Mike Dies

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Mike Dies is a challenging Platformer with strong Puzzle-Platformer elements released on PC in 2018 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021. In this game, players try to get Mike through hazardous environments in a spaceship, with one of the biggest dangers being the very same portals Mike needs to use to escape.

The presentation here is okay in some areas, but feels somewhat amateurish and cobbled together. Mike himself and a few other objects and characters are rendered in 3D with a simple, chibi style, but much of the rest of the game is depicted using simple 2D visuals. Add to this menus that look like they were designed in MS Paint, and it makes it a bit difficult to take this game seriously. These visuals are backed by an energetic but forgettable soundtrack.

The game also features full voice acting narrating a story that seems somewhat nonsensical and is difficult to follow. Mike follows the guidance of an angelic machine, is threatened by a polygonal demon, and haunted by a massive eye, with occasional dream sequences that may or may not be dream sequences, and none of this is really properly explained. Mike is apparently on a ship deep in space after some sort of calamity, but it’s unclear exactly what’s going on, who Mike is, or what his relationship with any of this stuff actually is.

While the mishmash of visual elements and the nonsensical story might make it easy to dismiss this game, Mike Dies is saved by one stellar element – it has some truly fantastic level design that gives players some fiendish, clever Platforming puzzles to think and jump their way through.

In each of the game’s levels, Mike is trying to teleport his way to the next level, using only a normal jump and a brief jetpack-fueled hover. However, the teleportation portals have a trick – Mike’s entire body must be in the portal when it activates. Otherwise, it will violently sever the parts that are inside from the parts that are inside, resulting in… well, the title of the game is “Mike Dies”, after all. As a result, the same portals you need to escape the level can also easily kill you, and players need to be observant to determine which portals are their way out, and which are a way to die and restart the level.

It also bears mention that this game has branching paths and rooms locked behind the collection of orbs you encounter throughout the game. This gives more adventurous and intrepid players an additional challenge to undertake, should they desire to do so.

In terms of complaints, beyond the presentation and story, the only thing I can think of here is that some of these levels are punishingly difficult, and at times it’s not always clear where you’re supposed to be going.

However, on the other hand, I cannot ignore this game’s price. At its initial launch price of $10, this would have been a decent game for those who crave a challenging platformer. But when the game’s price reduced to $1 in October, it became a no-brainer.

In short, if you like challenging Platformers, the combination of superb level design and an outstanding $1 price tag makes Mike Dies a must-have game for you. It might not look like much, but this game has it where it counts.

tl;dr – Mike Dies is a challenging Platformer where players need to exit each level by finding a way to get their entire body in a teleportation portal (or else suffer the fate in the game’s title). It doesn’t look very impressive, but this game’s superb level design and insanely good $1 price tag make this a must-have game for Platformer fans looking for something tough, fun, and cheap.

Grade: B

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