been a fan of the genre in the past, this looks to be another well-done roguelike with enough to keep you coming back- which is perfect for the platforms it's launching on. If this looks like something you’re interested in, you can pick up Have a Nice Death on March 22nd on the PC and Switch.