It can be very difficult as a reviewer when you’re given a genre of game to review that you’re maybe not familiar with, or maybe not really a fan of. Now I’m fairly open about the types of game I enjoy – story driven, RPG’s and shooters are my usual go to, with a sprinkling of sport. So when something like 101 Ways to Die comes along I can generally say I’d probably avoid it. It looks like a dark version of something like Lemmings, a game that I haven’t touched in years and years.
Unlike Lemmings where you need to try to get as many of the little green characters to the end of the level, here you are trying to avoid any of the ‘Splatt’s’ getting to the end of the level. You do this by setting traps – deadly traps for them to die in a crimson filled cartoon manner. The traps are varied and the level designs change throughout as to make you think of where you need to place each one for full effectiveness. Along with this there are certain objectives that you can hit in order to improve your score on each one and hit the 3 star goal for each level.
It didn’t take long for my interest in the game to wane though. Setting the traps and watching the Splatt’s automatically move through each level to what will hopefully be their death isn’t really my idea of a captivating gaming experience. A while there is some interaction with some of the traps it doesn’t do enough to keep me engaged when the actual ‘fun’ bit starts. That being said for people who do enjoy this type of game I imagine that there is enough here to keep you engaged. Trying different tactics and trap placement to improve your score will no doubt keep many engaged for hours.
Visually the game adopts a fun cartoony style, and while the subject matter itself is dark, the graphics and the way it’s presented will make it accessible for a younger audience. It’s clearly meant to be a bit of a laugh rather than anything more sinister, though I’m sure some of the Daily Mail army will wholeheartedly disagree. There is some fun to be had here for the right audience. Unfortunately it is an audience that I’m not a part of, and I couldn’t wait to get it uninstalled.
**Thank you to XCN for providing the review copy of this game**