Death has been a part of video games ever since the earliest Game Over screens, but the idea has been played with more over time. While dying is a common aspect of many video games when a player has been defeated or failed a task, Death appearing in a corporeal form has also been relatively common, but somewhat less so.
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A bit different from various enemies based on the concept but inspired by similar sources, playable versions of the personification of Death, also commonly known as the Grim Reaper, have appeared in many forms and many genres over the years.
9Darkstalkers 3
The third entry in Capcom’s Darkstalkers fighting game series, 1997’s Darkstalkers 3, introduced the playable character Jedah, who was inspired by the concept of the Grim Reaper and Japanese death gods known as Shinigami, and is one of the three nobles of Makai, the demon realm.
Jedah is a powerful individual with many useful abilities, such as being able to shape-shift somewhat due to his liquid body, absorb the soul of any living being by merely touching them, turning his blood and wings into various weapons or using it to destroy his opponent’s blood cells from the inside, regenerate different parts of his body, and use telepathy.
8Death Jr.
Death Jr. isa PSP-exclusive3D platformer that launched in 2005. In it, you play as the titular character, the son of the Grim Reaper, and must save his friends from an evil necromancer named Moloch across 17 different levels.
His father’s scythe isn’t Death Jr.’s, or D.J. as he is often called, only weapon, and he can also use various guns and explosives, including C4 Hamsters. All weapons can also be upgraded as you progress through the game and collect widgets. Death Jr. also went on to have another PSP-exclusive entry called Death Jr. II: Root of Evil and a Nintendo DS-exclusive entry called Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom.
7Twisted Metal
Mr. Grimm from theTwisted Metalseries is only the actual Grim Reaper in some entries since not all of them are directly connected despite characters sharing the same names and having similar vehicles and characteristics. In some games, Mr. Grimm’s vehicle, which is usually a motorcycle that sometimes has a sidecar depending on the game, also shares his name.
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Mr. Grimm and his vehicle have appeared in every Twisted Metal game to date. Besides being based on the Grim Reaper, Mr. Grimm may have also been inspired by the original incarnation of the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider due to his vehicle and somewhat similar backstory in the 2012 Twisted Metal game for PlayStation 3.
6Guitar Hero/Tony Hawk Project 8
The 2006 skateboarding game Tony Hawk’s Project 8 features the Grim Ripper from theGuitar Heroseries as a playable character in the same way that he appeared in the first Guitar Hero game. To unlock the Grim Ripper as a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Project 8, you must type in “enterandwin” in the Cheat Menu, with no alternative unlocking methods.
In the Guitar Hero series, the Grim Ripper’s descriptions reference the Blue Oyster Cult song “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” which wasnot featured in the series. However, their song “Godzilla” was featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
5Darksiders 2
2012’s Darksiders 2, the second entry in theDarksidersseries, is a post-apocalyptic Zelda-like hack-and-slash featuring Death as its protagonist. Although it’s the second game in the series, Darksiders 2 takes place at the same time as the first, with Death’s ultimate goal being to prove his brother War’s innocence and to restore humanity to its pre-apocalyptic state.
Like War, Death has plenty of his own weapons and abilities he can use to fight enemies and solve puzzles. Additionally, his horse, Despair, can be used to fast travel between locations, and his raven companion, Dust, can help find objectives that might otherwise be hidden.
4The Wonderful 101
Wonder-Death is one of the members ofThe Wonderful 101in the eponymous 2013 game and its 2020 remaster. Because this game’s gameplay revolves around controlling a group of the titular heroes to fight and complete various challenges, you don’t play directly as Wonder-Death but can include him in your group.
Wonder-Death is the superhero form of the actual Grim Reaper, and it’s unclear how he was recruited, but he serves as a very hardworking member of the team. His real name, 0013, is a reference to the Death tarot card, which features the number 13 in Roman numerals.
3Disgaea 4
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, the 2011 PlayStation 3-exclusive fourth entry in theDisgaeastrategy JRPG series, introduced Emizel or Death Emizel to the series as a playable unit. Emizel is the son of Hugo, a major antagonist in his debut game, and the President of the Netherworld.
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Emizel once used his father’s stature to get respect, but throughout the game, he realizes that he’d rather be respected due to his own feats and power, becoming more confident in his abilities and less egotistical at the same time. Emizel also has a unique Evility called concentrate, which increases his magic damage to a single target by 50 percent.
2Flipping Death
Zoink AB’s 2018 side-scrolling and puzzle platformer indie title Flipping Death features Penny, a girl whose death is a mystery and who is suddenly assigned to replace the Grim Reaper in his position temporarily.
Not only do you solve various puzzles and platforming challenges as Penny, but she can also swap between the world of the living and the world of the dead, which is where the word Flipping in the title comes from, and possess living beings to assist with your various tasks. A key aspect of Flipping Death is its eccentric humor, which fans of games likePsychonautsandGrim Fandangomay enjoy.
1Have A Nice Death
Have A Nice Death is a 2023 indie roguelike action game by Magic Design Studios and treats the Grim Reaper’s job as a mix of reaping souls and completing office work in the various departments of Death Inc. — he even has his own pumpkin-headed intern.
Like some other games, Death has more weapons than just a scythe and gets access to them as well as a number of spells as he progresses. There are also plenty of items and upgrades that can be obtained to assist Death with his seemingly endless work. Additionally, Death can inflict curses upon himself, granting him power, but usually at a cost.
