Just Die Already is an open-world physics-based game comparable to Goat Simulator. Instead of running around as a goat, you play this one as old people with a rather unique bucket list. It sounds like a lot of fun but sadly falls flat on its face without ever getting up again.
Escape the retirement home
The game starts pretty impressively by putting you inside the virtual old shoes of one of the elderly people in the retirement home. Life in the retirement home is relaxed but extremely boring, so it’s time for you to escape to the vast open city that’s lurking behind the home’s solid doors! This part of the game serves as the tutorial and lets you get accustomed to its controls. By clearing some obstacles and doing some tasks, you’ll quickly be able to manage your way to the outside world. It’s here where the fun truly starts.
The open world of Just Die Already is well-created and offers enough room for exploration. It’s not the biggest map, so you won’t get lost, but it’s certainly the right size to have some old-fashioned fun. Where most games in this genre will let you go all-out in the city, this one offers a bit more guidance in the form of the bucket list. It’s not just a puny little list filled with a couple of dreams, it’s a rather thick diary filled with crazy thoughts. From putting yourself on fire to katana-wielding attacks, it’s all there and it’s all pretty crazy and unique. If you manage to clear some of your tasks, you’ll be rewarded with tokens that will enable you to unlock even more chaos. Everything is in place for a very enjoyable and hilarious game but sadly, it never reaches its true potential.
It missed the mark
The problem with Just Die Already is perhaps the constant guidance and push towards a certain direction. While playing this I missed the ability to truly do what I wanted, instead, the bucket list always forced me to take certain paths and directions. Of course, during the first couple of minutes, it’s all still fresh and funny, but it wears off rather quickly. Brutally murdering and dismembering old people has a certain dark sense of humor over it but it never really gets past the initial joke. This in combination with strange and unpredictable physics doesn’t add up to an unforgettable game I would easily recommend to others. It’s all just a bit too much over the place without ever feeling grounded in a fun game. The direction choices really affected the fun and in all honesty, if you’re planning on playing this by yourself, you shouldn’t even bother.
There’s a small redemption when you play this with a couple of your friends as it’s simply a lot more fun and chaotic when you’re messing around in this world with a couple of friends on the couch, but never becomes more than just that. It’s a game that’s fun to show and play for a couple of minutes before you move over to a better and more appealing multiplayer game. A shame really as the premise and the visuals were certainly good enough to result in a great game.
Conclusion:
In the end, Just Die Already isn’t worth it. It’s fun and hilarious during the first minutes but quickly loses its momentum a couple of more minutes in. The constant guidance takes out the fun and the physics are a bit too unreliable to mess around with. A bit more fun with friends but never truly special.
