Dead Tomb is an 8-bit style adventure game similar to the kind I grew up on. The adventure style as the player traverses many rooms through the tomb combine trial and error with curiosity. I found myself enjoying each little room with the subtle storytelling. Though the story feels limited by this style, there is a lot for a player to discover. Unfortunately, one will likely discover death if curiosity gets the better of you. The goal for the player in this game is simple: escape the tomb. Achieving this goal, however, requires problem solving and a touch of ingenuity. Early on, a trap door stood in my path and everything that I could think of failed. Exploring old rooms and adding just a bit of logic helped in figuring out which piece of the puzzle was missing and progression could be made once more. This method of puzzle solving becomes ever more elaborate as the tomb expands. Though Dead Tomb feels smaller than other games in this era, a return to 8-bit form puzzle solving brought with it excitement and challenge.
Adventuring through Dead Tomb fueled my curiosity during my two playthroughs. My first playthrough saw more deaths than I care to admit. Every statue, trap, or possible lethal encounter I could trigger was triggered. From a sand burial, to poison, to electrocution, or any of the many possible lethal options Dead Tomb offers lead to a “continue?” screen. Thankfully, the checkpoints set by Dead Tomb will have the player at the start of the room which killed them and not further back. This offers a more trial and error focus to puzzle solving as the player gains knowledge of a room and the various actions necessary in moving forward. After a great struggle, I found myself watching the credits, having successfully escaped. On the second playthrough, a guide helped me through each step. A comprehensive guide for completing Dead Tomb showed just how directly one can complete the game. Skipping over the discovery phase and jumping right into the solutions certainly completed each puzzle quicker but left out the wonder and discovery. This game is very much meant to be played without a guide in order to fully experience what it has to offer. Though I highly recommend knowing that Dead Tomb does have a bag menu with your items. This one detail had me taking longer on certain puzzles than I should have had I known it existed.
Dead Tomb may have been on the shorter side but it offers a return to form for the adventure lover. Raiding a tomb and escaping with one’s life can be just as fun through this style of game as it can through a first person experience. One must certainly have some patience in problem solving though because this return to form includes very little guidance like the early days of adventure games. Thanks to this the game is simply more fun and rewarding when overcoming a difficult puzzle with many working pieces. Just as well, this game deserves a 9 out of 10 for being simultaneously simple, fun, and challenging. A fun game to share with friends and watch as they experience it for the first time too, much like I plan to do.
Dead Tomb Score: 9/10
For more information, visit HERE
Related: Reviews by Elliot Applesmith
dSzkAGJMWpber