Death and Taxes is a quirky, choices matter sim where you play an office based reaper, deciding who dies from the comfort of your desk, before popping along to the pub for drinks with your colleagues. As a concept, it’s fabulous. Your boss is an enigma, providing instructions which make little sense. He does have a cat though, so obviously a man of taste.
The characters are all memorable which makes the game interesting when choosing victims becomes tiring. The shopkeeper regales you with stories about where he acquired his goods, the bar patrons feature Egyptian gods and depressed skeletons. Sadly, the outfits you can buy are purely cosmetic which I feel is an oversight.
I’m sure the game is designed to make you question your morality, forcing the player to make ‘tough choice’ – do the right thing or earn some extra cash? Unfortunately, it turns out I have no qualms reaping the souls of primary teachers while allowing oil barons to thrive. My world slowly ventured towards destruction while I debated whether my reaper looked best dressed in classic black or vibrant red. Maybe I’m a monster, maybe I’ve played too many games in this genre but either way, my conscience is clear. Sorry pixels.
There are a good variety of endings so a replay is possible but I don’t feel inspired for a second run any time soon. It’s a game of novelty and once you’ve played it, the other endings don’t feel worth the repetition of gameplay. Some variety in the job would have been welcomed, especially in the form of cat related shenanigans.
At the reasonable price tag of £1.49 on CDKeys, I’m happy with it and consider this a great buy for an afternoon. Overall, I think most people would get 1-2 playthroughs at 3 hours each which is good value from any angle. Even if I don’t love it, it’s a solidly good game even if my favourite part was the end credits (that’s not a dig, you’ll see what I mean when you get there).
Written By: ivetafox
Favourite Game – Long Live the Queen || Favourite Film – Sweeney Todd || Favourite Book – Wuthering Heights
About: Ivy is a disabled, autistic writer from the UK, passionate about inclusive gaming. When not reviewing, she can be found writing short stories and micro fiction or reading the latest gothic novel.
Donate: https://ko-fi.com/storiesbyivy
Our Affiliates
Are you considering purchasing this game following our review to check it out for yourself? Check out the deals at our affiliate sites via the links below to see what they have to offer on this title. We may earn a small commission from any purchases made via these links, allowing us to continue our website.
