Amateur gumshoes and fans of Blade Runner: your new favorite game may be arriving soon. July 17 brings the release of Nobody Wants to Die, a futuristic detective game with a 1930s noir look that brings to mind gaming classics BioShock and L.A. Noire. The developers of the game say that they were inspired by the works of Raymond Chandler, the movie Blade Runner and narrative games including What Remains of Edith Finch and Firewatch.
The developers of the game released a tantalizing 10-minute narrated gameplay video this week that gives a better idea of the game’s mix of noir storytelling, time-bending gadgets and examination of what it means for humans to transfer their consciousness.
The game’s mix of stylish Art Deco design and its resemblance to other games that have mixed fantasy and future settings with retro vibes could prove popular with gamers who want to dig into a single-player narrative instead of a big multiplayer world. Nobody Wants to Die joins a busy July for videogame releases, with other new titles including The First Descendant, Final Fantasy 14 Online: Dawntrail, Once Human, College Football 25 and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess hitting consoles and PCs. Aug. 1 will bring Star Wars: Bounty Hunter on consoles.
Here’s what you should know about Nobody Wants to Die.
What’s it about?
In the New York City of 2329, you play James Karra, a police detective who takes on an under-the-desk freelance assignment and gets wrapped up in a “final death” murder, one in which the victim wasn’t able to transfer their consciousness to a new body. In one preview, we see a glimpse of a dead body hanging from a burning structure, “the last cherry tree.”
Players use various tools including an X-ray scanner, a UV scanner and a Reconstructor that can reconstruct the past to collect evidence and uncover the truth.
“Following a near-death experience, Detective James Karra takes an off-the-books case from his chief with only the help of a young police liaison, Sara Kai, to assist him,” the developer description says. “Time reveals all as they risk everything in pursuit of a killer, uncovering the dark secrets of the city’s elite.”
Mentions of Prohibition, retro-styled cars that fly, radio broadcasts, liquor flasks and 1930s-style fashion feature prominently in the visuals released so far. In the world of the game, religions and beliefs have died off as humans focused on prolonging their lives for hundreds of years. The government auctions human bodies from which consciousnesses have been ripped out and stored in vast memory banks.
The game is single-player only and is out on July 17. It’s Rated M for Mature for “Intense Violence, Blood, Sexual Content, Nudity, Use Of Drugs And Alcohol, and Strong Language.” It’s the debut game for Poland-based game studio Critical Hit Games.
Where will it be available?
You’ll be able to buy Nobody Wants to Die digitally for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC via Steam. Pricing information hasn’t been released yet, but it can be wishlisted on each of its platforms.
What are the PC requirements?
PC requirements and a recommended hardware list haven’t yet been released for the game yet.