Can you escape the shack and earn your reward?

An old shack deep in a dense forest, a strange computer and a game that’s trying to kill you!

“Is This Game Trying To Kill Me?” is roughly a 1-2 hour first person puzzler. You play as a silent protagonist who is awoken by a wizard to play a game on a computer in the middle of the room. The computer game itself is an old-school 2D game, but doing things in it will change the nature of the shack you are in, such as opening up new areas or giving you clues for puzzles around you either in the shack or in the game.

It’s an interesting idea and one that works incredibly well. I was impressed with the puzzles and having to switch between the computer screen and the shack to see what has changed or not is very rewarding. There are also a few multiple endings as well as a few hidden collectibles needed for a particular ending.

It almost feels like 2 games in one because of its design and I would have happily played either of them individually, but making them interact with each other like this is impressive and I hope for some kind of sequel or spiritual successor, because the idea is solid and I want more of it.

The visuals are retro by design and have a nice charm to them. The audio also has a retro vibe. The framerate is solid and I didn’t come across any glitches during my playthrough.

The Verdict

Although its short, “Is This Game Trying To Kill Me?” is an incredibly clever and memorable puzzle game that leaves me wanting more. Are you listening Stately Snail?

Score: 8.0

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co