Nobody Wants to Die imagines a future that will be well-familiar to sci-fi fans: a future where money can overcome ageing, as the rich use their wealth to body-hop between vessels, and those without means are sold off to fund these aspirations. Against this backdrop, the game’s novel detective tale plays out with aplomb, as you follow the life of James Karra – a detective who’s grappling with mortality and sanity in his latest body.
There are common tropes in the game’s exploration of conspiracy and madness (there’s a dead wife, of course), but with a gorgeous, cinematic approach to narrative storytelling, and some very neat detective mechanics, Nobody Wants to Die rises above standard fare.
What is most striking about the adventure is its devotion to detail and worldbuilding. Before you even begin your first investigation, you’ll be introduced to a Blade Runner-like city of floating cars and billboards, all rendered as a techno-infused paradise. The game’s visuals are frequently stunning, and while visuals alone don’t make a game, they lend Nobody Wants to Die a real sense of grandeur that elevates the narrative.
That’s not to mention the brilliant work of the game’s voice actors, who expertly narrate the game’s many twists. Karra is a particularly well-rounded character, thanks to deft voice work that imbues him with a gruff, edgy personality, tinged with that all-important hint of sadness.
As the protagonist of a cyberpunk story, Karra runs the risk of being too edgy – he’s reliant on a drug to maintain sanity, he’s got a dead wife, and he loves to defy orders from the top – but a mid-game twist adds layers to keep him likeable and engaging.
Read: Conscript review – Reflecting war as real-life survival horror
While conspiracy is at the heart of Nobody Wants to Die, as Karra stumbles onto a crime scene that nobody seems to want him to solve, it’s a far more personal tale than first appears. In one particular cutscene, we learn that Karra was formerly a baseball player, and that he had to give up on this dream after a body change. He no longer had the dexterity or skill for the sport – so he had to adopt a new career to keep his life meaningful.
With this puzzle unravelled, Karra is a more complex protagonist – and his world grows even darker. The game asks strong questions: who is a person without their body? Can you rebuild after tragedy? And more importantly, should a human live so long?
Nobody Wants to Die‘s detective tale is a fascinating one, littered with all sorts of clues and plot threads that twist and dangle just out of reach. But what is more important is its exploration of being and memory. In a real world where capitalists attempt to grasp at the Fountain of Youth through expensive experimental treatments and exploitation of blood, Nobody Wants to Die is a tight, incisive takedown of the concept of immortality, and an argument against longevity.
We aren’t meant to live forever. The preciousness of life is down to its finiteness – and to unnaturally extend life should come with consequences. That theme is explored in parallel, in Karra’s case and within his personal life, as he grapples with the strangeness of a new body, and a new life.
Being in first person means Nobody Wants to Die is able to explore that concept more fully, playing with concepts of reality and perception in its delivery.
While the narrative presented here is fairly linear, and choice rarely plays a part in the overall direction of Karra’s story, that lack of overt interactivity doesn’t detract from the story presented in Nobody Wants to Die. As a relatively powerless observer, called on to complete puzzles, guide Karra, and fill in dialogue choices, players are simply whisked along its six-hour story, at the mercy of the horrors that await.
By its second act, you can largely assume the direction that Nobody Wants to Die is heading, but in its long spiral downwards, the thrill of watching on is worthwhile. Like a deer in the headlights, you’re caught in its grip.
There are certain elements I wish Nobody Wants to Die implemented better. At times, the narrative leans too heavily into the obvious, and the dead wife trope needs to go. But on the whole, it presents a relatively novel exploration of a transhumanist, capitalist future, and uses incredibly strong performances and ideas to flesh out its shiny, fascinating world. It’s a game with important things to say, and it explores them fully as its core investigation unfolds.
Four stars: ★★★★
Nobody Wants to Die
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
Developer: Critical Hit Games
Publisher: PLAION
Release Date: 17 July 2024
A PC code for Nobody Wants to Die was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review. GamesHub reviews are rated on a five-point scale.
