🎮 Death and Taxes – Official Game Summary (Updated: m1.2.90, 06 August 2024)
“Your soul is not in demand today. Please proceed to Form 7B.”
Step into the void.
Not the kind with wind and wraiths — no, this is the void: a fluorescent-lit cubicle, a stack of unfinished afterlife paperwork, and a coffee mug that says "I ♥ Eternity (But Mostly Just My Lunch Break)."
Welcome to Death and Taxes, the darkly comedic, narrative-rich indie game that redefines existential dread — one TPS report at a time.
🖤 The Premise:
You are The Reaper, newly assigned to the Department of Cosmic Transfers, Division 3B (Pending Soul Re-Entry & Tax Compliance).
No more sweeping through battlefields or whispering on deathbeds.
Now you sit in a soulless office, filing forms, dodging HR, and deciding who gets to live, die, or get promoted to next life.
“Sir, your quarterly soul allocation is 12% under budget. Please justify the death of the poet.”
💼 Key Features:
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Moral Dilemmas with Consequences:
Is it ethical to approve the death of a promising inventor… if it prevents a rogue AI apocalypse?
Should you let a war criminal pass peacefully… for the sake of corporate harmony? -
Voice-Acted Characters (Yes, Even the Cat):
Chat with your supervisor, a perpetually unimpressed grim figure who speaks only in passive-aggressive memos.
Bond with Mortimer, the crypt-keeper who sells cursed staplers and cursed espresso.
And the cat — yes, the cat. Says cryptic things. Knows your soul’s true name. Also judges your lunch. -
Hand-Painted Watercolor Aesthetic:
Every office chair, flickering monitor, and soul-siphon fountain pen is rendered in delicate, eerie brushstrokes — like a dream between reality and oblivion. -
Narrative with Layers:
Uncover a conspiracy beneath the paperwork: a secret cult of overworked deities, a rebellion among souls, and the truth behind the infamous Elevator Jingle — a haunting melody that plays when your soul balance goes negative. -
Customization & Upgrades:
Unlock new forms: "Cursed Reincarnation Request – Tier 2", "Suicide Note: Standardized HR Review", and "Last Will & Testament (Demigod Version)".
Upgrade your scythe (now a laser printer), personalize your cubicle with a skeleton mascot, and even buy a desk lamp that flickers when you lie. -
True-to-Form Office Mechanics:
- Approve or deny life extensions
- Process "Soul Reincarnation: Application for Re-Entry"
- Navigate the dreaded "Mid-Year Performance Review" (with a Demonic VP)
- Survive the quarterly "Afterlife Audit" — where your soul balance is scrutinized by a spreadsheet
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Hidden Endings & Meta Mysteries:
Unlock the “Promotion to Underworld HR” path.
Find out why your paycheck is always in parchment and slightly damp.
And discover whether you’re actually alive... or just a really good employee.
🎶 Audio & Art:
- Original Score: A haunting blend of pipe organ, ambient synth, and the faint echo of a soul being scanned.
- Voice Acting: Full performances from a diverse cast — including a surprisingly cheerful Death who loves team-building exercises.
- Cultural Nuance: Cyrillic font rendering fixed in m1.2.90 — now you can read the official form: "Forma de Transito del Alma: Versión Ruso-Transcendental (2024)".
📌 Why It Stands Out:
"Papers, Please" meets "The Office" — if "The Office" was filmed in the afterlife and everyone was a deity.
— Indie Game Chronicle
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Light-hearted, but heavy on meaning.
You’re not just deciding fates — you’re questioning the ethics of bureaucracy, the illusion of free will, and why your existential crisis has a 401(k) plan. -
A satire of modern work culture... from the perspective of Death itself.
“I don’t need a ‘work-life balance’ — I’m already dead.”
🏁 Final Thought:
“You’re not a god. You’re not even a good employee.
But you’re the only one who remembers the punch clock.”
📦 Available Now
Platforms: PC (Steam, Itch.io), macOS, Linux
Language Support: English, Spanish, French, German, Russian (now with fixed Cyrillic fonts!)
Last Update: m1.2.90 (06 August 2024) – Cyrillic font rendering resolved, minor UI polish, and 3 new soul forms added.
🪦 “Your soul is processed. Your coffee is cold. Your shift is over.”
Welcome to your new life.
🔗 Download "Death and Taxes" today — and finally understand why no one ever talks about the soul benefits package.
