Escape from Death

Escape from Death is a 256,000-word, text-based interactive horror adventure with no graphics or sound effects. Your body remains in the material realm, hovering between life and death with its heart still beating, while your spirit is trapped in the nightmarish Afterlife. You use soul magic, navigate political intrigue and decide the fate of the realm as you seek a way back to the world of the living—or a chance to claim the Afterlife’s throne.

The Afterlife

Death rules the Afterlife absolutely, and the realm is marked by oppression and injustice. At the bottom of its social hierarchy are the Penitents, souls indebted to Death and transformed by his magic into uncanny animal-human hybrids. The Elect, who enjoy Death’s favor, live with freedom, entitlement and luxury.

A wider corruption is spreading through the realm. Performers have disappeared from a luxurious entertainment center, a sanctuary shared by Penitents and the Elect is under attack, and a mysterious sickness is spreading across the land. At the heart of the Afterlife stands the Clockwork Hall, home to Death’s Court and the repository of souls.

Shape your path

You can play as male, female or nonbinary, and as gay, straight or bi. Your romantic possibilities include a melancholy Penitent guide, a revolutionary bird-woman, a warrior seeking to leave Death’s employ and an idealistic healer.

You can glimpse through the veil between the living and the dead, see the dreams and desires of nearby souls, and capture memories of the living. In the conflict between the impoverished Penitents and the entitled Elect, you can take a side or try to earn the acceptance of both.

Challenge Death

You can keep to the shadows to evade Death’s vengeful gaze, plant spies in his court, build influence through political allies or take bold action to become renowned across the Afterlife. If you reach the Clockwork Hall, you can attack Death’s rule. Your choices determine whether you uphold his regime, put another ruler in his place, return to the living world or claim the throne yourself.