A Date with Death follows your character as they interact with an invasive stranger after they illegally install a chat room app onto your laptop. Oddly enough, the invasive stranger is a Grim Reaper and is on a mission to claim your soul. In the spirit of competition, you extend a bet to Grim that promises him your soul. Well, if he can get his hands on it. However, it seems like Grimmy bit off more than he could chew.
Grim: A Protagonist
When it comes to dating sims, gameplay isn’t a key factor. Neither is pretty art. It helps, but pretty art can only take a game so far. Characters and dialogue are the game’s focus. This game’s focal point, Grim, is a certified babygirl. He’s easy to fluster, loves cute things, and is a bit of an edgelord. As days pass, players learn more about the silly Grim Reaper as he struggles with understanding humanity’s social etiquette and internet lingo. In turn, players develop a connection to Grim. Depending on the player’s choices in and out of the chatroom, four possible endings become available. If you buy the DLC, an additional ending unlocks.
You: The Other Protagonist
Allowing the self-insert player character to feel fleshed out when engaging with more developed characters is important. Allowing players to talk about their families and interests with Grim adds a level of immersion rarely seen in the genre. For a player-insert game, the character customization menu, even with paid add-on content, is limited. However, allowing players to customize their pronouns and giving space for players to give their characters different backgrounds and interests makes it much more immersive.
It toes the line between being ambiguous enough that just about anyone can realistically insert themselves into the role and focused enough where you feel a part of the world. However, there were a few moments when I found the dialogue extremely forced. While it did make me pause and question the logic of some of the options, it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment.
The Non-Dating Aspects
Most of the game takes place within a chatroom. Players spend hours talking to Grim via a Discord-esque UI that also makes nods to the ads we saw growing up online. Instead of hot, single moms in your area, the game promotes other visual novel games on Steam.
The game includes other games and features like Paint, Wordlet, Pong, and a rendition of the T-Rex game featuring an 8-bit Grim. It’s a welcome addition, as I spent a few hours drawing and playing the various games on my in-game computer on my very real computer. If you select the in-game internet browser, there are some special surprises in store as you progress through the game.
The game’s music is overall very chill and something I’ve found myself vibing to while playing. It perfectly reflects the game’s lighthearted nature. If you’re looking for some Lo-fi beats to study and chill to, A Date with Death has beats to spare. As proof, I have the game’s music playing as I write this to help me focus.
Final Thoughts
Overall, A Date with Death is a fun, immersive game that is also a very quick play. If you’re into lighthearted stories and overall chill vibes, this is the game for you. It’s available on Steam and Itch.io.
If you have played this game already and want more content, good news! With the game’s success, Two and Half Studios announced that they would be adding more content to the game that gives players more days, new endings, and optional spicy content. The Kickstarter page is currently up and will open up in May. They’re also releasing merchandise, so check out their Twitter for more info.
