Worse Than Death

Release Date: July 1, 2019

Adventure, survival horror, stealth, horror, puzzle elements, 2D, arcade elements, indie games, side-scroll, singleplayer

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An adventure game maintained in the convention of side-scroll 2D horror movies. In Worse Than Death we play Holly - the girl has to break free from the claws of the mysterious supernatural force that has captured her hometown and save her best friend.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Worse Than Death is a horror adventure game. The main source of inspiration for this title was the comic book series Tales from the Crypt, and the game was developed by Benjamin Rivers - an independent developer whose portfolio includes such titles as Alone With You and genre related Home.

Plot

The main character of Worse Than Death is the twenty-eight-year-old Holly. The protagonist comes to her hometown for a weekend to meet her best friend Flynn and comfort him after the tragic death of his fiancée. On the spot it turns out that everyone is hiding something (including herself), and as if that wasn't enough, a mysterious, supernatural force decides to hunt them them down. Holly must therefore escape its clutches and save Flynn; by the way, she confronts her own past, learning the truth about the town and her loved ones, as well as herself.

Mechanics

In Worse Than Death the action is shown from the side. While traversing the gloomy locations, we talk to the inhabitants of the town, look for useful items and solve various puzzles. Although Holly can handle terrain obstacles (by jumping above or crawling under them), she can't fight. So she must be careful not to attract the attention of the monsters roaming the town; although invisible, their position can be discovered by observing the lights, listening to the sounds of the surroundings or the protagonist's beating heart. If the girl makes too much noise, the opponents will chase her and she will have to excape, looking for shelter in a nearby room.

Technical aspects

Worse Than Death features two-dimensional visual made in pixel art technique. It is worth noting that the portraits of individual characters, as well as selected scenes and cut-scenes are kept in a characteristic, comic book-like style. Interestingly, the whole thing was drawn by hand on iPad Pro. The game takes place with the accompaniment of Canadian band The Secrets.

Last updated on May 12, 2020

Videos and Screens

[1:17] Worse Than Death trailer #1