Following the success of the canine caper A Summer with the Shiba Inu, developers Quill Game Studios have released another of their visual novels onto the Xbox platform in the form of Death Becomes You. Not to be confused with the 90’s film Death Becomes Her, although both do feature magic and death. In fact, Death Becomes You is a murder mystery visual novel set within a magical university.
Could Death Becomes You be a killer visual novel that’s a must play, or will it simply bore you to death instead?
Death Becomes You begins with an unnamed protagonist fretting over a falling out with her mentor, and best friend, Lyra. After being asked to give the main character a name, I promptly chose Deirdre, she wandered off into the night to meet and potentially make amends with her magical guide. That’s when disaster strikes and Lyra’s corpse is found. In virtually no time at all, another four students suspiciously rock up on the scene, pointing fingers at Deirdre. The only way to clear her name is to figure out the real culprit. But that’s not so easy in a world of magic.
Unfortunately for Death Becomes You, it’s immediately fighting an uphill battle against its own protagonist. And that’s simply because she’s very dislikable from the off and it’s difficult to warm to her at all. Our Deirdre might be suffering from the effects of grief, sure, but there are so many bad personality traits on show that there’s a real disconnect. Not only is she incredibly judgemental, she’s jealous beyond belief and throws regular pity parties with a guest list of one.
Aside from that though, the storytelling thrives thanks to the supporting cast of suspicious young ladies. There’s the perfectionist Daniella, the unassuming Apolline, the easy-going Alice, and the incredibly gifted Sophie. Their personalities shine through, even without any voiceovers present. As everything unfolds, you really get to see their darker sides and it does a fantastic job of conveying that either one of them could be the murderer. Especially with every additional playthrough you partake in.
You see, there are choices posed in relation to which of the students should be followed and investigated. Different decisions here lead to a variety of outcomes – a total of thirteen to be exact. Upon reaching a conclusion, you must start again from the beginning, but before you worry that you’ll have to re-read the same parts again, the developers have a plan. It’s possible to skip any text you’ve already seen, which is ideal given how many playthroughs are necessary to get the full picture.
Death Becomes You actively encourages running through the visual novel multiple times, for only then will more and more back-story be unveiled. I’m talking about potential motives, relationships and all of their deeply troubling connections to Lyra, who comes across as a master of manipulation. The narrative totally draws you to witnessing every branching arc and subsequent fleshing out of the characters. What benefits the replayability the most though is how it seldom drags on; experiencing every path is done easily in just a few hours.
However, don’t get your hopes up in regards to the investigation aspect. Death Becomes You won’t give Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot any sleepless nights. There are no evidence boards, and it’s merely a case of selecting who seems worthy of delving into further at certain junctures. The opportunity to accuse a suspect would be appreciated at least, but alas, it’s investigating in its simplest form.
On the visual front, the characters are designed in a way that makes them easy to differentiate between, which allows each of them to standout. The backdrops are fine, depicting a typical university setting including places such as the halls, offices, and the surrounding areas full of greenery. On the downside, there are a couple of situations where a placeholder appears instead of a particular character, and the models do sometimes behave a bit erratically.
Overall, Death Becomes You is a great visual novel that improves and becomes extra twisted with every playthrough. And that’s crucial for a game offering so many possible endings for you to reach. As a murder mystery, it’ll keep you guessing throughout and the excellent character building is a real reason for this. It’s so disappointing then, that the protagonist is bereft of almost any redeeming qualities. She’ll annoy the hell out of you for the most part.
Nevertheless, Death Becomes You is one of the better visual novels currently available on Xbox and easily has enough positive aspects to warrant a purchase.
