Today I Die

3 Visual Poetry
It’s difficult to know exactly how to judge Daniel Benmergui’s click-and-drag masterworks. They’re interactive digital entertainment, and this one, unlike Storyteller, has a definite goal to it. But really, the manner in which the game behaves is more like a piece of visual poetry than a true game, and it makes it hard to review using a standard set of criteria.

Technically, “Today I Die” is excellent. Benmergui’s classic, pixelly art style is remarkably iconic, and while the click-and-drag interface won’t win any awards for innovation, it gets the job done. But more importantly, as an art piece, it delivers its message, one of the ennui that pervades existence and the determination that overcomes it, with style and ease. I would have liked to see what he could do without using words, but you get what you get.

But still, I feel guilty passing up the fact that this isn’t really a game in the traditional sense – you can complete it in a few seconds if you know what to do, or if you get lucky. The replay value is based entirely in the artistic content of the game, and while entertaining – or edifying, perhaps – it’s not really that fun from a gamist POV.

4/5 as an art piece, 2/5 as a game, 3/5 overall. Worth a look however you slice it, if only for the art style.