Angels of Death is an indie horror game developed by Makoto Sanada with a retro aesthetic and gameplay focused on character relationships. In 2018, Angels of Death was adapted into a hit anime series in Japanese with English subtitles on Crunchyroll. An English dubbed version was also released on Funimation.
The game version has 4 episodes, each focusing on a major antagonist, while the anime version has 16 episodes. The anime stays very true to its source material, but there are many differences between the game and the anime adaptation.
10 The Game's English Version Is Likely Set In America
While it's hard to know the exact setting of the game or the corresponding anime, there are hints dropped in the English-language version of the game that aren't present in the anime series. In the game, when our protagonist Rachel finds the pile of resumes, it's mentioned they are located in a state. Which state specifically is unknown.
However, this coupled with the frequent use of English slang and figures of speech makes it clear that, in the English-language version at least, our characters are in an English-speaking country. Furthermore, at the very end of the game, Zack, the iconic slasher villain we never knew we needed, mentions that the building blew up "like the Fourth of July," an American holiday reference.
As for the anime, there are no references to America or American culture. In fact, the whereabouts of our characters in the Japanese-language version of the anime remains so vague that it feels like our characters might be in another world entirely.
The anime is more ethereal and surreal than the game, focusing more on flashbacks and dream sequences than the game. The only use of English in the Japanese-language anime is in the wall writings seen throughout the show, which Rachel reads out loud in Japanese for Zack.
9 The Wall Writings are Different
In the anime, the writing seen on the interior walls of the building in Angels of Death is written in modern English. In contrast, the wall writing in the game is often written in older, Shakespearean English.
A key example of this is right at the beginning of the story, where the anime has "Who really are you? You should ask yourself, who am I?" while the game reads, "Who art thou? To know, thou must find out for thyself." Furthermore, the locations of the wall writings are different, so don't use the anime as a guide to finding all of the wall writings in the game.
8 The Game Has a Computer, the Anime Has a Typewriter
When the story begins, Rachel engages in an ominous Q&A with an inanimate object. In the retro horror game, it's a computer that asks her a series of questions. In the anime, it's a typewriter that asks her these same questions. Both the computer and the typewriter operate autonomously, though it seems like the computer is controlled by an AI, while the typewriter is being controlled by some kind of strange magic. For the anime, this magic typewriter ties in to the show's more ethereal, romantic tone.
7 The Game Has More Riddles And Rooms
As one might expect, the game version of Angels of Death is highly interactive. There are countless items for the player to find, read, pick up or store in their bag. It's up to the player to interact with every nook and cranny of the game's map to ensure no item has been left behind.
By contrast, the anime feels more streamlined. Rachel and Zack spend more time in each room and solve fewer riddles overall. While this difference between the game and the anime is primarily due to the difference in mediums, it does change the overall story. The anime is focused on the characters' existential goals, while the gameplay is focused on completing tasks.
6 The Way Zack Is Introduced Feels Different
Zack makes a shocking entrance in Angels of Death. In both the game and the anime, he busts in with his scythe, killing Rachel's bird. He proceeds to torment Rachel and chase her with his scythe.
In the game, if the player is unsuccessful in escaping Zack upon this first meeting, Rachel will die and the player will have to try again. For some players, this might take many tries and can become frustrating. This paints Zack as a clear antagonist and an annoying obstacle Rachel must overcome.
But in the anime, there's no viewer interactivity. The anime cinematically frames Zack upon first meeting Rachel. He's strangely handsome. And compared to Rachel's unemotional demeanor, Zack is a villain that outshines the protagonist with his magnetic personality.
When Zack saves Rachel from Doctor Danny in a deus ex machina moment, he seems more romantic than in the game. In this scene of the anime, Zack is violent but it feels justified given Danny's intentions to maim Rachel. Both first impressions are dark, but the anime casts Zack in a more favorable light.
5 The Anime Has Zack Vomiting Rainbows
In the game Angels of Death, Zack vomits for the same reasons he does in the anime. However, in the anime, he vomits rainbows, like he's the Nyan Cat! For the anime, it's a rare moment of ironic humor. Who would have ever imagined that an edgy emo boy like Zack would ever have such an embarrassing little quirk? It's charming and surprising, and proves that the world of Angels of Death is a strange place indeed.
In the game, Zack's vomit is pretty lackluster, though it does seem more aligned with his personality. It looks like a pile of cobwebs.
4 The Game's Doctor Danny is Weirder
In the anime, Danny goes from a neutral doctor figure to being a maniacal homicidal villain pretty quick. But the game version takes Danny's creepiness to the next level. In the English-language version of the game, Danny only ever refers to Rachel's eyes as "peepers." Jeepers creepers, he wants her...peepers? Overall, Danny is more eccentric in the game and his dialogue feels more comedic than in the anime.
3 The Villain Cathy Is A Bit Different
Cathy has the same amazing hair and annoying laugh in the both the game and the anime, but her word choices and interests are a bit different in the game version. In the game, she's an amateur artist. When she's first introduced, Rachel and Zack stumble upon a series of Cathy's graffiti-like drawings.
The English-language game version of Cathy is also hell-bent on calling Rachel and Zack "sinners." It's her favorite word, and she uses it in nearly every sentence. But in the anime, she refers to Rachel and Zack as "criminals" instead.
2 The Game's Syringes Make Zack Hesitate
As the anime progresses, Zack continues to be portrayed more heroically than in the game version. In the anime, he nobly decides to take both syringes without much of an argument or a second thought. In the game, Zack and Rachel have a drawn-out conversation about the syringes and what they should do.
As a result, Zack comes across as more selfish in the game than in the anime, where he appears more tragically romantic. In the anime, it's clear he's martyring himself for Rachel and that he cares about her a lot more than he's leading viewers to believe.
1 The Game Has More Humor
At its core, Angels of Death is a twist on the slasher horror-comedy genre. Both the game and the anime are depressing at times, but the game offers comic relief through Zack's goofy, joking dialogue. The game version of Zack uses humor as his coping mechanism for his trauma. Eddie also has a more comedic role in the game, as he says things like "You're like a turd that won't flush" and refers to Zack as a "fiendish ruffian."
Overall, the game and the anime offer different moods for the same core story. The anime feels serious and romantic with an epic theme song, while the game is darkly hilarious.