A way to be dead just released in Early Access on Steam. We’ve got the chance to try it out! A way to be dead is an asymmetrical multiplayer game with a 4 vs 1 setup. Are you the Demonical Doctor or are you a survivor trying to get out of this hellscape that is a zombie-infested hospital? Well… unfortunately it is not as simple as it seems.
First things first, the blatant problem with the game at this moment; The lack of a player base in a completely multiplayer game. At the start, you must choose to play as the doctor (and host a game) or a survivor (and join a host). I started as a survivor and after 35 minutes of not finding a game, I restarted it as a doctor. As host, I waited for 24 minutes to find other players. This was after release mind you and not before. After this time, we had a full squad and started the game. At the moment there is just one map, but it seems as if they are planning to add more. Since I did not get the chance to play as a survivor, I don’t really know what their objective is to escape. To my experience as playing the doctor, it must be hard, I had found them all and won the game within 3 minutes. Not worth the wait if you ask me.
The graphics are old but that is not a game-breaker in my opinion, games can be very good without the latest textures. However, this one isn’t. The movement and attacks feel old, really clunky, and slow. The animations feel a dozen years old and that is not the only problem. As Doctor, you start the game with weapons, health packs, and hearts. These hearts let the doctor become a demon for a while in which time you can see heartbeats through walls, run faster and attack more deadly. This feels a bit overpowered and unfair, to be honest.
To sum up, A way to be dead is to be released in early access way too early in my opinion. There is a lot of work left and I strongly believe that early access was not the best decision here. I really understand the appeal for developers to release a game early and at least start making a bit of money back on your investment. But why sell a game for 5 bucks that really needs a big player base AND that will disappoint in its early stage for most people that try it. Most of the lovers of the asymmetrical multiplayer genre will buy the game, try it and uninstall it. Unless it really makes some heads turn with future updates, I don’t think it will get reinstalled. For now, I discourage to buy the game in early access at least until we see some more updates. This game as many before it has potential but needs a lot of work to get where it needs to be.
