Platform(s): PC (Version reviewed), PS5, Xbox Series
Genre: Adventure, walking sim, noir, scifi 

I’ve always wanted to play a first-person detective game that goes beyond being a cinematic venture; L.A. Noire ain’t it, as good as that game looks and feels. Developer Critical Hit Games has a lot going for its new adventure game Nobody Wants To Die.

Nocturnal Animals

For starters, this title’s noir-slash-scifi setting and world is sleek, gritty, beautiful, and purposefully obscured and masked, with tons of shadow amidst the many neon lights and effects that would be typical of such a backdrop. The viewscape plays the part of accentuating the story of one James Karra, a detective tasked with searching for a serial killer alongside reluctant partner Sara Kai.

In the world of Nobody Wants To Die, people can switch their minds to new bodies, effectively becoming immortal. However, only the rich can do this, and a lot of people in this future aren’t fans of the elite getting these privileges.

Just like any engaging noir story, Nobody Wants To Die has its twists and turns, as well as effective plot being expounded upon your first-person view. There are a lot of themes regarding reliving the past and letting you rewind time to get to the core of the story.

Now if only I could actually play it proper, beyond just following a linear path and doing prompts.

See, Nobody Wants To Die is a walking sim game where all your interactions are very linear. Jack is a detective, but he mostly walks through all the investigation bits with Sarah without much input or problem-solving from players. The game just points you in the right direction and you’re given the prompts.

Sure, the game gives you multiple dialogue choices to spice up the banter and chemistry between Jack and Sarah, but that’s as far as the game goes when it goes to different branching paths. All you get is 8+ hours of storytime, albeit with lovely visuals, art direction, and immersive soundscapes to keep you in the mood. Variety in gameplay be damned.

The Big Heat

While beautiful to look at and immersive to a degree, Nobody Wants To Die is a game that plays itself most of the time while you get your jollies being in a sci-fi noir universe with its own unique storyline and lore. There is some semblance of replayability, but the save options and convenience are eschewed for no reason other than to force you to replay the whole game again.

I can think of worse visual novels that don’t allow players to save out of sheer spite, but it would be nice to give players who have stayed invested to not backtrack all the way from the beginning and allow save states of some sort. If you’re a fan of really gorgeous walking sims with some bits of follow-the-leader gameplay, this one’s for you.

Final Score: 60/100

Review copy provided by publisher.