Casting Curses (Accidentally) on Cartoon Folk: My First Steps into 1000 Deaths
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Jeff dives into *1000 Deaths*, an offbeat 3D platformer where gravity shifts and your narrative choices subtly, yet cynically, ruin the lives of crayon-drawn characters, blending clever platforming with darkly humorous decision-making.
Right, so you know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well? Or maybe you just thought you were nudging fate, but actually, you just blew up someone's entire life savings with a rogue 'Enhancement' spell? That, my mate, is a pretty decent metaphor for what I’ve been wrestling with in Pariah Interactive’s bizarre, brilliant, and newly released *1000 Deaths*.
I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. On the surface, it pitches itself as a 3D platformer, all colourful, child-like crayon drawings made flesh. But like a mischievous imp lurking in a wizard’s hat, the running and jumping only demands about half your attention at most. The *other* half? That's dedicated to shaping the utterly messed-up lives of four variously maladjusted losers who look like they were drawn by a particularly cynical six-year-old. And guess what? You’re their accidental puppet master, making destiny-altering decisions on their behalf, often with hilariously grim consequences.
Now, I’m only an hour or so deep into this peculiar digital cauldron, so ix-nay on the eview-ray, but already I’ve dragged two of these oddballs from unsatisfied youth to miserable adulthood. And frankly, I’m well on my way to shattering the dreams of a third. You might be thinking, "Jeff, you absolute menace, are you just intentionally being a bastard with your story choices?" Or perhaps, "Does this game just delight in the misery of its floppy, lumpy-bodied cast?" And honestly, I thought that too for a hot second. But surprisingly, neither is entirely the case.
*1000 Deaths* isn’t sadistic; it’s just profoundly cynical. And there’s a rather large difference, isn't there? While its story doesn’t always branch out in the ways your brain, accustomed to typical game narratives, might expect, it manages to ground the choice options in surprisingly relatable terms. This isn't your grand, epic battle of 'Good vs. Evil' where your soul hangs in the balance. Oh no, this is much more mundane, much more… human. And by human, I mean the kind of choices that actually keep you up at 3 AM staring at the ceiling, wondering if you zigged when you should’ve zagged back in '08.
Do you stay comfortable in familiar surroundings, or do you embrace a change, even if it feels a bit like stepping off a cliff? Do you play safe with the backing of a group, or take the terrifying risk of working independently, hoping you don't face-plant into financial ruin? Step back to let a friend shine, or subtly tilt the scales towards your own success, even if it means they’re left in your dust? These aren't cosmic dilemmas; they're the everyday micro-decisions that actually shape a life. And that cynicism? It absolutely seeps through in most of the outcomes. Even your more considerate protagonists can warp into utterly conceited arseholes, given enough life achievements. Fair dinkum, it’s like looking into a digital mirror sometimes.
All the same, I’ve got a certain respect for how *1000 Deaths* just flat-out rejects both the 'good vs. evil' grandstanding and that ever-present temptation to wrap up the consequences of your decisions with neat, little happily-ever-after bows. You know the ones – where even if you're a complete monster, the game still finds a way to tell you that you're a *misunderstood* monster and maybe you'll find redemption in the sequel. Not here, mate. Here, you just make a choice, and someone's life trajectory changes, often for the worse, or at least in a way that makes them a bit of a knob.
But before you can start meddling with someone's perfectly mediocre existence, each possibility must first be 'unlocked' within the mind of your troubled bozo. And this, my friends, somehow requires you to nudge a legged television – yes, a legged television – through various stages of brain-twanging platforming challenges. If that doesn't scream 'indie game with a unique vision,' I don't know what does.
Here’s the clever bit about the platforming: gravity is oriented to the specific surface you’re standing on. You follow a right-angled curve or a pivoting platform, and suddenly that wall becomes the new floor. It’s a bit like someone cast a 'Flip Gravity' spell but forgot to tell you the 'when' and 'where.' You’ve got to get your surfaces lined up before making a jump, lest you smash screen-first into unfavourably angled geometry and plummet into the void. It gives off strong *VVVVVV* vibes, but thankfully, it doesn’t actually demand *that* level of pixel-perfect precision. Still, I’ve definitely found myself needing to stop and think more often than I remember doing in the 90s and early 2000s platformers that *1000 Deaths* is visibly inspired by.
And it’s rather clever, honestly, how being able to clamber over multiple sides of the same structure – which is widely possible with enough orientation-switching – makes the playable spaces feel bigger and more intricate than they physically are. It’s like a compact TARDIS of platforming, larger on the inside due to clever gravitational gymnastics. It's a genuine innovation that serves the player, giving you new ways to perceive and navigate spaces.
So, yeah, I’m liking it, basically. Even if my particular choices tend to produce far more pain and/or dickhead behaviour than I’d originally intended. It’s a game that makes you ponder the butterfly effect of your actions, not in some grand, fantastical sense, but in the gritty, often disappointing reality of human nature. It’s a bold move for an indie, blending such disparate mechanics into something cohesive and thought-provoking.
*1000 Deaths* is out now on Steam, with a tempting 10% off for a few days. If you’re into off-kilter experiences that make you question your own life choices – or at least, the choices you make for cartoon people – then you might want to give this one a look. Just don't blame me when your digital charges end up as miserable, self-important failures. I just write about the games, mate. You’re the one wielding the destiny-altering television.
Originally published by Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Indie Games, 3D Platformer, Narrative Choices, Unique Mechanics, Dark Comedy
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun