Review: Life Goes On: Done to Death

Posted by Curtis H on June 2nd, 2016 | 0 Comments | Tags: Life Goes On: Done to Death

Life Goes On: Done to Death starts out simple enough. There’s a pit of spikes that separates you from your goal. The problem? That pit of spikes is just a bit too long to jump over. As you’re not one to back down from a challenge, however, you try to make the jump anyways and fall a fair bit short of your mark. The knight you were controlling is now left impaled on the spikes and a brand new knight appears. This one is named Landgrave Buck Hooper of Dorchester and he’s a Psychiatrist. Landgrave now has the advantage of a fallen knight that can be used as a makeshift platform and successfully reaches the goal in record time. What comes next is a series of levels within a puzzle platformer that turns death into an incredibly valuable and necessary tool for progress.

The army of knights that are so willing to risk their life have been sent out by a King to find the Cup of Life. From there the story mostly takes a backseat as the game’s morbid style of humor and unique puzzle design take hold. Through four different locations and 50+ levels you’ll impale, burn, freeze, and catapult knights into all sorts of crazy situations. The necessity of death in this game changes the way that you approach puzzles. There’s a real need to think outside the box and come up with unconventional solutions that makes solving puzzles really satisfying. Plus each puzzle has a ‘collectible’ of sorts in a furry little monster named Jeff which, as is probably fitting, instantly kills you when you reach him.

The knights in Life Goes On: Done to Death feel reminiscent of Rayman and each come with a random and goofy name such as follows:

• Sarah Rawley of the Past, Chef
• The Wheezing Maiden Gertrude
• Bubba Jones
• Baronet Craig, Professional Cuddler

From there Life Goes On keeps a very lighthearted and humorous tone throughout the entire game. For instance each level ends with a golden cup that is most definitely NOT the Cup of Life. Instead you’ll often find yourself collecting the Cup of Toothache Relief, Cup of Scrape Healing, or Cup of Good Dreams. Then there’s the hats and weapons that can be collected by getting the par (measured by time and death count) in each level. These collectibles are just for looks, but who wouldn’t want to go around wearing a Firefighter Helmet.

Life Goes On: Done to Death came as a pleasant surprise to me. It’s a genuinely funny and unique puzzle game that left me thoroughly entertained from start to finish and all throughout the credits. I simply can’t recommend this enough.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. For more info on our review policy click here.

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