Summary
Nobody Wants To Dieputs you in the place of James Karra, a detective who recently had a near-death experience in an alternate, futuristic, and technologically advanced version of New York City. In this timeline, if you have the resources for it, you can transfer your memories from one body to another.
This makes the job of being a detective even tougher, but with the help of your coworker, Sara Kai, you decide to pursue a dangerous killer. As an unintended consequence of this pursuit, you slowly unravel some of the city’s darkest secrets. If this brief introduction catches your attention, this game might be for you.
7Heavy On The Story
Light On The Mechanics
If there’s anything you need to know from the start, it’s that this game iscentered around a rich story; there’s going to be plenty of talking. If you enjoy getting wrapped up in the plot, then you’ll have no issues with this aspect of the game.
If you have certain expectations around in-depth game mechanics, however, you’ll likely be disappointed by this experience in that regard. In other words, you’re not going to be running around like Batman dishing out hearty servings of vigilante justice.
6There’s No Focus On Punishment Or Consequences
It’s An Open-Book Test Folks
The game really wants you to feel immersed in the environment and story, so you’re given all the time in the world to walk around, inspect crime scenes, and piece together clues until you’re confident about how you want to move forward.
There are certain moral choices, but that doesn’t necessarily imply a right or wrong answer; things can get complicated and ethically gray at times, especially when it comes to your own moral compass, values, and worldview. Focus on the journey, not the outcome.
5Gameplay Is Mostly Linear
It’s Not Exactly Open-World
Depending on the dialogue choices you make,there is enough variety to change certain outcomes, and thus, allow for one player to have a slightly different experience than another. With that being said, much of the gameplay is still guided, so you’ll be going with the flow most of the time.
This doesn’t have to be a con, especially if you just want to sit back, relax, and treat the game like an interactive TV show. If you want to roam around a vast world with a complex web of variables keeping track of your actions in the background, however, this game might not be for you.
4There Are Multiple, Potential Endings
Choice A, Or Choice B?
Don’t worry too much about what you’re doing or deciding within the game until the very end;that’s the choice that actually determines which ending you’ll get. If you’ve been paying attention to the story and small details, you might be able to guess how things will go based on the options you’re given.
Alternatively, you could ignore all that and see what happens; there’s fun to be had with that approach as well. Also, the endings have room for interpretation or your own theories, so even if you do try to be methodical with everything in the plot, you might still end up surprised, or itching for more information.
3The Game Doesn’t Take Too Long To Beat
If You’re The Average Gamer
All things considered, it should take you around four to six hours to beat the entire game. Now, this could be wonderful news, or a bit of a bummer, depending on how you look at it. If you want a relatively brief neo-noir detective experience, you’re all set.
If that seems too short, however, the plus side is that this game is about a third of the price of a brand-new, Triple-A title on release. If you’re willing to be patient and wait for a decent sale, most people would say Nobody Wants To Die is worth picking up.
2There Are Only A Few Detective Tools
Three, To Be Exact
If your idea of a futuristic detective is an all-encompassing, almost superhuman problem-solver who uses a vast array of tools and technology to solve crimes and connect the dots, that’s valid and reasonable… but not perfectly applicable to this game.
Sure, you get access to a UV light to see stains and liquids you normally wouldn’t see, an X-ray vision mode of sorts, and a really nifty tool called a Reconstructor, which allows you to replay events that have already happened, but ultimately, that’s all you get.
1There Aren’t Many Crime Scenes
But Boy Are They Gorgeous
Given the setting and genre that this game exists within, it wouldn’t be unfair to expect a long string of crime scenes to discover, inspect, and gain insights from. Alas, there are only a handful of events you’ll be visiting, reconstructing, and mulling over.
This isn’t necessarily a negative, though; each scene has an incredible amount of detail, packed with thoughtfully placed objects, clues, characters, and motives to extrapolate upon. Paired with gorgeous graphics and high-quality voice acting, you’ll probably be happy with quality over quantity.
