Many games claim to have permadeath as core mechanic, but not true permadeath. As maddening as it can be to die during a run in The Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, you just have to start over again. In a game like Russian Roulette: One Life, however, once you’ve died, that’s it — you’re donezo. Well, unless you fork over for DLC, but that just seems to take away from the interesting simplicity of the game.
It’s hard to begin to describe Russian Roulette: One Life in a comprehensive way, just because it’s so straightforward and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to. A free-to-play game currently on Steam, you spawn inside a cabin with The Stranger, who may as well just be called the Grim Reaper. You can ask him questions or just get right to the matter: playing Russian Roulette with some very basic but effective visuals.
I only have six minutes of playtime with Russian Roulette: One Life, about two of those minutes being taken up by wandering around and looking at gravestones, which act as the leaderboard. My short playtime comes down to something pretty simple: I am dead as heck. I won two rounds and then shot myself in the head. I can no longer play the hook of the game: my only options are to wander around and look at stuff or to buy DLC and then become a ghost. While this may seem egregious, coming back as a ghost will place you on a separate leaderboard to the main one to keep things fair, so it really doesn’t matter.
And that’s just about all there is to it. I’m still trying to find my gravestone, but all things considered: I have completed the game. How the developer describes Russian Roulette: One Life:
“Russian Roulette is the prologue for a series of experimental games that I plan to make. The series is named The Divine Tragedy. This series is inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.
The mechanics in this prologue aim to convey the finality of death. It is not a choice. It is an inescapable truth.
“The only thing you can do is try your best to leave a mark on this world before you go.”
While I would struggle to suggest that it had a profound effect on me other than a slight titter when my avatar bit the bullet, it is interesting to see a game carry through with its idea. I do have to question the purpose of people who are trying to cheat the game with immortality, though.
It’s a small file size too, so if you’re bored on your lunch break or just want to scream in Satan’s face, check it out for yourself.
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