REVIEW / Death Elevator (PS5)

I think I’m noticing more the older I get that gamers are never happy. When devs come up with new, clever, mechanics and add them to genres we like we complain that things are too different. If they don’t add these mechanics we complain that games are clones or that things are getting stale. The same applies to the level of complexity. Make a game complex and give us lots to work with and we complain that it’s all too much but when things get stripped back they’re overly simple and boring. I think an amount of this comes with saturation. We play so much that everything gets compared to everything else and a lot of the time I’m not even sure we know exactly what we, (myself included,) want in a game anymore. This is important to today’s title. I think Death Elevator could be a polarizing one depending on what you as an individual think makes a good game.

The premise of Death Elevator is about as simple as it gets. You enter an elevator and then move from floor to floor killing bad guys. Think of a game like the original Team Fortress or Quake for example. There aren’t any bells and whistles. Grab a gun and waste everything on your current floor with it. Once you’re clear the elevator door will open again and off you go. Coming back to my previous point this might seem a bit stripped-back for some shooter fans. We’ve become so used to leveling skills and thinking about character load-outs that the idea of removing all of this fluff could seem a bit antiquated. As someone who grew up in a time when none of the extras existed, I think this is all just fun nostalgia. Plus, when you’re not focusing on character progression you can just get on with the job at hand and hopefully improve your skills at the basics in the process.

Two things really make Death Elevator stand out for me. The first comes down to the graphical choices that have been made here. The levels feel a little bit like those found in Superhot. They take a stripped-back, blocky approach that I really like. Thinking about it. this pairs very well with the minimal nature of gameplay so you end up with quite a cool little package. The other thing, and this is more of a mechanical difference, is that when bullets come at you time slows to give you a chance to get out of the way. This is cool, but for me, it comes with a few problems.

The time-slowing mechanic I’ve just mentioned only appears to happen with bullets you have in your frame of vision. This gives you time to dodge, or if you’re quick to shoot the bullet out of the air. This is all well and good until you’re being shot at from different angles. You can easily dodge projectiles coming at you but this doesn’t seem to apply when you’re being shot from behind. There’s been a few times I’ve been concentrating on avoiding what’s in front of me only to get drilled in the back. So, while this is still a clever idea it doesn’t work in every instance. Balancing the way you play to take account of everything targeting you takes a little bit of getting used to.

I’m not going to start talking about Death Elevator‘s story. There is one but it’s something you’ll experience along your way. There isn’t a prologue or anything to sink our teeth into. Every few levels we’re treated to a little bit more information on what’s going on but it’s done in such a way that you really need to play well to get any real idea of what’s happening. This makes us focus more on what this game is truly about, which is shooting things, so this isn’t a complaint. So in a nutshell, I can’t give you spoilers because I currently don’t have much of a clue either.

All in all Death Elevator is fun and has an addictive quality. I’m a big fan of the graphical choices that have been made here and everything controls as well as you’d expect. I definitely don’t have any issues when it comes to the nuts and bolts. I’ve said this before but how much enjoyment you get will depend on what you’re looking for from the game. Your runs are timed, which is nice if you like speed runs, and this title is hard enough for those of you wanting a challenge. The lack of checkpoints and the simple fact that you have to complete the game in one run is great if you don’t want an experience that goes easy. I think Death Elevator will appeal to those of you who like a more arcade-centric style of play too.

Death Elevator will be a harder sell for those of you who like the nuances of building a character and selecting weapon load-outs that feel comfortable. In this title, you get what you’re given and either use it to the best of your ability or die. The story is cryptic so if the plot is something that matters to you for immersion purposes I think you’ll struggle.

As I keep going back in and trying to improve on my runs I think I can safely say I’m enjoying my time with Death Elevator. As a fan of old-school shooters, this title ticks a lot of boxes for me. If you’re like me or just looking for something new in the shooting genre to try out this isn’t a bad call. If you’re expecting a deep, strategic experience though there are titles on the market other than this that are much better suited to you.