We Who Are About To Die

Historic video games can come in many shapes and forms, and that's what makes them so entertaining. Most of the time they have to be at least a bit realistic to successfully portray real-life events. And one thing that's certain about history, especially going centuries back, is that to simulate realism can be to simulate a brutal reality. And there's nothing more brutal in gaming than permadeath and roguelikes. This is what makes We Who Are About To Die so special and unique. Now, just going by the name you probably have already guessed what the game is all about but we'll talk about it anyways. There's a lot to cover here so we'll try to keep it nice and concrete, as you might find it hard to learn about this game online. So, let's get started.

About the game

In We Who Are About To Die you take control of a gladiator, hence the title of the game, and as such, you have to enter the arena and fight your opponents in a battle to death. And when we say to death, we really do mean it, as you really only do get one life per character. As you accumulate victories you can enhance your equipment, and get more popular to get better equipment, but if you lose it's game over, quite literally.

You'll have to learn to fight again, and to do this will take quite some time. Don't worry, even though you only get one life per character it doesn't mean there's a finite number of characters you can use. After all, gladiators are quite disposable.

The combat system is heavily based on physics mechanics, and this means you get a .lot of control of the movement, even how the character swings the weapon. You can create your own movements and combos, and learn how to fight however you want. It's not that bad to have a permadeath system, as you get to experiment with different ways to play the game, find new strategies, get to see which weapons work best, and more.

The customization in We Who Are About To Die is completely modular, and this means that you can custom pick each part of the character's equipment individually. Choose whatever armor parts you want, as long as you earn them that is. Weapons too, it's all up to you! Will you be able to survive and become the most triumphant gladiator of all Terantia?

The only gladiator game?

Well, of course, We Who Are About To Die is not the only gladiator video game out there. Probably the most recent and most popular title that jumps to mind when we think about this period of time would be Rise: Son of Rome. And even though Rise is a big game by a triple A company, and We Who Are About To Die is an indie game, they both share a lot of similarities. The main difference is that in Rise you get a full plot, story, character development, and all that. Whereas We Who Are About To Die is just about the fighting.

Review: 8.5/10

We Who Are About To Die is a pretty cool game, especially if you're tired of games plagued with text, complex stories, and all that, and you just want to have some fun while fighting. These gladiators will have some of the coolest and most original fights you've had in video games in a long time. One of the downsides of the roguelike system is that it doesn't allow for much of a story in games like this. But it's pretty fun nonetheless.

Pros:

• Customizable Character Creation
• Physics-Based Combat System
• Lots of Levels and Challenges

Cons:

• Gameplay Is Too Brutal At Times
• Story Doesn't Really Matter