Upon first impressions of Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a horror, dungeon-crawling role-playing game (RPG) that contains gruesome imagery and an interesting story.

A Whole New World

You play as Sayaka Hiwatari, a lifeless doll who awakens in a parallel world that is a copy of an Earth-like world from previous Death end re;Quest entries. However, things go upside down for Sayaka and now she has to figure out who she can trust and restore order.

It’s an eerie storyline but using characters from previous titles in a parallel world makes it an intriguing storyline to follow in this new style of Death end re;Quest.

Watch Where You Step

Unlike the first two Death end re;Quest titles, there’s no battle sequence like in many traditional role-playing games. Instead, all battles occur actively on the dungeon map. Those expecting more strategic battles won’t find them in Code Z. However, players still need to keep in mind the dungeon map. There are traps set in various dungeon maps, triggering them could cause a status effect or worse, death. These deaths cause a game over, and to ensure you remember the mistake you made, disturbing images showcase how the death occurred. The game offers a library of all the visuals you received of these “death ends” which now becomes a game of finding all these gruesome endings.

Depending on the difficulty you play, you’ll set a memory where the trap was sprung, you keep all your hard earned cash and items if you play in the normal setting. Anything higher, you will lose these rewards and memories where these traps were set. It’s set up like a roguelike game and it’s new to the series.

Dungeon maps and your character are designed in a 3D environment. Your camera can rotate in various views to help dictate what lies ahead. All enemies in the dungeon area will showcase on the map. It’s a simplistic design and layout. It would be interesting to see more graphical details added to the map and carry some of the original character illustration designs when exploring.

The theme of the eerie, glitch visuals is a nice touch to the design maps. The game offers a “sanity” system where the further you explore, Sayaka’s sanity goes down and eventually causes harm to herself.

Eerie Vibes

When first starting, the game’s pacing takes its time to get things rolling. You’ll have to endure the story involvement and the build-up. Those who’ve played previous Death end re;Quest games will recognize some of the characters making a return in this parallel world. As mentioned earlier, the character designs are fantastic as usual with their unique designs, and glitch visual effects. The game’s soundtrack and sound effects pick up the eerie effects to add the horror aspect while playing. The gruesome visuals are intense and do not hold back, although some parts are censored with glitch-like boxes in red and black colors.

A Black Gem?

Death end re;Quest: Code Z doesn’t hold back with its visuals and adds a different approach than many RPGs today with its dark tone. Though its pacing issues can be a problem for players along with dungeon crawling setbacks.

A PlayStation 5 code provided for this article. Death end re;Quest: Code Z is available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and coming soon for Steam.