Death Turns Fun

Karoshi is a puzzle-platformer that has a quite interesting goal: You must kill yourself. In a typical platformer this would be more than easy; however it is much more difficult than you would imagine. 25 levels, some self-explanatory, some mind-bending, will keep you entertained for a while as you desperately attempt suicide. Now for the breakdown:

Graphics:
The graphics of Karoshi, while stylized in their own way, clearly do not match the quality of the gameplay. The sprites are simple, blocky, and look as if they were drawn in Microsoft Paint, which is fine, but leaves much to be desired. The explosion of blood when you kill yourself is quite satisfying and well done, but besides that it seems nothing took more than a few minutes to design. I'm sure this was a deliberate choice on 2Dcube's part, considering his high-quality graphics in other creations like Frozzd, but even so, the graphics are nothing more than average.
*** 3/6

Sound:
The music in Karoshi is not very good. It seems out of place and doesn't fit with much of anything. There is only one track that plays throughout the game, and for me I just turned off the sound and played the game through silently. Overall the sound in Karoshi is very disappointing, so don't be expecting a fully integrated atmosphere.
** 2/6

Gameplay:
This is where Karoshi shines above most games on this site. Not only is the concept original, it's actually fun. While the beginning levels are pitifully simple, the difficulty slowly grows and some of the puzzles can take quite a long time to figure out. The level design is brilliant and it is clear that a good deal of time was spent making each one. Most levels consist of only one room, full of wooden crates, switches, spikes, and more objects to aid in your demise, and while the variety in objects is small, there are plenty of new ways to kill yourself using the same tools over and over. The unfortunate thing about Karoshi's gameplay is that there just isn't enough of it. The 25 levels can be completed in about 30 minutes on the first try, and the replay value is not very good (although that is partly due to the genre). Still, despite these two problems, Karoshi offers a unique and puzzling gameplay that certainly is deserving of its score.
***** 5/6

Story:
Karoshi has no story, and doesn't need one.
* 1/6

Interface:
Besides the excellent level design, somehow things in Karoshi seem to have just been thrown together. There's a title/level select screen that is easy enough to use; certainly not impressive in any way. The controls are easy and simple, and there are no noticeable bugs. The game certainly feels professional, it just doesn't look it.
**** 4/6

Overall:
Karoshi is a gaming experience that you do not want to miss. It's original, entertaining, and requires you to actually think instead of just mindlessly pressing buttons. While the graphics and music are lackluster, this game should be played nonetheless for its high-quality gameplay. If you love puzzle-platformers, or just love killing yourself in the safety of your computer screen, play this game!
**** 4/6



If you liked this game, try:
-Lab 14
-Karoshi 2.0