Reviews from

in the past


Oh, now this hurt. I really picked the best and worst time to play this, as I'm currently beginning (for the first time ever) to cope with the fact that I Am Getting Older, my grandparents probably won't be around much longer, that one 'aged' filter on TikTok showing me what I'm probably going to look like when I'm 70... if that is, I make it to 70, because the world is kind of caving in on itself right now and it's really hard being young, trans, and trying to get into the creative industry. I related to it a lot in the sense that I want to work for a smaller company, but the corporate creep-in is inevitable. It's scary! This game made me think about what would happen when I die, not like, if I go to heaven or what, but would happen to everyone else. What if I die young? Middle aged? Old? If I'm famous? If I end up alone? Plus, Pee-Wee died today... and I grew up on his TV show.

As for the game itself, the point and click mechanics are a bit finicky, some of the assets are a bit fuzzy, and it's a very repetitive game. Gameplay wise it's like Cooking Mama, but with scalpels and tubing, and without the flashy feedback loop and timers. Is it bad for me to say that, after reading that some of the people died in accidents, I was hoping their model would be a bit more... mangled? Not only for the sake of mixing it up a bit, but because in the funeral section, I'd talk to the family and they'd say like 'oh, I wouldn't want to see her after the accident' and I just thought to myself like, 'she looked the exact same as all the other ones'. But definitely worth a play, for the story and tone, not exactly the gameplay.

At some point, growing up, I developed a fear of dead bodies. I've always been afraid of death, ever since I was young. But, the development into being unable to touch the body of a dead fly came later, a fear I'm still unsure the origins of. It's a fear that caused me to put off playing this game for some time - despite now owning it from many bundles.

The game treats death with a lot of care. As Charlie, your job is to prepare the bodies for the funeral - whether this is through cremation or embalming. The graphics are simplistic, not shying away from the medical nature but not marvelling needlessly in it either. The bodies don't show any injuries from how they died, and the use of blood is minimalistic. It doesn't treat tragedies as a source of entertainment.

The game holds your hand through each step, not allowing you to go wrong. I didn't mind this, but it may eliminate the feeling of 'gameplay' for others. The use of colour to guide your eye is well executed, and the UI and controls are minimal and easy to understand.

The game consists of a few stages for each day you play. You can check your emails, as well as an extra tab on the computer (one of these days involving a Minesweeper esq minigame.) Upon accepting the job, you prepare the body. After this, you move to the funeral, where you can listen to their loved ones and pay respects.

The story throughout the game is interesting, and one reflective of real life. I knew where it would likely end up. I found myself engrossed into the snapshots of other people's lives at the funerals, however. Learning from only a brief moment their relationships, their worries or fears.

It's a very poignant game, yet a gentle one. I think I've come away with a better understanding of death and the process, and a respect for this.

A handful of thought-provoking messages strewn across a game neither visually or mechanically interesting, a short indie that just sets out to bolster thy mood if you're perhaps grieving or today's work sucked humongous balls. It teaches you a few things about being a mortician, perhaps, if you bother to remember direct instructions that do not consult your ability to actually remember them. That said your bestie keeps asking you for skype dates and this is very unnacceptable social behavior graaaaaaaah

A comfy and monotonous (in a good way) game that makes you think more about life. It's simple and sweet

Cortito, entretenido y "algo" reflexivo - en su momento no me hizo meditar mucho, la verdad. Quizá le vuelva a dar un tiento en otro momento.


I love this game, I watch a lot of Ask a Mortician (who I was not surprised to see in the credits) and this does a wonderful job helping you understand what they might have to go through.

a game that is definitely more than some of its parts but I think it left something to be desired for me i like the themes and the way it shows some ethical issues but then it just kinda ends and it feels like it has an unearned "happy" ending

I wish this game's narrative was explored a bit more -- torn between feeling like the game ended too soon and also dragged out for too long. Maybe the parts I didn't really care for dragged on? Unsure, feeling mixed.

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.

this game hits like a brick in a 90 minute runtime, the kind of game you need to just sit for a while after

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 is an incredibly comforting game, despite its subject. it really helped me to deal with my aunt's death and to find some peace with it.

A very short, wonderfully written game about death. It's a shame we didn't see more expressive character art in the game. Charlie's design in the promo material is great and I wish we could've seen more of that and the other main characters, but I guess all indie titles have their limits.

The game was quite boring, repetitive and slow. The job of a Mortician is very intriguing to me and even though the game shows the occupation quite good, they made it very repetitive and it lacked that something. The funerals were very simple, quick and not all that well made.

Something that they did well was definitely the minesweeper (though the symbols were confusing) and the emails/story within the emails.

I would describe this game, above all else, as educational. It taught me a LOT about the funeral home industry and the options for what to do with loved ones after death. The game also isn't afraid to shy away from heavier topics and issues with the industry. The narrative was satisfying and there were a few really poignant moments.
Players are not given any choices within the game, and there is no skill required. Education and narrative take the forefront. Everything you are meant to do is heavily telegraphed, usually with text explicitly telling you what the next step is. This, in some ways, is good, because it maintains the game's educational and respectful tone. Obviously, a game teaching you about how to respectfully care for the dead doesn't want you to accidentally do something wrong with one of the bodies. However, this also means that the game requires no skill or agency. This is a neutral fact, but one that potential players should know going in.
ALSO: As stated before, this game deals with death and all the heavy topics surrounding it. Only play it if you are in a good headspace and are ready to confront such topics.

You can use this in your curriculum to get a mortician job

a very cute and informative game about the mortician process. the cover art is also beautiful.

A short, basically educational point-and-click about being a mortician in a funeral home, covers some small aspects of the business, a simplified show of the process, and has educational bits about funeral customs and different burial methods. I found it quite enjoyable and educational, despite the repetitive nature of a lot of it and the few rough grammar hiccups.

I think the game was enjoyable but needs to be expanded upon. It had a lot of potential that it didn't tap into.

A quick little game that made me really admire the death industry more, pretty interesting :3

This game is majorly depressing. It has very repetitive gameplay but ultimately the game is what it says it is. Solid gameplay as well as nice variety of objectives. Reading several emails I didn't care about was boring. Listening to what everyone had to say was interesting too. Strange but alright. Pref cremations, 7/10.


people complaining about this being slow and repetitive missed the point of what this should be, it's narrative driven so most of the "game" is getting the story through context by reading the emails

anyways this was really good i really loved it, death is a really sensitive topic and the game managed to pull some strong emotions from me somewhere 3/4 into the story