“Death” is somehow nothing much and something interesting all at once. The long and the sort of it is you press the button as it comes on screen. The screen says “x,” you press “x.” Not quite brain surgery. Yet, somehow this dumbed-down Simon Says concept is engaging for a time. Not so engaging that I would buy it though.

The game design felt thoughtful and evocative even if the game play concept was simple, derivative even. The music calms you while the buttons begin to shift from their places on the screen which correspond with their places on the controller to increase difficulty. The misty haze of a possibly miscalculated anesthesia dosage combines with a slight wave and blur to compound the desired visualization of a dying effect.

Once you miss enough buttons, you die. You get a time score indicating how long you lived for. (OMG, was I playing as a baby?!)

I got my score and I handed the controller off, as I do with all score based games, to see if my husband could do better. As usual, he could. Then I was done with it. I felt no compulsion to play more or find new opponents or learn the whole story or purchase the full game.

With its perfectly chosen soundtrack (by Plan C Studios) and well done artistic style, it was a beautifully crafted piece of interactive art that fell flat on the game aspect.

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“Death” is an indie XBox Live download (80 points) game by ZebraGames.

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