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Welcome to our regular gameplay impressions and video post where we record our first 10-30 minutes with a new game, and provide some general impressions on that early playthrough. Today’s game is: Life Goes On from developer Infinite Monkeys Entertainment.
While many games try to use the concept of death as a deterrent or a punishment (i.e. Dark Souls), Life Goes On uses death as a mechanic. Death is a vital element in this puzzle platformer, but, as they say, life does go on.
The concept surrounding Life Goes On is fairly simple: players fire one of up to 50 different levels and try to snag the cup of life. However, attaining the cup of life is easier said than done, and usually the path to capturing it is paved with corpses of fallen knights.
In Life Goes On, players are given an unlimited amount of respawns, although they are encouraged to complete each level with the least amount of deaths and in the quickest time possible. So, while the idea of no death penalty might seem freeing, there's still a fair amount of skill required in order to get a high score.
Speaking of that puzzle solving, Life Goes On's key mechanic involves using corpses in several different ways. In some cases, a corpse can serve as a stepping-stone over spikes, or as a counterweight for a button, or even as a platform. It all depends on the situation.
It does take some time to get acquainted with the "rules" of Life Goes On — a byproduct of such a unique puzzle-solving mechanic — but after the first few levels, the challenge starts to ramp up significantly. The game also plays around with some of its seemingly insignificant mechanics, like the checkpoint system, to create new and inventive puzzles.
By using the concept of death as a means to success, Life Goes On certainly makes a striking first impression. It's core puzzle platforming mechanics may not be totally original, but the way the game packages those mechanics around dying helps bring a fresh perspective to an age-old genre. The game could use a little more effort in the art department, as even the main level categories (Mines, Mountains, etc.) are decidedly lacking when it comes to unique design elements, but that's a small gripe to be had.
At less than $10, Life Goes On is a perfect fit for the puzzle platformer enthusiasts out there. It has a morbidly charming sense of humor and is not afraid to challenge players with some out-of-the-box thinking.
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What do you think of Life Goes On? Does it look like a game for you? Let us know in the comments below.
Life Goes On is available now for $12.99 on Steam.
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