Death's Gambit
Rating Summary
Based on 51 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Despite its shortcomings, Death's Gambit is a strong game and has enough quality to be a possible contender for Indie of the Year. Highly recommended for Dark Souls fans and RPG gamers alike.
Death's Gambit has all the makings of a fantastic 2D Souls-like experience.
It may be different to what was initially promised, but Death's Gambit is nevertheless a great game, especially if you are into Dark Souls, Castlevania and Shadow of the Colossus, all mixed and presented in a beautiful 2D art style.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Death's Gambit is an outstanding and challenging 2D action RPG Metroidvania that has finally been released on PlayStation 4. It's been over three years since the game was announced as a PS4 release, and I'm happy to say that the wait has been worth it. This is a very addictive game that will grab you from the start and won't let go. Dying only fuels your drive to go back and do it all over again, as you learn from your mistakes and try to recover the last feather (or two) you lost in the process.
Death's Gambit saw the opportunity to take two genres and tweak them enough to make a new game out of it — and it worked. The core mechanics, while markedly unoriginal, are genuinely fun to play, and the stunning sound and visuals make it a treat to experience. This game is far from perfect, though, with a lacking story and unfortunately glitchy points, but is still worth the time and money to check out. While I wouldn't say that Death's Gambit is an improvement upon either Metroidvania or Souls-like games, it's a great addition to both genres.
Death's Gambit wholly embraces the Dark Souls way of giving players just enough leeway to barely survive against unrelenting adversity, for good and ill. A compelling story, smooth and frantic melee combat, and a robustly grim 2D world come together to form a game that's wholly unafraid to embrace the Souls-like moniker.
Though it's not the best platformer, the story and environment alone make it a must play for Dark Souls fans and retro Metroidvania junkies alike. There's plenty here to enjoy, with plenty of replay value for those it hooks.
Death's Gambit is a good attempt to make a 2D version of Souls with an interesting game mechanics and a large and well-designed world. The game captivates and makes you come back to it again and again, even despite kinda bland bosses.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Death's Gambit takes a slightly less punishing approach to progress than other games in it's sub-genre and is all the better for it. While the vast majority of world building and gameplay concepts are a loving pastiche of Dark Souls, Death's Gambit's balanced challenge, sense of humour and unique visuals allow it to stand on it's own feet and earn a rightful place in the game collections of those souls who are drawn to the fire of the first flame and others who simply enjoy a challenging adventure, laden with mystery.
Death's Gambit provides an interesting 2D challenge with its dark world filled with fierce enemies. While I can't recommend it for everyone, anyone who likes challenging 2D action-adventure games will enjoy this title.



















