Switch Exchange #1: Angels of Death
Welcome to the first entry in a new article series here on GBAtemp! Titled "Switch Exchange", these articles will focus on the adventures of @Scarlet and I recommending various Nintendo Switch games to each other, playing them, and discussing our thoughts. We hope that you enjoy reading these, and perhaps end up trying some games out that you might normally have glossed over!
Scarlet here! I wanted to kick off this series with a game I've been wanting to shout about for months now. Originally catching my attention with its animated adaption in the summer, I eventually got impatient waiting for a new fragment of the plot each week. Noticing a then-fresh Switch release, I dove in and haven't looked back since. If I were to give a piece of advice to anybody looking at this, it's that you should try to look past its unconventional art style. It's something that'll grow on you as you become invested in the plot and characters.
So, knowing Scarlet’s penchant for trash, I had kept my expectations low for this one. (Just kidding!) All I knew about the game going into it was that it was a “sort-of” horror game made in RPG Maker. I tend to shy away from horror games as it is, especially ones that try too hard, or those that employ boatloads of jump-scares. Luckily, this one tends to play things pretty safe, and the horror undertones give way and transform into downright weird and quirky later on.
The gameplay is super basic, as it is a 2D RPG Maker game, but the game keeps things interesting by throwing a bevy of puzzles at the player. A lot of the time, you'll need to solve escape room conundrums or, as this is a horror game, you'll have to outfox murderers who want you dead. However, the stakes are never too intense for the player, as a save screen will pop up to notify you whenever danger is around the corner.
If you do try the game, make sure to get the latest patch, in order to fix a game-breaking bug.
Angels of Death starts you off by putting you in control of a young girl named Rachel Gardner, who finds herself in a mysterious tower one day, barely remembering who she is. From the first moment, there's hints that things aren't quite right, and it helps create just the right amount of foreboding dread and unease as the layers of the story proceed to slowly unravel and make themselves clear to the player as you progress. I found myself quickly invested in the growing mystery that the game was presenting to me, especially after a twist at the end of the first chapter. Rather than attempting to scare the player at every turn, Angels of Death instead plays with your expectations. There wasn't a moment that I can recall where I was aghast at a typical setpiece or trope from a horror game, but instead, I was more interested in the relationships of the characters, if they'd survive, and figuring out the tiny tidbits of clues that the game feeds you along the way to ultimately reveal the truth.
If anything, it felt a little bit like the horror movie, Scream. It's definitely trying to play at being what its genre is, but it also wants to poke fun at itself, try new things, and subvert tropes. A lot of my enjoyment came from the fact that the game never tries too hard to be scary; it's downright cheesy at times, even, but I felt that was to the game's benefit. The brevity and comedy from some scenes make the it all the more important when the tone changes back to one of seriousness, discord, and danger.
While I enjoyed my time with Angels of Death, there were some definite pacing issues. Certain scenes can tend to feel like they're overstaying their welcome, trying overly hard to hammer in a piece of the narrative for those in the back who need to be told 20 times. And despite some scenes becoming over-saturated text dumps, giving you a heaping of plot all at once, some of the side characters feel a little rushed. In the end though, the spotlight is only ever on the two major characters, who get their full development, so it's not a huge problem overall.
If you want a short indie adventure game that tries to be quirky, with a slight bit of horror and anime-esque undertones, alongside a fairly interesting premise, Angels of Death might just be the game for you. It's by no means perfect, but if you're willing to give it a try, you might enjoy what you get.
If you happen to try these games out together with us, be sure to let us know what you thought of it! If you've played Angels of Death before, did you agree with the above thoughts, or did you have a different take?
US eShop Link / UK eShop LinkPrice: $15 USD
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Makoto Sanada
