Death is final in games with the permadeath principle. If you live only once, at least you are more involved in the game. Every wrong step could be your last. Here we present ten recommended permadeath games.
1. “Dark Souls”-Series: Are you still alive or are you already dying??
The Dark Ages was a dangerous time, as these days the “Dark Souls”-Computer games illustrate. In Dark Souls death is not followed by an absolute game over, but the consequences are much more dramatic than in most other games. You are teleported to the last campfire and lose all collected souls of defeated enemies. Most enemies are alive again after your death and you have to defeat them again. On top of that, you lose your humanity and are a ghost for now.
2. “Xcom” and Xcom 2″: Alien invasion
In the strategy game “Xcom you fight in turn-based battles alien invaders. You train the members of your unit from round to round. If a team member dies, it is lost for good. Then you can replace the soldier with a rookie, who is not nearly as much of a threat to the aliens. If you make repeated mistakes, eventually the aliens win the war and the earth is lost.
3. “The Binding of Isaac”: Raven Mother
The top-down shooter “The Binding of Isaac” Tells the story of young Isaac, who is locked in the basement by his vicious mother. There he faces terrible monsters. If Isaac is defeated, it’s game over and you have to play through the game again from the beginning.
“The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a remake of the classic. Image: © Nicalis 2017
4. “DayZ”: A wolf to man
In the multiplayer survival game “DayZ players try to survive while zombies are after them. You have to collect food and drinks in order not to die. The biggest threats in DayZ are meanwhile, not the zombies, but other players you don’t know if you can trust or if they will kill and rob you. But you can also team up with others. If you die, you have to start all over again.
In “DayZ the zombies are not your biggest problem. Image: © Bohemia Interactive 2017
5. “Rogue”: The beginning
“Rogue is a role-playing game from the 1980s and was the first game with permadeath. Among other things, the randomly generated levels and the goal to fight your way to the lowest level of a dungeon have inspired many later action RPGs like “Diablo” influences.
As you search for the Amulet of Yendor from a monster-populated dungeon, you’ll find weapons, potions and spells, magical rings and armor, gold and rations along the way. Also, if you die on the lowest level just before the amulet, you have to start the whole game over again.
“Rogue” was the forerunner of dungeon crawlers like Diablo. Image: © Epyx, Artificial Intelligence Design, Mastertronic 2017
6. “Fire Emblem”: Adventurers live dangerously
Fire Emblem-Role-playing games once began on the NES and didn’t really become popular in the West until the 2003 version for the Game Boy Advance. The death of a character in your party is final, even if you have spent many hours leveling him up. This makes the battles all the more exciting.
“Fire Emblem Warriors” For Nintendo Switch is one of the latest spin-offs of the RPG series. Image: © Nintendo, Koei, Tecmo Koei Holdings 2017
7. “Don’t Starve”: balanced diet
“Don’t Starve Is a survival game, where the focus is on mere survival. The player has to take on nightmarish creatures and overcome numerous challenges, with crafting, i.e. making food and items, taking center stage. If you die, you have to start the game over.
“Don’t Starve Together is a multiplayer offshoot of the survival game. Image: © Klei Entertainment 2017
8. “Spelunky”: Exploding miners
“Spelunky” is a 2D jumping game with randomly generated levels and destructible environments. The improved version for Xbox Live Arcade won numerous awards. However, the final death, coupled with the very high difficulty level, will drive many players to white heat.
“Spelunky” has an explosive difficulty level. Image: © Mossmouth, LLC, Microsoft Studios 2017
9. “FTL: Faster Than Light”: In space, no one hears you scream
In “FTL” you take control of a spaceship crew that has to deliver the message about an imminent rebel attack. You will be attacked by space pirates and aliens and have to survive dangerous environmental conditions while upgrading your ship and crew and preparing them for attacks. The crew members can all die with no return and if the ship is destroyed, you have to start the game from scratch.
“FTL: Faster Than Light puts you in command of a spaceship. Image: © Subset Games 2017
10. “Enter the Gungeon”: “Diablo” With weapons
Have you ever wanted to shoot your way through “Diablo” with a minigun? Blast through? “Enter the Gungeon is a baller dungeon crawler in which you haunt monster-infested dungeons with firearms. As with other “Rogue-similar games, the dungeons are randomly generated and increasingly difficult. Your target is the “weapon that can shoot down the past”.