The detective genre of games has had some hits in recent years. Games like L.A. Noire (2011), the award-winning Disco Elysium (2019) and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021). Now, the Polish-based team, Critical Hit Games, has released Nobody Wants to Die, the newest game in the detective genre. It’s caked with the aesthetics of cyberpunk films like Blade Runner (1982) and characters straight out of Double Indemnity (1944).  Set in 2329’s New York City, you play as Detective James Karra, a man with some serious trauma whose given an off-the-books case to investigate the death of a wealthy elite. But what happens when James and police liaison Sara Kai uncover a little bit more than they can chew? Will Nobody Wants to Die walk alone in a city street obscured by steam, or will it kiss the cold and calculated femme fatale?

Place? New York City. Time? 2329. Humans have now found a way to become immortal… if you have the right coin, that is. The human consciousness is stored in memory banks called ichorites, which can transfer between bodies. But, like our own world, if you don’t pay the subscription fee, you won’t have access to it. The only people who can keep up with the fees are the rich and powerful. Mortality Department Detective James Karra has a secret assignment to catch a killer who is going after New York’s elites, but the question is… why? The major gameplay element found here involves using gadgets to manipulate time in reconstructing what happened.

Throughout the game, you’ll be tasked with recovering all the clues at each scene and uncovering the plot at hand using the devices James owns. His reconstruction device has two variations to it. Once you’ve gained enough information, one variation allows you to reconstruct fragments of the event by playing a mini-game. You’ll also be able to rewind time. In this instance, your device shows a yellow bar to indicate a significant moment you’ll need to view. Then there will be an anomaly zone that you can enter. This area is wrapped around a yellow sphere, where inside you can look for more traces of the crime.

James’ other gadgets include a handheld X-ray machine. It’s used to look at obscured wires, and looking at people’s organs or bones. When selected, it stays in the bottom-right corner of the screen, even zooming in. It’s frustrating to look through the device because it never moves to the centre of the screen. Especially when you’re trying to find cables, you’ll need to move the device over the machine, and it feels so disorientating. The last device in your repertoire is a UV lamp, which you use to discover traces of liquids to find more leads. Honestly… most of the time it’s blood. When first using these devices after loading in, or in a new chapter, you have to watch James turn it on. This animation happens every single time and it takes forever. You’d think they’d have automatic devices, but he also has a rotary phone in his apartment, so who’s to know?

During the first crime scene, that’s essentially a glorified tutorial, it lets you know that you can open a gadget menu. However, because the game will always prompt you to take out the needed device if you press a button, this whole gadget menu feels largely unnecessary. There doesn’t feel like a moment where you would need to bring up the menu other than out of interest. Using these gadgets gets pretty repetitive too. Use the UV Lamp on blood, the X-Ray on cables (and sometimes bullet trajectory), and the Reconstructor to wind back time. It feels like I’m always one step ahead and know exactly what to whip out next based off what was just inspected.

Whenever James uses the reconstruction device, you can scrub through the events to get a good idea of what’s going on. This is good because sometimes you’ll want to see exactly what happened, especially since in the last crime scene, the device uses a hologram to depict the killer. However, they’re a burnt-orange transparent figure in a room dubbed the “Red Room”. This makes it a little hard to decipher their actions. When using the device to see what happened, if the device wants to show you an important moment, and you’re near it, it’ll jump to that moment. It becomes frustrating because it’s already hard enough to see. You’re having to try and go back to see, and it feels like there’s wasted time.

It’s not all black and white, as Nobody Wants to Die is rich in its use of film noir tropes. From the edgy detective who has a dark past involving a woman, to the corrupt system that can’t be changed. The world feels unique enough to carve its own identity in the detective genre. Yet, it will still pay homage to TV shows like Twin Peaks and movies like Jacobs’ Ladder and Eyes Wide Shut. Stories set in dystopian worlds often display events that are inspired by our own. The cyberpunk genre sunk its teeth into civilisation during a time when technology was getting smarter, and multinational corporations were influencing leaders. While we might not have our consciousness show up on USBs, there are some events that either could or already are happening in our lifetime.

Ancient Greek Philosophers aren’t the only ones referenced here. Greek Mythology permeates each scene you step into. It’s fun and unique to see the different references and their relevance. There’s the postal service called “Herm” after the messenger God Hermes (who was also a psychopomp — a guide to the afterlife). There’s a food-based company called “Demer” after the Goddess of the Harvest Demeter (she also presided over the cycle of life and death). Finally there’s also a pharmaceutical medication that James takes to make sure his body works called Ambrosia, named after a food or drink that grants immortality once consumed. It’s a neat inclusion, and ties in with “The Apology of Socrates”, as James will often mock the companies during his monologues, also showing how brands themselves are becoming Gods of worship.

Speaking of James, his characterisation is pretty good. Playing as him felt almost like it was a version of Nick Valentine from Fallout 4 (2015), both also having that 1940s film noir sound to them. Nobody Wants to Die’s story is affected by the choices you make. However, there are only a few key points towards the end of the game where it matters. The outcome that feels impactful is the friendship that James can build with Sara Kai. You’re introduced to Sara, and she does not want to work with James at all and vocalises that. But, depending on the choices you make, you can either let a friendship grow between the two or make it worse. If you explore certain areas or ask specific questions, you can unlock more dialogue with Sara or someone else. The team at Critical Hit Games have great characterisation down between James and Sara.

When creating characters, giving them a great voice often helps, as the voice acting in this game feels strong and fantastic. James sounds like he could be Humphrey Bogart reincarnated. However, sometimes, when certain lines show up it did feel confusing due to the tone of the previous line. James for one sentence might sound angry and the next he’s quizzical with no reason for the change. The subtitles don’t always match the dialogue either with formatting issues, like large spaces, or words doubled-up. It’s quite jarring for a moment.

There are some accessibility features in the game which is better than none. Automatic subtitles are great to see, but there’s no way to change the size of them. You’re able to change the size and colour of the crosshair though, which unfortunately you cannot remove entirely. There is also the ability to re-bind some keys, which is always great to see. But one of the unfortunate things is that towards the end of the game, quick-time events start to show up, something that doesn’t make an appearance until 30 minutes from the finish. There is no way to skip these, enable a hold instead of clicking the mouse button, or even rebind the key. QTEs can do wonders for mechanics, but when you have no way to disable them, it’s debilitating for disabled gamers who have mobility issues.

Overall, Nobody Wants to Die is one of those games that has all the ingredients for a great recipe. It has a lot of philosophical thought and themes surrounding death and the afterlife. Cyberpunk ideas, political intrigue, and Greek Mythology all enrich the experience. But then towards the end of the recipe, it gets a little bit confusing and there are things that come out of left field, such as characters who were once sympathetic towards you suddenly being hostile for no reason. It’s a good recipe for an engaging game but with some implementation issues.