Death or Treat (2023)

From the moment you boot up Death or Treat, it's clear where all the care and attention went. You're greeted with a really nice-looking animation sequence that looks far better than nearly any other game you could name. It's rare that a game that boasts of being hand-drawn or hand-painted actually looks amazing, but in this case, you could honestly say that about Death or Treat and not be exaggerating. Unfortunately, it's all downhill from that point.

With its wonderful hand-drawn aesthetic Death or Treat looks like it should be fantastic. Never judge a video game by its visuals however, as those visual delights disguise a bland and repetitive roguelite. Death or Treat? More like Death or Trick.

In short, Death or Treat is a very pretty game with a nice soundtrack. It looks like it should be fun. Unfortunately, after a certain point–when you reach the first boss–it stops being fun. I really hope the control issues are the result of a lackluster PC port and not inherent to the game. Either way, I don’t think I’ll play it again until the controls are fixed.

An aesthetically fine action roguelite that does not offer any particular gameplay cues but allows itself to be enjoyed. It lacks a bit of optimization that materializes in a few too many stumbles both at the technical level and in usability.

Death or Treat delivers the basics of the roguelike genre well done to a certain extent, but doesn't dare to offer something innovative. However, the experience is positive, especially for players who are not used to the genre. Combat is easy to master, but a little tedious over time. But the title manages to captivate due to its excellent art direction and fluid movement of its protagonist.