Felix the Reaper – PAX East Preview
The old saying goes that the only things that are inevitable in life are Death and Taxes. Felix the Reaper is a man in charge of making sure death occurs the way it should, and that the right people die. He’s peculiar, not only in his design as a big rotund robot man, but in his desire to dance to music as much as possible. And Felix can get it. Or can he?
Felix’s ultimate desire is to work as a Field Reaper in the hopes that he will meet with the love of his life, Betty the Maiden, a lovely agent of the Ministry of Life. But as their professions prevent them from meeting, this is the only shot Felix has. And as a wise man once said, “Shoot your shot.”
The gameplay in Felix the Reaper is that of a 3D time manipulation puzzle meant to make sure that the appropriate people are in the appropriate place, at the appropriate time, for a very appropriate death. As you load up into an elevator and arrive at your destination, Felix puts on his bright red headphones plugged into his bright red walkman, and listens to some slappin’ dance grooves. Rotating the sun on a special dial allows Felix to traverse through the shadows cast by the different objects around the map, interacting with people, items, and switches along the way.
After accomplishing your mission you are greeted by a review sheet on your performance. Because of course you would… the Ministry of Death is nothing if not a thorough bureaucracy. As all great bureaucracies must, it indicates every facet of your performance in thorough detail. The available portion of the game was on the Nintendo Switch, and performance was stellar with the Pro Controller.
Without a doubt, from the incredible music, to the fun of getting something done just right, nothing beats when something goes right and Felix celebrates with a wonderfully delightful dance sequence. Celebratory effects come on, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see Felix enjoy doing his work so well as he stand out as a colorful cog in the larger machine.
Felix the Reaper launches later this year, 2019.
