Have a Nice Death is a cute 2D roguelike game that was released in early access back in March of this year, and last month it got its first free major update in the form of the Fast Food expansion. Players control Death, a character who can wield many weapons and spells alongside the iconic scythe. In the Fast Food update, Death faces monstrous creatures like hamburger sandwiches that shoot tomato slices as projectiles or muscly pickle jars, all of which stem from the Toxic Food-Processing Department, where food is the enemy both metaphorically and practically.
In fact, in this Gearbox Software-published sidescrolling action game's new update, unhealthy food is depicted as the main evil to overcome due to how much of an impact the overly-processed foods can impact people's diets and well-being. Nicolas Leger, the creative director and animation director for Have a Nice Death, described the Fast Food update as a way to address problems like diabetes and unhealthy diets as major causes of death all over the world. Leger talked to Game Rant about what it meant to make Have a Nice Death's Fast Food expansion and what the creative process behind it was like.
Have a Nice Death's Fast Food Update Tackles Junk Food and Health Issues
With graphics that are reminiscent of Hollow Knight and a gameplay loop that's more akin to that of games like Dead Cells, Have a Nice Death rapidly became popular among roguelike fans. Although the themes of these games are quite different, Have a Nice Death has a unique take on its story, as Death has to impose discipline via his scythe onto the employees of his company. In the case of the Fast Food update, Death hacks and slashes his way through junk food monsters to defeat the ultimate boss: Waldo.
"The theme that we wanted to address with this new department is the dangers of the food-processing industry, which is responsible for sugar addiction and "poisons" our meals with elements that have nothing natural. Fast food restaurants are just an aggravating factor."
Leger says that Waldo is the perfect final boss for the Fast Food expansion, as it embodies the aesthetics of the mascots for American diners in the '50s, elevating unhealthy food to new standards in terms of how bad it can really be. According to Leger, designing a world where the enemies appear in food-filled rooms and corridors was surprisingly very easy, and the inspiration for coming up with the various new enemies came just as easily. By making Death take on armies of fries and burgers, the Hades peer Have a Nice Death aims at highlighting the over-consumption of poisonous food that modern society finds it hard to escape from.
Of course, Leger and his team ran into challenges when working on this project, but one of the highlights for him was coming up with creative ways to animate the enemies, like a burger that spawns or despawns in layers, much like a sandwich would. Have a Nice Death's Fast Food update does put an emphasis on the dangers of fast food restaurants, but Leger tried to make a point about how these health hazards have to do with the food-processing industry as a whole.
"Weirdly enough, we had many ideas for this world! Junk food is really a universal concept. But we had to make choices based on gameplay utility or appearance. The clearer the design, the easier it is for the player to apprehend the threat. Visual comprehension must be immediate and intuitive, even before the animation plays, which is a constant challenge."
It is Leger's belief that the added sugars and preservatives are the truly dangerous sides of the food chain, as they can "poison" people's meals and become the primary causes of cholesterol issues or worse, diabetes and obesity. The new update's darker tone doesn't necessarily change the experience of playing Have a Nice Death, but it still sends a powerful message about how junk food has been deeply rooted in modern habits for a long time. Overall, Leger is quite happy with the result when looking back at the process of creating the Fast Food update, and he and his team are already working on their next project.
Have a Nice Death is in Early Access on Steam for PC.