Ultra-Indie Spotlight Sunday: Death Trash
Death Trash begins with your character getting booted out from your nifty underground civilization. Bummer. Now you have to figure out how to survive in the world. Except, this world is a bit different than most. There are gigantic biomasses of flesh that seem to grow out of the ground. Mutants run wild. Bandits abound. And the people are beaten down by this reality that they act like they’re living in a nauseating neverending dream. With nowhere else to go, all you can do is get out in the world, explore the ruins of old, and fill your pockets with that sweet sweet trash.
Conceptual Meta-Wank:
A lot of games like to take a new spin on an old concept. Who can forget the endless possibilities of a genre that takes their gameplay inspiration from Rogue. A classic game style given a shiny new veneer of modernity often makes for an exciting new premise. And seeing how much I loved Underrail and other Fallout-inspired titles, it should come as no surprise that I love Death Trash as well.
Death Trash obviously has taken a lot of inspiration from classic turn-based RPGs. But it’s also something entirely new. Shedding the turn-based gameplay for real-time action and slimming down the dialogue trees, Death Trash is a super streamlined wasteland survival game that looks good and feels good too. It’s the perfect synthesis of retro and modern.
Non-Wanky Game Recap:
The premise of Death Trash is similar to Fallout. You’re fresh out of a vault and have to survive the wastes. You can build your character any which way you like, be it a stealthy spiked-club ninja, or a heavy energy gun gunner. You can also specialize in making animals (meat creatures) be your friends and store them in your pocket to throw at foes. And you can get some pretty neat techno mods for your body. Builds are a-plenty.
Gameplay is real-time action. You get to fight against all sorts of foes. But more than that, Death Trash is about exploration. There are dozens of places to investigate, with more on the way. Each locale is a fascinating slice of this totally insane and often goopy gory world. Even without the fun combat, just walking around the wasteland would make Death Trash an A+ game.
What Works:
So much about this game is great. The atmosphere, the gameplay, the premise. But most of all, I just love how Death Trash looks. This is a truly gross and grimey game. People eating raw meat off the ground, undulating creatures of flesh, pressing F to vomit on the ground in order to put that puke in your inventory. It’s aesthetically hostile in a way that I love.
What Doesn’t:
Unfortunately, Death Trash is an early access game and is subject to the early access paradox. You buy an incomplete game, then get annoyed when it’s not a full game. The incompleteness of the game becomes very apparent, with skills that don’t do anything and areas that are marked as ‘come back later.’ While this is part and parcel of an early access title, it’s still disappointing to reach the end of the content.
How To Fix It:
While I’m grateful to get the opportunity to try it out, I feel as though I should put it down until it’s actually released. Death Trash is an amazing game and I think I robbed myself of the true experience by playing it this early. I encourage everyone who wants their first taste of out-in-the-sun meat to buy it and try it, but for anyone who wants their gore-met meal to be finished, hold off for a bit. It will most certainly be worth the wait. Or just try the demo.
Wanky Musings:
Death Trash is a heartening game. Unlike many other early access titles, people don’t seem all too disappointed in the content cutoff. Unlike, say, Graven, which has been battered in the reviews for its lack of content, Death Trash has surpassed probably everyone’s expectations. This is truly a game with an artistic vision, and I am overjoyed to be able to play it in any capacity.
