Whether the concept of death is a core mechanic or a theme, it appears across the various gaming genres. In many cases, it’s a negative thing that you want to avoid within the game while other times it’s a key part of the gameplay.There have been many cases where the personification of death or the Grim Reaper has appeared in different capacities. These appearances range from being an enemy to an ally to even being the main character of the adventure. It just goes to show how creative some people can be when it comes to giving life to death.
8 Castlevania
The Grim Reaper has been a star of gaming since the very early days of Nintendo. In 1986, a game was released on the NES that followed the quest of Simon Belmont on his quest to kill Dracula. Armed with only a whip and the player’s patience with frustrating pitfalls, Simon has to make his way through Dracula’s Castle and the hordes of monsters under his command.
He fights some pretty powerful beings, but none hold a candle to Death itself serving as the penultimate boss. Since then, the Grim Reaper has become a staple in the Castlevania series as a challenging boss but also as Dracula’s strongest ally.
7 Conker’s Bad Fur Day
In a game about a squirrel who wakes up in a mysterious land after a long night of heavy drinking, there are many things that come to mind. From the start, Conker’s Bad Fur Day on N64 doesn’t take itself seriously and throws whatever it wants at you for the sake of humor and weirdness.
However, even in a game that relies a lot on cartoon physics, Conker is not immune to death. The first time you die in the game, you awaken in a dark realm only to be greeted by an ominous voice belonging to a small Grim Reaper named Greg. His short temper and squeaky voice serve to explain how Lives work and this encounter stays with you throughout the game.
6 Grim Fandango
For many years, people thought of death as an omnipresent concept. It’s a universal truth that strikes without warning, and it can get anyone wherever they may be. But, what if death wasn’t as simple as that and instead involved way more bureaucracy and paperwork? Enter Tim Schafer and his groundbreaking PC game, Grim Fandango.
This title has you playing as a Manuel Calavera, a skeleton working as a reaper in the Afterlife. As Manny’s routine rounds take an unexpected turn, you’ll explore a strange and interesting realm as you grow attached to Manny as a character whose business is death.
5 Maximo: Army Of Zin
The PlayStation 2 has one of the biggest game libraries of all time due to all its third-party support. While many games were nothing to write home about, there were some that played well even though they didn’t get a lot of attention. This is the case for Maximo, a game about a brave knight who fights monsters and gets special abilities from the underwear he puts on.
In addition to that, one of Maximo’s most defining characteristics is that the Grim Reaper is one of his buddies. Starting out as an NPC, you get the chance to wield Grim’s power in the sequel, Army Of Zin. When you collect enough energy, Maximo can swap places with Grim who’s faster, stronger, and invulnerable. Thank goodness he’s on your side.
4 Dante’s Inferno
Of all the epic poetry you may have heard about, Dante’s Inferno can definitely pop into your mind. The poem follows a man’s descent into the nine levels of Hell in order to rescue his lover and contains a lot of very disturbing imagery. This meant it was only a matter of time before some developers saw it and decided to create a game based on it.
Though it keeps many elements, it of course took more liberties in order to make the experience more action-packed. As result, you start off dead and the Grim Reaper comes to claim your life, so you decide to fight back. Even though it serves as a tutorial, this version of Death has a scary voice, memorable appearance, and awesome weapon that becomes your best friend as you descend into Hell.
3 Darksiders 2
There are many entities associated with the end of the world with one of the most renowned being the Four Horsemen. It is said that on Judgment day, the personifications of War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death will ride forth and unleash devastation upon the world. The Darksiders series took this concept and released a game with the Horsemen War as their main hero.
Even though War did his best to fix things, a majority of them are still messed up. So, his brother Death decides to help out in Darksiders 2. This muscly warrior with a skull mask and flowing dark locks makes you feel powerful. It only gets better as you find new gear and unlock new powers, so you can show every abomination and deity just who’s boss.
2 Peace, Death!
From the success of Grim Fandango, many people were inspired to consider the concept of Death as a business or organization. Though, there was one team who thought to crank up the bureaucratic side of things and released Peace, Death! You are a Grim Reaper who has been placed behind a desk to process clients.
Your job is to sort as many souls as possible by sorting them into either Heaven, Hell, or Limbo. While their innocence or guilt starts off as very apparent, things get trickier fast with the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse adding to your ever-growing mountain of paperwork. It’s a fast, hectic, and addicting experience.
1 Death’s Door
- Warning: There Will Be Spoilers For Death's Door Below
In terms of organization, what if the Grim Reaper wasn’t just a single entity and instead had a bunch of Reapers working under them? Acid Nerve and Devolver Digital's hit Zelda-esque title Death’s Door answers that question quite effectively. You play as a nameless Crow operating out of the offices of Limbo and your job is to enter the mortal world and collect souls.
After reaping your first monster soul, the Crow discovers a large floating door said to be Death’s Door, the end of all life. Once you gather enough soul power to open it, you meet the original Death who’s much more sensitive and chill than expected. This reveal leads into an exciting finale where you remember that death is a natural and necessary part of life.