It happens every spring/summer. A mass influx of indie games that get thrown my way for review. I’m getting to through the backlog with a little help. Here’s Dave Corn reviewing Death Kid from developer Crooked Games and publisher Take IT Studio!

“Death Kid is a fast-paced arcade-inspired arena brawler with meta-progression. Wipe out hordes of daunting foes, master powerful abilities and grow stronger with each attempt. Venture deep inside a treacherous well to put the wheel of life and death back in motion and break the curse of immortality.”

Death Kid emerges onto the Xbox Series X as a fast-paced, arcade-inspired arena brawler with a healthy dose of roguelite, meta-progression, and it largely delivers on its promise of frantic, strategic combat. There have been a sizeable number of roguelites recently, and Death Kid is one of the more enjoyable romps around the genre, but offers little in the way of innovation. Developed by Crooked Games, the game tasks players with descending into a treacherous well to break eight seals, put the wheel of life, and death back in motion. All while protecting three vulnerable souls from relentless hordes of enemies.

The visual presentation immediately stands out with its high-quality pixel art. The developers have crafted a stylish underworld brimming with a mix of vibrant and dull lighting that effectively emphasizes the ongoing battles and sets a wonderful tone. Each level boasts a distinct colour scheme and introduces a variety of enemy types, each with their own unique behaviours. The protagonist, resembling a stylized Grim Reaper, moves around with smooth, expressive animations that aren’t too easy to hit opponents with. When the animation has started and the enemy has moved, you are left watching your character punch mid air.

I’d just like to mention a game with a very similar gameplay mechanic that beats this hands down, Akane. Playable on all consoles and as arena brawlers go, Akane is a modern classic and should be played by anyone who loves the genre. (Akane is set in a cyberpunk surrounding, unlike the dark and gloomy setting of Death Kid). But, back to Death Kid. Players engage in close-quarters combat, utilizing a combination of melee attacks, powerful abilities, and strategic dodging. The Xbox Series X handles the action flawlessly, maintaining excellent performance even when the screen is filled with enemies and effects. I also purchased the game on Switch to compare and as the game isn’t too heavy on any system, The Switch port is just as good as the Xbox Series X version. This game is so well optimised that it would probably run smoothly on an N64.

Success in Death Kid often hinges on understanding enemy patterns and devising effective strategies to keep foes from reaching the souls you’re sworn to protect. However, I’m feel that the close attention to enemies movements wouldn’t be quite so necessary if the unstoppable, once started, attack animation combo could be ended. As this is a roguelite, death is a frequent occurrence, but it’s rarely frustrating. Each run provides opportunities to gain experience and unlock new abilities through “The Book of Death,” making each attempt feel like meaningful progress. The game features a straightforward melee combo system, augmented by charged attacks and projectile abilities. Dodge mechanics are crucial, becoming even more effective with upgrades that allow for quick, screen-dashing manoeuvres (Akane achieved this perfectly), but accuracy isn’t easy once an animation has started, often meaning the target you were dashing towards has moved, or you end up face to face with a larger group of combatants. There’s also a rage mode that temporarily boosts damage, adding another layer of depth to the chaotic encounters.

While the core loop of battling through waves of enemies and upgrading your abilities is engaging, some may find the overall experience a tad repetitive after extended play sessions. As with other games of this genre, this is definitely one for folks who like the grind for progression. However, for those seeking a pure, skill-driven arena brawler, Death Kid is certainly worth a look. It’s a challenging yet rewarding experience that encourages mastery through repeated attempts and strategic thinking.

Death Kid isn’t anything new, its not going to win buckets of awards or go down the years as a highly loved classic. It is a pick up and play kind of game, which marries itself to the Switch nicely, that if cheap enough- should give re-playable value for a while. I enjoyed this title but if you ask me in a year I doubt I’ll remember it straight away. In an age of digital only downloads, I imagine this game going the same way that so many go, it will linger on console hard drives for years until the store closes and that version is lost, a few hundred megabytes seemingly unnecessary to uninstall and even less necessary to revisit. I hope I’m wrong… its not a bad game but easily forgotten amongst the wave of this genres surge oof recent titles.