Life Goes On: Done to Death review — Death is only the beginning

If you’re planning on picking up Life Goes On:  Done to Death, the newly released puzzle platformer by Infinite Monkeys Entertainment, get ready to die…A LOT.  This isn’t due to Dark Souls level difficulty or frustratingly difficult puzzles — though there are plenty of late game puzzles that had me scratching my head.  In Life Goes On:  Done to Death, you’ll need to use death to your advantage, bringing you one step closer to the finish line.

The tiny knights you control will fall victim to various different environmental traps, including spike pits, flamethrowers, and everything in between.  Life Goes On brings the concept of “taking one for the team” to a whole new level, requiring you to cause these casualties in order to succeed.  

Within seconds of the first level, your first knight falls into a deadly pit of spikes and, almost instantaneously, the next knight spawns, landing safely on his/her fallen comrade.  It’s a fantastically simple way of setting the tone of Life Goes On — sacrifices will need to be made, whether you want to or not.  Soon, jumping headfirst into a pit of spikes and crossing via a bridge of bodies becomes second nature.

The initial puzzles in Life Goes On ease you in, with your knights needing to cross a simple spike pit, or jumping into a single spinning saw to try and land on a switch.  Things start to get tough pretty quickly though, and soon you’ll be dealing with tougher obstacles like seesaws, lava pits, and pendulums (just to name a few)

There are some levels that are more frustrating than fun, but more often than not, you’ll find yourself simultaneously challenged and laughing due to the morbid hilarity this game brings to the table. This sadistic sense of humor is one of the games biggest strengths.  The humor and personality this game has makes the core, macabre concept more charming than disturbing. Each new knight will be given a name, which is quickly crossed off and replaced as soon as you die.  Each knight carries a weapon despite, apparently, not knowing how to us it in the slightest.  There are plenty more touches of humor and personality throughout your entire journey that I won’t dare spoil.

There are challenges in each level that will bring you back to Life Goes On, such as time challenges or beating levels with a certain kill count, and plenty of goofy cosmetic unlockables for the player to enjoy.  If you’re vehemently against puzzle games, Life Goes On won’t change your mind.  However, as long as you’re open to a challenge and making sacrifices, Life Goes On is a fun and morbidly hilarious experience.