Karoshi

Posted by Derek Yu Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:21:00 GMT

Karoshi

Karoshi, which means “death from overwork” in Japanese, poses an interesting challenge to the player: kill yourself! It’s a gimmick that’s actually carried quite well across the 25 levels of this unique puzzle platformer. The game often messes with your expectations to genuinely hilarious effect – I love that you can pick up a gun, but can’t use it to off yourself directly. I don’t know why, but I love that.

Despite the lack of polish in the game’s overall presentation, Karoshi is, in my opinion, much more entertaining and clever than Adult Swim’s Kill Yourself in 5 Minutes.

(Source: dessgeega, via The Gamer’s Quarter forums)

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Comments

  1. Derek said 26 minutes later:

    If you get stuck on level 12, well… hehe.

  2. Quiest said about 1 hour later:

    I’m stuck on the level in the screenshot >_< any help?

  3. Robert said about 2 hours later:

    Derek, have you tried, uh.. pressing a suggested keyboard key?

  4. Lim-Dul said about 2 hours later:

    Quiest - uhm - but you figured out that the boxes are made from metal and so can conduct electricity (just a little hint =)?

    Also, it’s not always advisable to press all the buttons as soon as possible… That’s all I can say. ^^

  5. Joola said about 2 hours later:

    Yes, i’m stuck in level 12. More hints?

  6. GirlFlash said about 2 hours later:

    that was awesome, really clever levels. some reminded me of the impossible quiz

  7. Spenat said about 2 hours later:

    Im having the same problem as Quiest, I am stuck at lvl screen, with a ticking sound in the back, i can move mouse and so on, but nothing happens when i press the level 0…

    am I stupid o what?

  8. Dusty Spur said about 3 hours later:

    Ugh. I am stuck on level 3. I feel really dumb.

  9. Dusty Spur said about 3 hours later:

    Or not.

    Man, that was way obvious.

  10. Adam Atomic said about 5 hours later:

    Absolutely great, reminiscent of Poyo in some places!

  11. Jon said about 5 hours later:

    I’m stuck on level 24… any hints?

  12. cmspice said about 6 hours later:

    Jon: It’s something that you totally wouldn’t expect or know about from playing previous levels.

    It has something to do with a wall you can walk through but you have to make it so you can walk through it.

  13. Weasel said about 6 hours later:

    Can’t start the game. I’m stuck on the level select screen and can’t click the first level. Am I missing something obvious?

  14. Terry said about 6 hours later:

    Seems like a few people are getting stuck in this, so I wrote a little walkthrough:

    http://www.indiefaqs.com/index.php/Karoshi

  15. lowpoly said about 6 hours later:

    Pretty fun little game, I got to 19 before I had to leave for work, probably finish it off tonight. I like how I was being cautious about certain parts and then remembered, ‘oh ya, I’m supposed to die!’

  16. muku said about 7 hours later:

    Loved it. Some levels were a bit too “gadget-y” for my taste (like the infamous K level), but it was great fun. More please!

  17. Phyte said about 8 hours later:

    Now that is what I call level design!

  18. Andiaz said about 9 hours later:

    Not bad at all, even if some levels feel rushed. Feels nice to kill the main character and still progress for once. :>

  19. Fishy Boy said about 10 hours later:

    I really like how sometimes it was really cool puzzles, and other times it was just amusing deaths. It struck the perfect balance between the two, and I never really found myself bored. I really think this game totally understands the difficulty curve and what length is perfect.

  20. Jesse said about 10 hours later:

    Hey, I just want to say I’m incredibly pleased with all the comments here, and on indiegames. I read them all of course, and it’s so great to see people having fun and figuring out/helping each other. TY!

    2Dcube / Jesse Venbrux

  21. kloi said about 11 hours later:

    i found a hidden easter egg in level 25, try to get to the end without dying.

  22. Julius said about 13 hours later:

    what a weeaboo easter egg

  23. gustav said about 17 hours later:

    ^_^

  24. gustav said about 17 hours later:

    the only thing i don’t like about this game are the blood spats on the screen. but that’s just me, nitpickin’.

  25. Simonitro said 5 days later:

    This game is really fun.

    Loved every moment of it. :D

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