I Am Dead (PS5) Review – Beautiful Journey Between Life and Death

I Am Dead (PS5) Review

I Am Dead was previously released on PC and the Nintendo Switch but has now made its way to the remaining platforms of PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Xbox Series X/S. Put simply, I Am Dead is a puzzle adventure title with a vibrant art style. The game is heavily focused on its puzzle elements and narrative, and overall puts them together in a neat package.

I Am Dead places players into the role of Morris Lupton, a recently deceased museum curator on Shelmerston island. The game introduces this fact to you in quite a peaceful manner, and slowly introduces the narrative. The volcano on Shelmerston is set to erupt, as the current custodian (or protector) of the island has weakened to the point where they cannot keep the volcano at bay. Morris Lupton is tasked (by his deceased canine companion of all people) to search for a new custodian to oversee the island.

Finders Keepers

This task takes players to the core gameplay loop. Players are asked to find various deceased residents by learning of memories associated with said residents and then locating important items related to them in the real world. In doing so, Morris’ dog Sparky will be able to locate the ghosts of the residents in order for Morris to have a conversation with them. Each stage features five memories and items to find, which can become a bit repetitive. Some of these items are quite easy to find, whereas some others require a bit more investigation.

In order to navigate the different areas, players must hover around and lock on to specific areas or objects. While the environments are delightful to view, the navigation can be a bit janky at times. In addition to finding the objects related to the spirits you seek, players are able to find Grenkins if they so choose. These are other spirits that are hidden in different objects and areas, and often require a bit more investigating and adjusting of objects to find. Personally, I found this to be somewhat of a filler for a game that otherwise is pretty straightforward and short.

I Am Dead features a vibrant, soft, and interesting aesthetic that lends itself to the quirky yet mysterious narrative. While this style is quite visually pleasing, it does make some items hard to find in that part of the gameplay loop. Despite this, it does not detract much from the gameplay, and overall make the game nicer to look at and play. Lastly, the game has a soothing soundtrack and a delightful voice acting cast. Overall, both of these elements lend themselves to crafting an amazingly unique setting and population of Shelmerston.

Overall, I Am Dead is still the solid title it was when it was first released on the PC and Nintendo Switch. While it’s short and the gameplay loop does get repetitive, the overall narrative, aesthetics, and audio turn Shelmerston into a beautiful location. Whether it was the traditions of the island, the history of its residents, or simply the beautiful locations, Shelmerston was easily the highlight of my experience. While I Am Dead ultimately explores the afterlife, including memories of those who have passed, I could not help but place greater interest in the overall setting and its residents, both dead or alive.

*** A PS5 code was provided by the publisher ***