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Essays 11 November 2022, 16:56

author: Marek Jura

12 Most Interesting Games About Death and Dying

Death always seems puzzling, but different cultures approach it very differently. This selection of games brings you the titles themed around death, that treat it in the most interesting and valuable way.

Table of Contents

That Dragon, Cancer

That Dragon, Cancer, Numinous Games, 2016 – Best Death Games – Document – 2022-10-31
That Dragon, Cancer, Numinous Games, 2016
  1. Genre: interactive story / adventure
  2. Is the main character dead: no
  3. Are they death itself, or do they wield its power: no

This isn't really a game. That Dragon, Cancer is an experience. The most difficult one. You can't win. You have to lose and live with it. Just like the parents of a young child diagnosed with cancer. Despite the doctors' best efforts, the boy develops cancer cells even after chemotherapy.

While the production as a whole provides just two hours of challenging experience, it says more about death than almost any other game out there. The parents must go through all the phases of accepting death, also while the kid is still alive. They both react differently to it. Father quickly loses hope, unable to fight a battle that's doomed to failure from the onset. The mother, on the other hand, believes in a miracle, ignoring all the signs pointing to the inevitable end.

There are many philosophical and mystical questions in this game. Parents wonder if their child might live elsewhere, in a different way after death, if they will ever see him again, and ponder on death's true nature. And while you won't get any clear-cut answers here, do play That Dragon, Cancer. If only to see how much of a tour-de-force it is.

  1. That Dragon, Cancer in our encyclopedia

My Lovely Daughter

My Lovely Daughter is a sad story about a scientist who creates conscious golems, hoping that one of them will be able to finally revive his daughter. In this case, however, the loss is irreversible, but before the desperate father finds out about it, he will go mad, killing dozens of innocent golems.

Marek Jura

Marek Jura

In 2016, he graduated in philology at UAM. Since then, he has been reviewing prose, poetry, movies, series, and video games for GRYOnline.pl. He took his first steps in the journalism industry as a newsman in a local tabloid. He ran his own company - he designed, created, tested, and sold board games. He published several short stories and is also preparing his debut volume of poetry. Trains martial arts. A feminist, vegan, fan of pineapple on pizza, cat lover, dislikes Bethesda and Amazon, likes Lovecraft, Agents of SHIELD, P:T, Beksiński, Hollow Knight, performance, abstract art, game mods and dumplings.

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