You wake up look around and notice that this isn’t the same hospital you were in. You get out of your room and explore a little only to find a locked fence that needs a card key. This is strange. As you move around the facility, you come across a room. This room is peculiar as it has a wall covered with mirrors. When you approach them, only one shows your reflection. Suddenly, a PC that’s in the room turns on and you are asked a series of questions. Then, it issues a card key that you use to get on a elevator and the horror begins…..
RPG game-maker games aren’t something new. There have been some really good games, but mostly they have been released on PC, except for the critically acclaimed Corpse Party. Now, Angels of Death is not trying to be Corpse Party, and that is a good thing. I believe that Angels of Death has its own way of doing things. I don’t want to spoil much of the story in this review, since it’s the main dish in Angels of Death. I can only tell you that you play as Rachel “Ray” Gardner, a 13 year old trapped in a strange facility. Due to a twist of fate, she must cooperate with an assassin to escape (or he with her). So you can expect a lot shocks throughout the game. However, don’t expect any pee on your pants type of scares. Angels of Death instead goes into the psychological side of things. The dreaded atmosphere it creates from the beginning and the way the story is shown gave me goosebumps because I never knew what was going to happen. It kept the experience interesting and had me compelled to play from start to finish.
Graphically, Angels of Death takes a top down isometric view. This helps you look at every detail and progress through the history. There is no music, only ambient sounds. If you play with headphones, you can immerse yourself even more. Also from a game play perspective, I like how the game changes with each floor you are on. It changes from being chased to destroy some objects to being like modern games. It keeps the experience fresh, and it’s never the same thing twice.
Being a RPG game-maker game, Angels of Death completely ignores experience points or random battles and things normally seen in RPGs. I also like the fact that before any major sequence, you have the chance to save, since with one touch you are done for. You can replay the sequences until you get the hang of it and can move forward. I honestly praise the minimalistic art style. I think the game’s biggest strength is that it tries to shake the horror genre with a different approach, and I think it works well.
Bottom Line: Angels of Death is a good psychological thriller and a compelling ride from start to finish. With some unexpected plot twists and alliances, it is a game that any fan of the horror genre can enjoy. However, this game is not for kids. The dark themes and psychological issues present might affect the faint-hearted. I give it a recommendation due to the way it captures the player’s attention from start to finish.
Bonus: It’s awesome that there is an anime of this game. However, I recommend to play the game first, since it’s the original vision of the developer, and then you can watch the anime to see someone else’s interpretation of the original vision.