Summary

• Unique gameplay framing device with narrative-focused puzzle mechanics.
• Well-written horror story from the killer's perspective with a foreboding atmosphere.
• Great concept with some limitations, bugs, and lack of complexity, but still intriguing.

Video games have often allowed the player to enter the role of a villain with great effect. Whether it's the dastardly deeds of Dungeon Keeper or the potential to go down evil routes in series like Fallout, there are many great games where the player is a villain. Enter Life Eater, from Strange Scaffold and Frost Pop, where the player is responsible for some extremely nefarious acts; but is there a valid reason behind them?

Life Eater comes from the developer behind a wonderful assortment of creative games, including the likes of neo-noir shooter El Paso, Elsewhere, the indie strand-like Witch Strandings, and animal poker simulator Sunshine Shuffle. Strange Scaffold regularly comes up with incisive ideas, and Life Eater is no different, asking the player to stalk, abduct and ritualistically kill people in the name of a god called Zimforth. If the player doesn't complete these requests, then Zimforth will end the world - or so the player character believes.

Premiere Pro, Murder Edition

An Interesting Gameplay Framing Device

Life Eater doesn't take the approach to gameplay some may assume from its synopsis, as rather than a stealth game or action game a la shock titles like Manhunt, instead, it's more of a narrative-focused puzzle title. The player is provided with something akin to the timeline of video editing software, with pockets of time throughout a target's week that are currently hidden. The player must then choose how to stalk or investigate the target in question to find out parts of their routine, u parts of their time limit to find a sacrifice and potentially alerting the target themselves. Eventually, the player can then abduct the target, and must perform a ritualistic killing with specific steps determined by the daily life of the target in question.

It's an interesting and rather unique setup for the game, and Life Eater eases the player into its approach. Starting slowly and allowing the player to take a trial and error approach to each mission, steadily things become more complex, requiring the player to review multiple potential targets to identify the correct one via some sleuthing and detective work. Keeping an eye on Zimforth's requests - such as someone with a second job, someone who is evil themselves, and more - means it's never quite as simple as pressing a few buttons, understanding enough about their schedule to perform the ritual correctly, and then moving on.

Players should keep an eye out for the activities within the week that are highlighted in a different color, as these both give strong cues for the direction to investigate and can sometimes lead to further pathways altogether.

There are some limitations to the gameplay structure here, however. There's still a bit of a reliance on trial and error, even in the later levels, which does take a little bit away from the player's sense of autonomy, and also means the act of balancing the player's time and the target's suspicion feels a little underbaked. However, overall, it's a unique way to frame a story such as this, leaning into the voyeuristic nature of the acts themselves, and players will hopefully come out of the experience feeling deeply uncomfortable.

A Tale of Monsters

A Horror Story From The Killer's Perspective

Strange Scaffold has a reputation now for well-written games, and Life Eater is no different, with a sharp and dangerous-feeling tone throughout. Of particular note are the pieces of in-game text delivered supposedly by Zimforth itself, which are very foreboding, feeling as though they come from a being beyond our comprehension that is speaking out in dark ways. It ties excellently into the overall atmosphere of the game, and also into the player character's space not as a prophet of a loving god, but someone cursed with following its orders or else.

The other key element of storytelling is told via some static image cut scenes that come before and after each year. At the start of the game, the killer is forced to kidnap a young man called Johnny who is not on the list of Zimforth's targets. As each year rolls around, the player gains more of an understanding of the relationship between the two of them, and these cut scenes are also used as a means to discuss whether Zimforth is a real, dangerous being, a warning sign of something else to come, or something that is solely in the killer's imagination.

There's a wonderfully oppressive atmosphere here, at times both smothering in its density and extremely lonely.

Between these two narrative structures, Life Eater builds something quite impressive. Although it perhaps lacks the depth that could have been provided with a bigger budget or wider scope, there's a wonderfully oppressive atmosphere here, at times both smothering in its density and extremely lonely. The game is concise, perhaps to a fault, but that doesn't necessarily take away from the wider quality at show.

Limits of Horror

A Great Potential Not Quite Realized

There are many fascinating things about Life Eater, but it's fair to say that there are some awkward elements that stop it from truly reaching the level this idea could achieve. Firstly, the basic aesthetic approach may be off-putting; not so much the video editing-esque structure, but instead the lack of any further complexity within this. Something that could have really expanded the voyeuristic atmosphere would be the inclusion of snippets of animation or stills akin to the cut scenes, rather than leaving it barren.

There are also a few bugs within the gameplay that cause a bit of frustration. It's nothing major, certainly not enough for someone to avoid this otherwise very interesting experience, but there are some moments where the ritual stage won't quite match up with what's come before. Meanwhile, sometimes it does feel as though the player's pattern recognition doesn't quite match up with the request, which means the player may find themselves resorting to trial and error again.

Our Review Score & Final Thoughts

3.5/5

Overall, Life Eater is a fantastic concept, thanks to its odd choice of gameplay delivery and structure that provides something unique and innovative. Driven strongly by its atmosphere and writing, the relatively limited scope of the game does hamper exactly how far the game can go, but it's not enough to hinder an otherwise engaging offering.

Life Eater provides something quite different from anything else available, and will likely live long in the memory. For that reason, even in spite of its faults, it's probably worth a try for anyone with even a cursory interest in horror or new ways for games to tell their stories.

Screen Rant was provided with a PC code for the purposes of this review.