Plot - 5/5
Possibly my favorite take on the "Death Game" genre out of all the games I've played. Every character feels relevant and fleshed out, and even the characters that die early on in the story are incredibly important to the progression of the plot. Each of the main cast is incredibly human, and the game wonderfully highlights their strengths and flaws. The game is able to have a good balance of fun with the cast while still keeping a serious tone when it's necessary. The main story so far is very intriguing, and I'm interested to see where it goes by the end of the game, which should be released in some time. Though I don't think the ending will make or break the game for me, I hope it'll live up to how the rest of the story has been written.
Gameplay - 5/5
Your Turn to Die manages to incorporate a lot of different styles of gameplay into its limited frame of visual novel, which is really impressive. The first chapter features a lot of escape room style puzzles, the second chapter features many reactionary minigames, and the third chapter features a turn based RPG inspired encounter system. Past that, throughout the entire game each chapter ends with a Main Game, which functions as a discussion where the group of main characters puzzle out certain plot mysteries. Within this discussion, characters are also given secret roles that influence who will live and die, which adds another layer to the conversations being had. It's a really fun system that makes you really consider what people are saying and compare it to other statements to find the truth.
Presentation - 4/5
The art style of the game has a very retro feel to it, and it's overall pretty pleasing. The character art is good, and the character designs are overall in a good place where many are goofy, yet still grounded enough to not take away from scenes. A great example is Gin, a young boy who wears a cape and hood all the time, carrying around a cat pillow. It's eccentric and interesting to look at, but also ties in well to his character as a young boy who struggles to feel comfortable around other people, using the clothes and pillow as comfort items. The music is very good, but can sometimes get repetitive when playing for long periods of time, as most tracks are only a minute or two long and will loop. Some of the sound effects can be kind of corny, as there are some stock sounds like slide whistles throughout the game, but it's not overly disruptive.
Extra Bonus - 1/1
I don't think any game has made me feel for an entire cast of characters like this game has. Somehow every member of the main cast has had an impact on me, to the extent where I had to sometimes take breaks from the game after certain characters died.
Overall - 5/5
If you like mysteries and visual novels, play Your Turn to Die. The characters are great, it's a ton of fun, and you won't regret it. The game is available on steam to buy, but you can also play it for free in browser or through download, which is incredibly value for the quality of the game.
Possibly my favorite take on the "Death Game" genre out of all the games I've played. Every character feels relevant and fleshed out, and even the characters that die early on in the story are incredibly important to the progression of the plot. Each of the main cast is incredibly human, and the game wonderfully highlights their strengths and flaws. The game is able to have a good balance of fun with the cast while still keeping a serious tone when it's necessary. The main story so far is very intriguing, and I'm interested to see where it goes by the end of the game, which should be released in some time. Though I don't think the ending will make or break the game for me, I hope it'll live up to how the rest of the story has been written.
Gameplay - 5/5
Your Turn to Die manages to incorporate a lot of different styles of gameplay into its limited frame of visual novel, which is really impressive. The first chapter features a lot of escape room style puzzles, the second chapter features many reactionary minigames, and the third chapter features a turn based RPG inspired encounter system. Past that, throughout the entire game each chapter ends with a Main Game, which functions as a discussion where the group of main characters puzzle out certain plot mysteries. Within this discussion, characters are also given secret roles that influence who will live and die, which adds another layer to the conversations being had. It's a really fun system that makes you really consider what people are saying and compare it to other statements to find the truth.
Presentation - 4/5
The art style of the game has a very retro feel to it, and it's overall pretty pleasing. The character art is good, and the character designs are overall in a good place where many are goofy, yet still grounded enough to not take away from scenes. A great example is Gin, a young boy who wears a cape and hood all the time, carrying around a cat pillow. It's eccentric and interesting to look at, but also ties in well to his character as a young boy who struggles to feel comfortable around other people, using the clothes and pillow as comfort items. The music is very good, but can sometimes get repetitive when playing for long periods of time, as most tracks are only a minute or two long and will loop. Some of the sound effects can be kind of corny, as there are some stock sounds like slide whistles throughout the game, but it's not overly disruptive.
Extra Bonus - 1/1
I don't think any game has made me feel for an entire cast of characters like this game has. Somehow every member of the main cast has had an impact on me, to the extent where I had to sometimes take breaks from the game after certain characters died.
Overall - 5/5
If you like mysteries and visual novels, play Your Turn to Die. The characters are great, it's a ton of fun, and you won't regret it. The game is available on steam to buy, but you can also play it for free in browser or through download, which is incredibly value for the quality of the game.