Death or Treat

Imagine someone came to your door on a misty Halloween evening and said, 'Death or Treat!' This spooky title isn't exactly trying to bring the scare. Still, it is trying to showcase a fast-paced hack-and-slash game that captures the All Hallow's Eve spirit more casually. Death or Treat is another attempt to stand out in the oversaturated souls-like genre, adopting similar themes, mechanics, and visuals to other popular titles.

So what's going to help Death or Treat grab attention? There appears to be an intriguing story, an exciting character set, and fast, fluid combat that feels as satisfying to play as visually appealing. So let's dive into this Halloween-themed world to see if Death or Treat can live up to the expectations we've set before it.

Candlemaker Combat

The story of Death or Treat makes the game instantly appealing. You'll play as a ghost named Scary, the owner of a popular candlemaker called Ghost Mart, specializing in providing the world with candles for Halloween. So what's this little spirit got to do with a dreadful invasion of the underworld? Well, the business landscape is ultra-competitive, and the only way to gain an advantage is to send hordes of foes to end your operation.

The narrative lays the groundwork for the hack-and-slash mechanics. Scary must use his combat skills to defeat the ever-growing onslaught of enemies. There's a large, creative arsenal to choose from, and each battle will have varying challenges for the player to overcome. It's standard for 2D action gameplay, adopting more of a souls-like approach.

But the main question is, is Death or Treat fun? It's easy to assume that hack-and-slash games get tiresome quickly, given their repetitive gameplay. However, the game surprisingly plays well, where players find an increasing challenge curve supplemented with a more outlandish narrative. While the visuals feel similar to other titles, there's no denying that they are satisfying, especially during the battles.

Death or Treat is an entertaining entry into the indie hack-and-slash genre. Despite sometimes that typical burden or repetition and a struggle for direction, it's a game worth playing. It's the ultimate satisfaction factor that most players will enjoy, with the ability to subdue their enemies creatively and a lot of exploration potential to immerse themselves in this weird world.

More Treat than Death

Anybody dabbling in the genre would see that Death or Treat gives us Hollow Knight vibes, a significant benchmark to try and replicate. However, a more relaxed, charming element to the former keeps players interested in continuing the game. Gameplay may get frustrating as it gets more complicated, but that's the whole point of a souls-like hack-and-slash game.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Fast, fluid, and entertaining combat throughout
• An excellent narrative that builds an immersive world
• Visually beautiful

Cons:

• It follows the same theme and aesthetic style as other titles
• Combat can get repetitive