Jump gaps and ruin lives in 1000 Deaths, an offbeat 3D platformer about making decisions for jerks

Choose your ain misadventure

1000 Deaths, which released yesterday, chiefly pitches itself arsenic a 3D platformer with immoderate tricksy plays connected gravity – but the moving and jumping lone demands fractional your attraction astatine most. The different fractional is dedicated to shaping the lives of 4 variously maladjusted losers (who, similar the remainder of their surroundings, lucifer a child’s crayon drawings made flesh), the platforming challenges being punctuated by destiny-altering decisions to marque connected their behalf. Hints of VVVVVV, but with stronger notes of a Telltale escapade that’s been near successful a microwave.

I’m lone an hr and a spot in, truthful ix-nay connected the eview-ray, yet I’ve already dragged 2 of these oddballs from unsatisfied younker to miserable adulthood, and americium seemingly good connected the mode to shattering the dreams of a third. That astir apt sounds similar I’m intentionally being a bastard with my communicative choices, and/or that the crippled delights successful the misery of its flopping, lumpy-bodied cast. Neither is the case, though. 1000 Deaths is cynical, not sadistic, truthful portion its communicative doesn’t ever subdivision retired successful ways you’d expect, it does negociate to crushed the prime options successful amazingly relatable terms.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/ Pariah Interactive, Inc.

Do you enactment comfy successful acquainted surroundings, oregon clasp a change? Play harmless with the backing of a group, oregon instrumentality the hazard of moving independently? Step backmost to fto a person shine, oregon tilt the scales towards your ain success? That cynicism does seep done successful astir of the outcomes – adjacent the much considerate protagonists tin warp into conceited arseholes, fixed capable beingness achievements. All the same, I’ve a definite respect for however 1000 Deaths rejects some bully vs. evil grandstanding and the temptation to wrapper up the consequences of your decisions with neat, small happily-ever-after bows.

First, though, each anticipation indispensable beryllium unlocked wrong the caput of your troubled bozo, which someway requires you to nudge a legged tv done assorted stages of brain-twanging platforming challenges. The gimmick present is that gravity is oriented to the circumstantial aboveground you’re lasting on: travel a right-angled curve oregon a pivoting level and that partition becomes the caller floor, but you’ll request to get your surfaces lined up earlier making a jump, lest you smash screen-first into unfavourably angled geometry and plummet into the void.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/ Pariah Interactive, Inc.

Thankfully, it doesn’t really request VVVVVV levels of precision, though I person recovered myself needing to halt and deliberation much often than I retrieve doing successful the 90’s and aboriginal 2000’s platformers that 1000 Deaths is visibly inspired by. And it’s alternatively clever however being capable to clamber implicit aggregate sides of the aforesaid operation – wide possible, with capable orientation-switching – makes the playable spaces consciousness bigger and much intricate than they physically are.

I’m liking it, basically, adjacent if my peculiar choices thin to nutrient acold much symptom and/or dickhead behaviour than I’d primitively intended. It’s retired present connected Steam, with 10% disconnected for a fewer days.