Nobody Wants to Die Review

By Panda

Disclaimer:

Before you continue, please be aware that this game contains intense themes including mental health struggles, suicidal content, sexual references, graphic gore, and depictions of political corruption and fictional politics that are central to the game’s lore and story.

If you’re affected by any of these themes or are currently struggling, you’re not alone. Please consider reaching out for help—there are people and services who want to support you:

📞 Mental Health & Crisis Support

United States: 988 (call or text) — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Canada: 988 — Suicide Crisis Helpline
United Kingdom & Ireland: 116 123 — Samaritans (free, 24/7)
Australia: 13 11 14 — Lifeline (24/7 support)
New Zealand: 1737 — Call or text “1737” any time
International list: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/

If your country isn’t listed, the international link above can help you find support near you. If you ever feel like you might be in immediate danger, please contact your local emergency services right away.

Introduction

Hello everyone, Panda here giving my honest opinion about Nobody Wants to Die. I actually bought this game when it came out but never got around to installing it. Around that time, I joined MGN (Multi-Gaming Network), a sister company to Freedom! Networks. This was back when you didn’t have to rely on YouTube’s now standard 1k subs / 4k watch hours rule to get monetized.

After MGN fell apart, I tried to rebuild something with some of the former freelancers under my direction. That became PGN (Panda’s Gaming Network). I was also an admin for CornishGamesNights. All of this took my free time away and I basically stopped playing new games completely.

Eventually I stepped away for mental health reasons, started streaming again, and that’s when I finally installed this game. I first streamed The Last Caretaker, which got some viewership, and that motivated me to try Nobody Wants to Die. I streamed it for around five hours, but barely anyone chatted during it.

First Impressions

When I booted the game up for the first time, I tested if I could stream it smoothly. I originally had the settings on Epic, which is the highest available, but I lagged so badly that it was unplayable for streaming. I changed the settings down to Medium, and the performance improved enough to continue. Even on Medium I could barely notice much graphical difference, so I stuck with that for the playthrough.

Right from the introduction I was impressed. The first movie felt like We Happy Few — themes of drugs, mental stability, and how society handles suffering. Then it cuts and slowly pans toward a car that reminded me of the kind you’d see in Saints Row or L.A. Noire. From my own research, I was told, the car design is inspired by things like the Cadillac 16 and the McLaughlin-Buick Series 90. That’s when the game really caught my attention.

Story & Characters

Early in the game you meet a woman the main character clearly knows. He starts tripping out and she disappears, and medication brings him back to reality. That moment had an impact and pulled me into the story straight away.

The story overall is well crafted. The voice acting is strong and the emotional weight in some scenes actually overwhelmed me. I had to take breaks just to mentally process what happened. This doesn’t happen often in games for me, so that says a lot.

Story Length & Endings

While the story was impressive, it was also very short. I’m not sure if different choices would make the game longer or shorter, but after playing for 5 hours and 20 minutes, I felt like I was missing the bigger picture. There’s corruption, friends betraying you, new friendships forming, mental health and depression being dealt with inside the narrative — and it made me feel like I was supposed to reach something bigger.

I feel like if I made different choices, maybe I would’ve unlocked the “true” ending. Instead, I think I got the bad ending, where I shot Salma’s body and ended up in the bank again, ready to be used and recycled over and over. It left me unsure if I failed the story or if that was the point.

Gameplay

There is no combat. This is a story-driven detective experience. You use tools to investigate crime scenes, rebuild events, and make choices that change how the game views you and how you view the game. I like that the game made me second-guess every decision. It made me wonder what would’ve happened if I picked differently.

Some parts feel guided, but not in a bad way. The tools and gameplay support the story instead of distracting from it.

Graphics & Atmosphere

Even on Medium settings, the game looks stunning. You can tell the developers put a lot of effort into making every area have purpose and detail. There’s hidden lore in the environments and plenty of visual storytelling.

For a game I never touched until late 2025, it still feels like a modern benchmark for visual narrative games.

Personal Thoughts

If I played this at launch in 2024, it would’ve been my Game of the Year. Since I played it in December 2025, it’s currently my Game of the Year going into 2026.

I’ve been gaming for 24 years, and this is one of the best narrative games I’ve played in that time. It even beats A Story About My Uncle, which I never thought would happen.