Life Goes On: Done to Death Review

It’s been two years since I first saw Life Goes On in the Steam browser. A puzzle game which requires you murder literally generations of knights (sorry Jim the Prolific!) in your efforts to get The Holy Grail. The original title saw you tackle three worlds, and earned an 8/10 from me, as it was great fun. Infinite Monkeys Entertainment decided, however, that it was too short and that the PC version would be expanded, just in time for the PS4 version to be released, subtitled Done to Death.

So, although I had already finished three worlds before the console version even started development, I was surprised to see that new levels aren’t the only thing introduced. I’ve had to go back through the levels, as there are new weapons and even hats for the knights to wear! Yes, they wear them on top of their helmets…

Yes, that IS a samurai helmet

What’s the point of the hat-wearing knights? As I mentioned, you’re on a quest to get The Holy Grail, and you’ll sacrifice as many knights as it takes to get it. You control each one for as long as they last, needing to be sacrificed on spikes, in electrical traps or to Jeff. Jeff is a fluffy monster who lives on every level, and you get extra points (and an achievement) for letting him eat a knight.

The puzzles in the original levels were challenging enough, I’ll admit, but they created some right head scratchers for Done to Death! The opening levels ease you in, showing you how to solve puzzles by dropping knights into spike traps so that your next knight can use them as an island. As you go on, you encounter cannons, buttons, levers and gravity fields. That’s right, you may be controlling knights on a good old quest, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some sci-fi technology involved!

Did... did I mention the zombies...?

The graphics are as on-point as the original, with everyone and everything looking great. The hats are a funny touch, and depending on how the knight wearing it dies it might just land with a thud, or fly off. It’s yet another funny touch on an already hilarious game. So are the various grunts, groans and screams of the dying knights. The music suits the levels -- whether it’s speedy and urgent when rushing, or calm and peaceful as you blast your knights through the air, it’s quite enjoyable.

The only downside that I experienced was that some of the puzzles are very esoteric. I was provided with a walkthrough for this review, and had to consult it several times. However, Life Goes On: Done to Death is a fun puzzle title that will tax you, and let you blow off steam by murdering hundreds (thousands) of knights.