Felix the Reaper shines as a delightful comedy puzzle game that makes death quite romantic. Having been ported to a plethora of consoles, it was only a matter of time for the game to come to mobile. The team at Kong Orange and publisher Daedalic Entertainment did an excellent job of making a bite-size version of the console releases’ beautifully simple gameplay.
The game centers on Felix, a disco dancing reaper at the Ministry of death, doing his best at his job as a death organizer. However, Felix is love-struck by a Ministry of Life employee, Betty the Maiden, whom he follows through his assigned deaths to win her heart. To make sure your deaths happen, you must assemble scenes of carnage, pushing objects around into the right place at the moment of death. Other tasks include getting victims in the right location for their demise. Since you are a creature of darkness, you also have to remain in the shadow spaces, avoiding light-soaked squares. Luckily, you can shift the angle of light to change shadows.
Felix the Reaper shines in its easy to learn puzzle gameplay. You start with changing shadows, then moving objects to adjust shadows, then carts that move with weighted buttons that you can stack items on, the base of shadow moment blends seamlessly with the new elements. Each level brings new objects for movement and shadow options. When you succeed, the game plays an amusing animation showing the results of your task.
Even with its simplicity, Felix the Reaper does not shy away from difficulty. Like an empty Sudoku puzzle, starting a level can appear easy but expand in complexity as you begin to put the pieces together. It never felt like the game was not giving you enough information; you have to see how each object works to reach your goal. Thankfully, Felix the Reaper offers a “Show Next Step” button, showing you the next move but not showing exactly how to do it. It’s convenient for putting you in the right direction while preserving the fun of solving the stage. If you get too lost, you can revert to your last milestone, putting you back where you were on the right track. It never held your hand but didn’t leave you to drown.
My only little gripe with the gameplay is occasionally it’s not clear which spaces you can walk on. Usually, Felix will shake his head to show you, but it is somewhat frustrating when the one space you spend a decent amount of time trying to get to is entirely inaccessible. It was only a small problem that never caused me to quit the game.
Felix the Reaper’s humor seeps into every detail of the experience. The style is a light-hearted, dark comedy. The deaths are graphic but never grotesque; they always keep the tone fun. The cartoony character design emphasizes more the casual nature of the grim moments. Each level has a standout look. From medieval European cottages to 80’s city streets, the game makes sure every element is unique. I loved seeing modern updates to the moveable objects; I love it when games put in the work to reskin each item keep the level theme is every piece of the world. What ties them all together is the delightful narration of Sir Patrick Stewart. You can tell how much fun he had voicing this game as each line always brought a smile to my face.
Kong Orange did a fantastic job of bringing their already robust design to the mobile platform. The team took longer-form gameplay and reduced it down to be more accessible to consume levels while never sacrificing the game’s quality. Felix the Reaper is an engaging and challenging experience that will satisfy any puzzle game fan.
Check Out the Felix The Reaper Trailer:
For more information, visit https://www.felixthereaper.com/
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iPhone Review
Current student at Chapman University studying Film Producing and Game Development. Lover of film and video games. Aspiring game developer who loves Strategy, FPS and Action games, new and old. Favorites are Dark Souls, Doom, Half Life, Civilization, and Super Mario World.
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