Death may be overworked, but Have A Nice Death is anything but dead on arrival. Just don’t forget to take your own Time Off between runs. Have A Nice Death v1.0.0 is available on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Fans of Hollow Knight ’s difficulty, Cuphead’s art style, and anyone who’s ever fantasized about firing their incompetent employees into the abyss. Have A Nice Death v1.0.0
After more than a year in Early Access, Magic Design Studios’ grim but gorgeous 2D action roguelite, Have A Nice Death , sliced its way to a full v1.0.0 release in March 2023. The premise is immediately charming: you play as Death himself—not a scythe-wielding skeleton, but a tired, overworked, nine-to-five office manager in a suit. When his underlings (the Grim Reapers) start ignoring their quotas, leaving the world’s souls uncollected, Death must grab his trusty umbrella-scythe and descend into the very underworld he created to set things right. Death may be overworked, but Have A Nice
Players who dislike long runs without saves, or those who prefer story-driven games with constant dialogue variety. Fans of Hollow Knight ’s difficulty, Cuphead’s art
The game’s humor lands more often than it misses. Every character, from the bubbly receptionist to the gluttonous "Greed" department boss, treats the apocalypse as just another quarterly report. The v1.0.0 release adds final story chapters that tie up Death’s midlife crisis arc, offering a satisfying conclusion without overstaying its welcome. At its core, Have A Nice Death is a fast-paced hack-and-slash roguelite. Death wields his "Melee" (the scythe) and "Spells" (projectiles like soul missiles or bone shields). Combat is all about chaining aerial combos, dashing through enemy attacks, and managing a limited stamina bar.
With v1.0.0, the game is finally complete. So, after all the updates, does Death’s first full shift deserve a permanent spot in your roguelite rotation? Let’s clock in. The first thing that strikes you is the hand-drawn, watercolor animation. Think Cuphead ’s rubber-hose swagger mixed with Hollow Knight’s melancholic beauty, but wrapped in a dark comedy about workplace burnout. Death’s office—the "Death, Inc." headquarters—feels like a parody of a startup: motivational posters that read "Souls Before Goals," a grumpy HR imp, and a coffee machine that definitely doesn’t work.