Calum Petrie reviews Move or Die…
Move or Die claims to be the amalgamation of every other party game on the planet if they were combined in a blender and left with the results. In my opinion, it is a pretty fair description of the furiously fast paced action that will leave players with bruised egos, celebrating victories and fraying friendships.
The simple premise behind this game is it has 4 players are on screen battling it out in extremely shot rounds to accumulate points. Most game types use the games basic movement mechanics of moving left or right and jumping up onto platforms. When the rounds are over the players are lined up and then there is a recap of the leader board and shows how close the game is to being concluded. The game has a simplistic rule that works over each and every round which never changes; if your character stays still they lose health very quickly until you die. Players can regain health by simply moving, now that does not sound hard at all, or does it? Health is not regained while in the air, so this makes things more troubling if you rely heavily on jumping as your best defence against other players.
To break it down though, rounds are short, sometimes only 10 seconds, though each round has a different randomly selected game. Games vary in all manners; some levels you need to clear as much paint off the walls as possible, players have to pass a bomb and whoever has it when the timer runs out dies, players have to force each other off the platforms to eliminate one another. This is to name but a few of the simple yet thrilling ways in which the game pits you off against other players. The game can be played on and offline, though there is no single player mode unless you count the daily challenge. Online play will give you the option to play against friends or random people online, though when playing this game for review the online feature was noted to be inconsistent. This made match making a little hard and sometimes I could go half an hour without a match, unfortunate but just a technical issue that could not be overlooked.
Offline mode is more a couch co-operative style where you play against friends playing on the same machine; this seems to be where the game would be much more appealing. These types of games have always been the backbone of a good night in front of the TV with friends, so hooking your computer to your biggest TV could cause some hilarity and cheeky name calling amongst friends.
The game comes with a build in level editor which allows you to build your own versions of hellish landscapes for the different game modes. Have instant death block walls which players have to navigate while also setting up bridges of collapsible walkways that slow players will not have time to cross. If anything this creative mode will have people torturing themselves in a twisted assault course while people curse you for making something so ludicrous.
When playing the game I could not help but feel the use of music and sound is partly the reason the game is as addictive as it is. The sound effects in the game are ludicrous and loud, crude and funny; when a player expires on screen the loud dampened thud is obvious yet that a player is out the mix. The music is extremely fast paced this is obviously to match the quick paced action on screen. The almost electronic soundtrack to the game is nothing but joy to listen to even in the menus of the game.
In summary Move or Die is best played with friends either on the same screen or over the internet. A solo venture into the world of online match making can lack verbal play you would have with friends. The game works extremely well in short bursts but if played for extreme lengths of time could make the game tedious and even put you off playing. If you do venture online into the match making against random players then be prepared to lose a lot of your games to start with as there is more than likely a host of experienced players looking to rank up and you look like an easy opponent.
The variety of game modes mixes things up so you never know what is coming up next, which is probably one of the most unique things about this game. I will recommend this game for anyone who like to spend time chatting with friends online over Skype and are looking for something short fun and do not mind their friendship being tested by a computer game.
Rating– 7/10
Calum Petrie – @Cetrie
Originally published February 3, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
