Do you remember Goat Simulator, the random sandbox game where you played as a goat and went around causing mass destruction? Yeah, DoubleMoose Games are the developers of that, and also a brand new humorous sandbox game called “Just Die Already.” This is a game in which you take control of one of (currently) four characters. These characters are retired elderly people who live in a near future where people are no longer having children. This means that no one is around to pay out pensions, or cover any living costs for those that physically can’t work anymore, or afford to pay their own living costs, so they have no choice but to fight to survive on their own. So, is Just Die Already even worth it? Well, I got my hands on a review copy of the game, and I have to say…I’m not all that impressed.
Graphics
Okay, so the graphics on Just Die Already are actually pretty fun and amusing, it kind of reminds me of Borderlands with the cel shading and low polygon models. The game doesn’t look bad at all, but the art style is definitely not going to be everyone’s favorite thing in the world. If you’re expecting it to look the same as Goat Simulator, then you should definitely be prepared for that to not be the case, because it isn’t. In terms of performance, I haven’t seen any stutters or frame drops, which is typically the hardest part about sandbox games, because there’s usually a ton of stuff that needs to be rendered all at the same time, but with Just Die Already, I have yet to see any issues.
Gameplay
This is where I have the biggest issue with Just Die Already: the gameplay. This game is just so boring. From the beginning “tutorial” where you have to break out of a retirement home, it just feels clunky and weird. Once you eventually figure out how to make it out of the retirement home (you have to make sure to pop some balloons, that’s what I kept missing), you’ll meet another random old person just chilling outside. This dude gives you your “Bucket List” which is basically just a list of objectives and challenges to complete to earn various things in the game. While it is nice to see that there is actually something to complete in the game rather than just mindlessly walking around causing mild destruction, it’s still not really enough. The map is entirely too big, I mean, it’s actually massive, and just absolutely unnecessary, to the point where it makes the game really boring. There’s also a ton of water on the map, which would be cool…if you could swim, or even get out of the water, but I have yet to find a way to make it out of the water, and if you stay in the water too long, then you’ll eventually get eaten by a shark, which is definitely not something you want to do. This leads me to my next point, you die way too quickly in Just Die Already. Not only are there just some straight-up inevitable deaths that will happen, but you also lose your limbs way too fast as well, which leaves you as a rolling torso with no arms, no legs, nothing. I understand that sandbox games like Just Die Already aren’t really supposed to have any meaning, and it’s just supposed to be some mindless fun to pass the time, but the map is just way too overwhelming, and you end up needing to respawn way too often, because that ends up being your only option.
Multiplayer
While the game does include game modes like co-op and now a brand new PvP mode, I was unable to test these, since I don’t actually know anyone else that owns this game. However, I would imagine that it’s just the same game, but with more people. The good news is that the PvP modes are free and available in cross-play across all platforms and allows up to four players to compete together.
Overall, I’m not all too impressed with this game, which was pretty unfortunate, because I was looking forward to playing it. If you’re looking for a sandbox game to just waste some time in, I would definitely still recommend Goat Simulator over Just Die Already. I’m sure that Just Die Already is probably way more fun with friends, but by yourself, it’s a much different experience. Just Die Already is currently available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.
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