REVIEW: Death or Treat on PC (Steam)

Review by Jon Donnis

I do enjoy a good hack 'n' slash platform game, so when I was invited to review Death or Treat, I was definitely looking forward to the experience.

Let's first check out the official blurb for the game.

"Join Scary in the HallowVerse to make things great again!

You will play as Scary, the owner of Ghost Mart, the leader in manufacturing candies for Halloween.

Discover a huge world with lots of rooms, explore new maps in every run while you try to survive the hordes of enemies. It's not an easy task; every world is even trickier than the other. Starting with Darkchat, the Storyum lab, Riptok, the most used app sede, Deviltube, leaders distributing storyum, and last but not least, FaceBoo!, the ultimate epic frontier.

Will you overcome the challenge and dare to defeat Clark Fackerberg?"

Now why they are releasing a Halloween-themed game in May seems a bit strange, and I am sure there is some marketing genius at Saona Studios who thought it was a good idea, anyway only time will tell. If it is a success, maybe Saona Studios will release their next Christmas-themed game in July?

The first thing you will notice about Death or Treat is the super high quality of the animation, the cartoon introductions, and in-game graphics. You play as a little ghost character called Scary; you run a little candy shop, but big business is moving in and taking away your customers, so you have decided to stand up and fight.

General gameplay is your straightforward platforming hack 'n' slash. As you play, you will collect candies that act as currency in the game; these can be used to purchase upgrades, buy weapons, etc. And death of Scary is part of the evolution of the character, as that is when you can level up.

Fighting is pretty simple, fast attack, heavy attack, or ranged attack. Just watch the trailer, and you will get the idea.

There are plenty of "hidden treasures" to find, which will unlock new weapons and skills, and the level design is pretty decent. As you move through "HallowTown," you can use candies to unlock previously closed-down shops, which in turn allows you to purchase new upgrades, craft magic spells, or create new weapons.

The game looks great, gameplay is simple but challenging. A nice little platforming hack 'n' slash.

The Good

Gorgeous graphics and animations, truly the highest quality. The game is easy to pick up and play; there is a nice learning curve, and although challenging at times, the more you play, the better you get. Each level feels original and different from the previous one. I also enjoy the parodies of companies like Netflix (Deathflix) and how there is a moral story here about how big tech and big business are destroying the classic small business that countries like my own were built off the back of.

The Bad

I wasn't a fan of some of the sound effects, and I thought the music could have been better. But to be fair, I rarely listen to in-game sounds when I play video games anyway.

Overall

A fun little game, that looks and plays great. 

I score Death or Treat on PC a decent 8/10

Death or Treat will be coming out on May 11th for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S.

Add to your wishlist now at https://store.steampowered.com/app/2096620/Death_or_Treat/