Angels of Death (video game)
A horror game about escape and a pact to die.
Angels of Death is a Japanese horror adventure game created by Hoshikuzu KRNKRN (Makoto Sanada) using RPG Maker. Originally released as freeware in 2015, it later launched on Steam in multiple languages and inspired a 16-episode anime television series by J.C.Staff that began airing in 2018.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Psychological horror
Facts from the source article.
Plot
13-year-old Rachel Gardner wakes up on the basement Floor B7 of a hospital with no memories except her name and why she came. Mysterious broadcasts and scribbled messages reveal a game where each participant controls a floor, and trespassers may be killed. Rachel is nearly killed by serial killer Isaac Foster, the owner of Floor B6, and captured by Daniel Dickens, the doctor who examined her and who obsesses over her blue eyes. During her captivity, Rachel recovers her memory of witnessing her father kill her mother and then killing her father. Zack kills Danny for her but spares Rachel due to her lack of emotion. The broadcast designates both as sacrifices, free to be killed by any floor master. They form an alliance: Zack will use her intelligence to escape, and in return he will kill her. They ascend the floors, defeating floor masters Edward Mason at B4 and Catherine Ward at B3. On B2, the reverend Abraham Gray reveals he designed the game to study religious faith, appointing the floor masters as angels. Gray lets Rachel return for medicine but requires a trial to determine her identity. Zack discovers Danny is still alive. Rachel survives the trial by confronting her selfishness and convinces herself that Zack is her God.
Characters
Rachel Gardner, also called Ray, is the 13-year-old protagonist. After witnessing a murder, she is taken to a hospital for counseling but wakes up on Floor B7 with no memories. She later recovers them and becomes apathetic. Believing death is her salvation, she asks Zack to kill her in exchange for her help escaping. Under her calm exterior, she has a morbid interest in stitching up imperfect people or animals and a twisted faith in God. Her interests stem from her parents' hatred; she witnessed her father kill her mother, then killed her father and stitched their corpses to make them perfect. Danny, the doctor, made her floor master of B1, a floor modeled after her house with deadly traps. Isaac Foster, or Zack, is the 20-year-old male protagonist and a former serial killer, floor master of B6. His body is covered in bandages, and he wields a scythe. He delights in destroying victims' happiness.
Media
A manga adaptation by Kudan Nazuka and Makoto Sanada ran in Monthly Comic Gene from January 27, 2016 to September 15, 2020. A prequel manga, Episode.0, also by the same creators, ran in MFC Gene Pixiv from March 3, 2017 to March 31, 2023. A 4-koma manga series titled Satsuten! by Makoto Sanada and negiyan was serialized in Monthly Comic Gene from February 27, 2017 to March 15, 2021. A three-volume novel series by Kina Chiren and Makoto Sanada, illustrated by negiyan, was published by Kadokawa's Enterbrain label. The 16-episode anime television series by J.C.Staff premiered on July 6, 2018. It was directed by Kentarō Suzuki, with scripts by Yoshinobu Fujioka, music by Noisycroak at Lantis, and character designs by Miki Matsumoto. The opening theme is "Vital" by Masaaki Endoh, and the ending theme is "Pray" by Haruka Chisuga. The series streams on Crunchyroll with English subtitles, and Funimation produced an English dub.
Reception
Angels of Death received positive reviews. Hardcore Gamer rated the PC version 4 out of 5, praising the chemistry between Rachel and Zack, the creativity, storyline, and gameplay, while criticizing its brevity, belated character development, and low resolution graphics. Edoardo Carusillo from geekgamer.it rated the game 7.1, praising the story, gameplay, and characterization but criticizing the art style as mediocre and inconsistent. Horror Moth's Sharon noted the lack of exaggerated jumpscares and the not-at-all disturbing graphics as appealing to players who avoid the genre. By November 2017, the game had over 1 million downloads in Japan. Anime News Network roundups of the first volume found it short on tension and horror, with unnatural characters more suited to a game, though the environment art often worked well. First impressions of the anime were mixed: some found weak pacing and repetitive writing, while others praised its episodic structure and creepiness. Steve Jones gave a more positive review, praising character growth and voice acting despite slow pacing. At the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2019, the anime ranked 72.
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