PREVIEW : A Way To Be Dead (PC)
A Way to be Dead is an asymmetrical multiplayer (up to 5 players) horror game in which a bewildered doctor searches for a group of victims who are merely attempting to run. This game, in which players can take on the roles of Dr Riley, victims, or zombies, is set in the world of Crania Games’ previous release, Roots of Insanity. However, it also enables us to view events from many angles.
Game Features
- You can play as a zombie, a victim, or Dr Riley.
- Capability to improve the character by using Skill points obtained through winning sessions.
- Victims may generate a lot of noise as a result of environmental conditions. As a victim, avoid them. Use visual and audio cues to track down your prey, just like Dr Riley!
- To go about, there are numerous paths to take on the maps. As victims, scatter securely through underground passages to reach crucial locations as quickly as possible. Dr Riley, on the other hand, was set up in ambush around those key locations.
- Help the other victims escape together, or turn into a zombie and spend the rest of your life in August Valentine Hospital.
- Every variable in a match can be customized. Other elements to consider, including the number of zombies, loot ratios, and Riley’s mutation limit. Like many other asymmetrical games, this game has potential, but it suffers from the same flaws and issues that the majority of these games have. Let’s start with the game’s advantages and disadvantages.
The game has an ambience, looks amazing, and has a gameplay loop that, with frequent updates, could be a polished piece of work. Instead, it looks and feels like an Outlast multiplayer game. The animations are pretty basic, and I’m hoping to see them improve with time. The sound design is adequate but should be reconsidered and enhanced (those survivor screams are ridiculous, better-themed music, and more ambient sounds would enhance the map).
Gameplay Loop
The game has an ambience, looks fantastic, and has a gameplay loop that, with regular updates, has the potential to be a polished piece of work. Unfortunately, it has the appearance and feel of an Outlast multiplayer game. The animations are rather simple, and I want to see them develop with time. Although the sound design is adequate, it should be examined and improved (those survivor screams are ridiculous, better-themed music, and more atmospheric sounds would enhance the map).
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
THIS MUST BE FIXED BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOW LOCKED THE PLAYER INTO A STRATEGY IN WHICH IF THEY DO NOT FOLLOW… THEY WILL BE KILLED QUICKLY. There should be additional options and tactics for playing once the doctor transforms into a demon to make the game more engaging.
I’ve played many asymmetrical horror games, and the success of this game will depend on the devs providing quick updates and making excellent judgments with the game in the future. Dead by Daylight started off the same way. They just had one killer in the test, and there wasn’t much going on with the game. But they swiftly exited beta, began adding a lot of content and patches (not all of them were fantastic at first, but they were listening), and then, as we all know, around the 5-month point, they published Michael Myers. Their game moved from being a small ‘nothing’ game to something mainstream.
I’m not sure whether this game wants to pull the same stunt, but it would be nice to see a strategy and some actual work put into it. However, don’t allow mixed reviews to deter you from working on this game; otherwise, you’ll wind up in the same dumpster as other games.
I feel that this game will stand on its own as long as some well-thought-out and solid decisions are made for it in the future. It’d be nice to see one of these make it out alive for a change.
