‘Breath of Death VII’ – RPG Delights Distilled into a Great Remaster

Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated revitalizes a classic breezy, fast-paced, and ridiculous RPG set in an undead apocalypse.

After humanity kinda sorta blew everything up in a massive war, the undead are all that remain. Being dead doesn’t mean that everyone is awful, though, so most of the zombies, vampires, and skeletons have formed quiet little towns and found happiness for themselves. So, naturally, some other forces have risen to cause trouble for everyone again. Luckily, we have Dem, a heroic skeleton, and an array of ‘friends’ (or people who glom onto him) to overcome these troublemakers and preserve what is left of the world.

Given the visual upgrades, I hardly recognize this remaster compared to its Xbox Live Indie Games roots. The original version looked closer to the original Dragon Quest, but this new version shows so much more detail in its pixel artwork that it’s a delight to rediscover the game again. The same goes for the sound, which has also gotten a major upgrade.

While all of this stuff made me happy to experience this game again, it was the ability to return to its streamlined take on RPG combat that reminded me why the original game revitalized my interest in the genre. Combat is designed to move fast, gaining levels and mowing through enemies at high speeds. That said, I’m not saying this game is easy – you can die just as quickly. Enemies grow in power every single round, so you’re encouraged to play carefully but speedily. And since you get all your health back at the end of a fight (and a smidgen of MP), you can really put your all into every battle.

Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated captures all of the heart, fun character connections, and compelling combat decisions that most RPGs spread over dozens of hours into a brief but packed few hours. This remaster really distills everything I love about RPGs into a package that wastes absolutely none of your time, and all with some wonderful tweaks that make it a great time to re-experience this fantastic title.

Breath of Death VII: The Beginning: Reanimated will be made available on December 12, 2024 on Steam.

About The Author

Joel Couture

Joel has been covering indie games for various sites including IndieGames.com, Siliconera, Gamasutra, Warp Door, CG Magazine, and more over the past seven years, and has written book-length studies on Undertale and P.T.. Joel is constantly on the lookout for digital experiences that push the boundaries of what games can be, and seeks to delve into the creative process, meanings, and emotion labor that goes into the work of artists worldwide.