Dying in video games is typically dreaded by players and for good reason; it often results in the complete loss of progress and a restart from the last save point or (in particularly cruel games) the very start. Not all games equate dying to failure. In fact, many developers make death actively rewarding. The most basic achievements in gaming celebrate a high death count, encouraging players to sacrifice themselves for little more than a trophy pop-up.
For other developers, death is rewarding in its entertainment value by providing gory, scary, or funny death animations. Sometimes multiple deaths are worth it for a nod to long-running inside jokes, likeSouth Park: Stick of Truth’s achievement for causingKenny’s unforgettable deathten times and triggering the iconic catchphrase. Death achievements can also sarcastically mock players for poor skills, such as the infamousThis is Dark Soulstrophy inDark Souls 2.However, several franchises openly celebrate player deaths with rewards including new upgrades and equipment, story progression, and character interactions. Intentionally (or unintentionally) dying in certain video games can even make future gameplay easier and more attuned to the player’s individual style and ability, making repeated player deaths unexpectedly beneficial and even an ironic mark of success.
6House
Self-Inflicted: The Masochist Achievement
Death is rife in the indie pixel horror game developed by Bark Bark Games,House. Playing as a little girl trying to survive a cursed house, this title is overflowing with sinister creatures and fatal accidents that target her and her family. It is no surprise that achievements in this twisted horror game applaud players for either avoiding death or succumbing to it, including a harrowing award for annihilating their entire family, pets included.
To gain theMasochistachievement, players must die 50 times and, luckily, players are treated to a myriad of disturbing deaths to choose from, including gruesome dismemberment, decapitation, and being lynched by the ghost of the protagonist’s sister, to name a few. While the pixels do soften the blow of the blood splatters, watching a monster peel the playable character’s face off will never cease to be horrifying. Additional achievements includeDon’t Look Under The Bedfor getting killed by the Bed Monster orThumbs Downfor getting crushed by one of the giant Fingers that appear in the music room. As long as someone is suffering,Houseis keen to celebrate death, whether it is self-inflicted or accidental.
Few games demand quite as much virtual bloodshed and self-sacrifice for a trophy asHotline Miami. Strategic attacks are encouraged in the 2012 top-down shooter,Hotline Miami, as the layout of the maps allows players to observe and plan how to attack every enemy in each room before entering. Despite pre-planning tactical moves, the gameplay itself feels closer to a chaotic rampage, bursting through doors to mow down criminals and the mafia; consequently, players may die repeatedly attempting to clear levels, bringing them closer to achievingHotline Miami’strophy.
Of course,Hotline Miamiis not the first game to set goals for high records of player deaths. The 2013 Survival horror zombie-ravaged RPG7 Days To Diegives out several trophies for player deaths; their most dreaded trophy beingMeet Your Maker, which demands 500 deaths and involves enduring irritatingly slow death animations, long treks after re-spawning and desperate suicide attempts via cactus. However,Hotline Miamistands out as one of the most excessive death count trophies, due to requests that players die 1,000 times to acquire a trophy calledKarma.To its detriment, pixel art makes death appear less gory and more tedious, unlike the entertaining andhaunting death animationsinAlien: Isolationwhich make achieving multiple death trophies more appealing. It will definitely feel like a well-deserved achievement for long-suffering players to die 1,000 times inHotline Miami.
Throughout theGears of Warfranchise, theSeriouslyachievements are notorious for being some of themost challenging, time-consuming trophies to earn in gaming. To achieve theVengeful Onyx Medal(which contributed to theSeriously 3.0award inGears of War 3), players must be killed five times by the same player in multiplayer mode, thereby becoming their “nemesis”. Players must enact revenge on their nemesis by killing them in the next round. To officially earn the Vengeful Onyx Medal, players must repeat this routine of killing their nemesis 100 times and must die a staggering 500 times.
Due to the unlikeliness of organically earning this Onyx medal, many advise rigging multiplayer matches by setting up two controllers and systematically targeting a stationary re-spawning target with one controller, before switching to the second controller to seek revenge. No matter how this Onyx medal is achieved in the third-person shooter,Gears of War 3,it is undeniably a creatively sadistic, vengeful approach to rewarding players for repeatedly dying in battle.
3Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
The Rise And Fall Of The Nemesis
For those willing to play the long game to receive a reward for self-sacrifice,Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorhas a far more nuanced, calculated path to glory. Released in 2014,Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordorwas a fantastic addition to theLord of The Ringsgaming legacy, most notably for itsgroundbreaking and highly-praised Nemesis system. The Nemesis system causes AI NPC enemies to not only remember the player’s actions but also have their own identifiable names and seek their own revenge.
TheRise and Falltrophy starts after being killed by any Uruk. Upon being revived, players must help that same murderous Uruk ascend through the ranks, using mind control to convince the Uruk to become the war chief’s bodyguard and eventually betray the chief. After usurping the war chief’s power, players must seek vengeance by killing the enemy Uruk and finally snatching theRise and Falltrophy. This hugely satisfying revenge is a tactical breath of fresh air compared to the monotony of self-sacrifice rewards in other games and will have players practicing their evil laughter as they hoodwink the unsuspecting Uruk in retaliation for slaughtering them.
As the immortal son of the game’s titular character, playable character Zagreus is killed and revived countless times during each playthrough ofHades. However, instead of being a tedious inconvenience, a loss of progress, or the trigger for an annoying loud animation, every death is actually a valuable respite and opportunity for story progression in the 2020 rogue-like dungeon crawlerHades.The objective ofHadesis for Zagreus to escape the underworld by slaying all that stands in his way, but defeat means a chance to return home, use the currency earned to re-stock, and prepare for the next run feeling stronger.
In fact, many players look forward to death inHades, because each death actually unlocks more interactions and dialogue with the many colorful characters in the Underworld. Befriending Gods and learning their backstories unlocks new upgrades. Death is intentionally written into the fabric ofHades, with rewards of new upgrades, builds, and entertaining character interactions overflowing for any player who tests Zagreus’ immortality to the max.
As one of the best-selling games,Crash Bandicoot 2:Cortex Strikes Backintroduced successful features during thedevelopment of theCrash Bandicootfranchisethat recurred in the following sequels, including rewards for player deaths. One notable feature is a dynamic difficulty adjustment, meaning gameplay alters itself to cater to each player’s skill level (or lack thereof). Triggered after four to six consecutive player deaths, players receive an Aku Aku Mask of invincibility until the next checkpoint. While some may be embarrassed by the pity gift, the mask was coded to even the playing field and ensure players of all skill levels could enjoyCrash Bandicoot 2:Cortex Strikes Back.Dying a total of twelve times will cause save points to spawn within crates, as a way of protecting players who can’t go a few steps without meeting their demise.
Trophies are also awarded in thisvideo game franchise for bizarre death animations, including death via electrocution calledI See London, I See France(which ends as one would expect), andFeeeed Meeeee!which is achieved by getting eaten by a Venus fly trap. Oddest of all, the trophyCash Cubedrequires players to ride a baby polar bear and be knocked by an ice cube into a watery death.Crash Bandicoot 2:Cortex Strikes Backtook a revolutionary approach to rewarding unique player deaths and adapting levels after multiple failures to boost a player’s likelihood of succeeding, making theCrash Bandicootseries beloved and inclusive for players of all skills and abilities.
