REVIEW: Just Die Already

Just Die Already tells the gut-wrenching story of an old person as they wake up one day, fed up with their retirement home. The old man sets out on a personal mission to reclaim their lives from their oppressors. Although it might seem a bit dramatic, this is a fair way to explain the game's premise. First, you choose which elderly person you want to play and then you attempt to escape the retirement home. Once you are done, you will be greeted by the rest of the game. What is the purpose of the remainder of the game? To fill out a bucket list, you need to have fun.

You have successfully escaped retirement! It is now time to finish your bucket list. This is a great thing. There is no set structure for completing your bucket list. You are free to do what you like after you have escaped the retirement home. There is no set quest or narrative. It is easy to just run around and complete the tasks in the open setting. There are characters you might meet that can give you extra missions. You have an incentive to complete the tasks, since you will be rewarded with tickets for completing the task. These tickets can be used to buy clothing and weapons at colorful vending machines located all over the map.

This structure is great on paper. It gives you the freedom to achieve your goals. The controls are so poor that I didn't enjoy actually completing them. Although it might seem unfair to say that the controls are poor, it is true. It's fine to run around and the button mapping can be used in a manner that is acceptable. Other aspects of control I don't like about it. Jumping can feel slow and heavy, which makes platforming feel awkward. It can be difficult to jump out of a dumpster.

You don't have to be a plumber like Nintendo. If you spawn back into this world and find it difficult to move on, then you know that something is wrong. The slowness and inefficiency of the game's jumping is not something I enjoy. Some tasks are less enjoyable because of it.

Let's talk about combat, which is a type of activity you can do. Although this is not an action game, you can still get weapons by picking them up at certain locations or ordering them from the pink vending machines. None of the weapons are particularly fun to use. It's a weak sound design and doesn't have any real impact. It's not realistic to expect realism in a comedy about geriatrics creating chaos. However, if I get poor auditory and visual feedback when I use items it makes it difficult to connect with the story.

Let's get to the point. The presentation is very average. It has a cartoony feel with some bright colors. The artstyle is okay. Although the overall graphics are a bit rough at times, they do have a charming style that helps to save them. Music is a bit sparse. The soundscape is very empty of background music. Although you may be able to hear some music from radios, you won't be listening to it all the time. Exploration becomes a little less interesting due to the dull soundscape.

Another sad fact is that, despite the game being meant to be a comedy, I never found myself laughing. Although I did laugh once when I accidentally stepped onto a rake I didn't find the game's sense or humor that appealing. I don't like the running gag that Grandma does crazy stuff and then she loses a limb, there's blood everywhere." Some parodies and bits of satire are found on billboards and signs, but it was less "Haha!" than "Oh, yes, I get it". Although the game is funny and wacky, I didn't find any enjoyment from any of it.

Just die does have some good things, such as freedom and art style. However, it eventually falters because of controls that feel slow and uninteresting soundscapes, and a sense humor that never really works.