Less of a game and more of an interactive short story, A Mortician's Tale gives you a glimpse into the interesting, if somewhat morbid world of one who cleans, embalms, and cremate corpses. The premise is intriguing enough, but ultimately, the tale being told here is nothing groundbreaking.

I'm a pretty squeamish person, so I appreciate that the graphics of this game are somewhat cute and stylized. If I had to clean and preserve realistic corpses, I would be done with this game in seconds. The art style, while simple, makes the so-called "death industry" far more digestible than it is in real life.

I knew going into this game that it would be short and story-based, so I wasn't expecting riveting gameplay. That being said, I wish they could have done a LITTLE more to make what little play there is a tad more interesting. I suppose the repetitive gameplay loop is slightly intentional, as you're meant to ponder on what it means to be involved in a "death industry", but the lack of shake-ups left me wanting more.

As I mentioned, this is a game that emphasizes its story. I expected more choices to make this aspect of the game interesting, but there's only one such choice to be found and I don't believe it has any bearing on how the story unfolds (I believe said choice exists as an accessibility option more than anything, which I can appreciate). The game only lets you in on the plot through emails, with your character's day-to-day life and conversations being implied rather than directly shown to you. It's a neat way to tell a story, but I would have liked to see more on-screen development to see how the main character reached her (admittedly, heartwarming) decision by the end of the game.

A Mortician's Tale delivers very concisely a striking series of vignette-things centered around a mortician's day job. There are some weird things going on. The game in some sense functions as an argument against the embalming process, which is cool as long as that isn't associated with some online political ideology yet? In an ideal world AMT would take after something like Papers Please, and use seemingly banal gameplay to really get into the shoes of an unconventional vocation. What we get instead is bittersweet and effective but lacking.

I initially found this game quite jarring - I've had to stop playing a couple of times in the past, but I just knew it would be rewarding in the end. So I sat down with the intention to play the bulk (if not all of it) tonight, and I'm thrilled to say that I DID and I wasn't wrong! While the difficult subject matter was never particularly easy to broach, the game and death as a whole became more a matter of intimacy and kindness.

I agree with the few reviews who state that there are a some instances of plots that are not effectively explored, but given the briefness of the game as a whole I think the fact these moments are included at all lead to sufficient provocation of thought. The game is exploring one element of a business that folks were just getting used to when the game was released in 2017. So, one can't expect the game to cover every element of the ethics of the death industry in complete detail. We're growing and the ability to talk about issues like these is becoming more and more accessible, and if this game makes someone wonder about the death industry then that is enough because people like Caitlin Doughty exist who have created incredible learning platforms for those curious about death positivity.

All in all, I feel happier knowing that this game is available for people to play! Now I need to go and kiss my cat and tell him that I love him so, so, so much.

This is a delightful (sort of) look into the funereal industry and contains lots of interesting details. Really might make you stop and consider what you want to happen to you once you pass.

But it's not very long and there aren't any choices, so once you're done you're probably done. But I picked up on sale at a very decent price, so I'm fine with it.

But your mileage may vary.

You play as Charlotte, a new mortician at Rose and Daughters Funeral Home. She prepares the bodies for viewings and does cremations. You’ll get some brief stories about the bodies passing through and their families. And emails from friends and a newsletter to provide more information about death, funerals, and surrounding issues. There’s also a corporate takeover, which leads to some emotional punches.

Visuals

A Mortician’s Tale has a very simple, low poly style. The colors are similarly simple and muted, mostly greys, blues, and purples. There are small details around the embalming room and some animation for Charlotte and the mourners.

Sound Effects + Music

There’s no voice acting and very minimal sound effects (foot steps) in A Morticians Tale. There is consistent background music, which is mainly piano and very calming.

Gameplay + Controls

A Mortician’s Tale is essentially a narrative driven funeral home simulator. You read Charlotte’s emails, which are very interesting and my favorite part of the game, to get insights and your assignment for the day. There are a few mini games where you prepare the bodies or cremate them. Then you’ll enter the funeral parlor where you’ll have to click on all of the mourners, read their dialogue, then pay respects to the deceased before returning to your office.

The controls are fine. I did have a little trouble with cremation, because if you don’t click the bones in the right place, nothing happens.

Replayability

A Mortician’s Tale took me about an hour to complete, so it wouldn’t be difficult to replay. But there wouldn’t be anything new. There is one point where you have to make a choice on which body to work on, so I would be interested to see what the second option is, but that’s about it.

Overall

I really enjoyed this short, simple game. The story is excellent and hit all of the emotions. Yes, the ending made me cry.

Dear Future Me,

you really enjoyed this game because it made you think about death in a compassionate and respectful manner. In fact it made you tear up a little thinking about all the times you or someone you know could have died. Especially that scene with the car accident.
Fuck cars. All motorists are terrorists.
Anyway go discover some more death positive media, its good.

Kind regards,
xoxo etc

This game made me want to leave my body in its opening segment, as disgusted as I was to learn and perform the clinical tasks of caring for a dead body, but it made me more comfortable with facing that reality, and that inevitability, through repetition and interactivity, which is quite an accomplishment! Unfortunately, little else here works from the blocky art style to the narrative’s resolution of its correct observation of capitalism’s trajectories towards death with the creation of another company. Profound in one of one’s component parts but ultimately frustrating as a holistic text.

Not as much a game as an interactive first person lesson on the process of embalming or cremation. It's emotionally and effective, and got me to research the death industry and think about how I want my body to be treated after I die. The standard method is, as this game demonstrated, horrible. One of my favorite sections was listening to the scattered opinions of the mourners at the funeral (you can't move on until you've payed respects for the person whose body you've just prepared). They are sad, funny, or nonchalant, giving a look at the range of reactions people have to death. One of the last funerals is for an unidentified homeless man, and the memorial is empty. I was shocked, and spent a moment honestly mourning.