When we first heard the title Life Goes On, we never pictured running through dungeons as a knight on a noble quest. We thought that the game would be more about the afterlife, heaven and hell. Well, to our surprise, we were partially correct. Life Goes On is a 2D puzzle platformer that focuses on the message that our quests in life do not end when we die: they are inherited and accomplished by those that we leave behind.
As soon as the title screen came up we were filled with laughs as we watched three knights die in unfortunate, yet hilarious, ways. We were relieved to find that the game did not seem to discourage death, as we found our knight falling immediately into a pit of spikes from the moment we pressed the start button. Not only would this usually be met with anger and frustration in most games, but it would mean the restart of your character. This is where Life Goes On is very different than most games that you may have come across. Each death in the game is more like a stepping stone that can help you complete your quest and as your character dies their sacrifice will make each level and puzzle easier. As we progressed further in the game, we found that it had a very cartoony sense of humor inside of its design: from the myriad of humorous deaths that the knights sustain, to your objective in each level being a floating golden chalice, every design element helps to bring out that childlike sense of adventure with every experience.
On more than one occasion we had stacks of bodies over a large spike pit. Though this might seem morbid, it made it easier for us to cross the obstacle by using the bodies as a makeshift bridge. Though we felt bad for the countless number of knights that were lost that day, we also felt that their deaths had not been in vain. Now most people are probably are thinking, “Hey, if I can throw countless bodies at the puzzle; where is the challenge?” Well each level, though you can solve every puzzle and level with countless bodies, has a Par, a number of knights that the developers feel it should take to complete that level. Each level also keeps track of completion as well as whether or not you found, and were subsequently eaten by, the hairball monster in that level.
As we made it to the last level of the demo we were tempted by a drop to a straight path to the chalice with no obstacles. We instantly threw up our guard and waited for some dubious trap, but nothing happened. So after a few minutes we finally went for it and were immediately squashed by a giant boulder plastered with the game’s title. So with the next life we went for it again and found that we were immediately caught with a saw stating that this was the game’s credits. We were baffled at the shear genius of the way they decided to portray their credits. Instead of just rolling text down a screen that no one would be willing to pay attention to, they decided to make the player play on through the credit level.
The chance to play the demo has given us a newly invigorated hope for the 2D puzzle platformer genre. Each level was filled to the brim with exciting obstacles and hilarious death animations. Finally it was all brought together with fantastic background music and the best credits we have ever had the pleasure of playing. Life Goes On comes out in January 2014, with all of the epic knight adventures you can handle.
If you would like to know more about the game and the team that created it please visit
Life Goes On Website: https://www.lifegoesongame.com/
The team also has a demo available on Steam and their website for download. Just a little heads up: the Steam demo has an extra level for the avid adventurer.
Website Demo: https://www.lifegoesongame.com/download/
Steam Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/250050/?snr=1_7_15__13
