Platinum Trophy #29: I Am Dead
Date Earned: 24th August 2021
Dopamine Index:
I Am Dead.
Joke alert! Not really! That’s the name of the game. The look on your face!
Nah, I’m very much alive. I’m writing a feature for Push Square dot com right now, and I think I’d probably struggle to do so in any other state.
Sorry, I dunno.
I Am Dead is a really lovely game, and it doesn’t deserve that sort of false start.
You play as the late Morris Lupton, who was curator of a museum on the picturesque volcanic island of Shelmerston.
In his ghostly form, he reunites with his deceased pet dog Sparky, only to learn his home is in danger of an impending natural disaster. That is, unless the duo can find a suitable guardian of the island to quell the eruption.
It’s a fanciful setup, but it allows the game to explore what it’s really about — memories, community, and what we leave behind.
This all sounds a bit heavy, but I Am Dead handles its sombre subject matter with real warmth, whimsy, and charm. It’s reflective and bittersweet without overdoing it. The setting and the characters inhabiting it are colourful and quirky, but believable.
What you’re actually doing from one stage to the next is very simple. You’re mostly examining objects and people, searching for clues and memories about other characters who have passed on.
I found it a little repetitive, but the way you can view each item and see the cross section is very satisfying. Each individual storyline does enough to compel you to uncover more secrets, too.
It’s good! It’s definitely worth playing, and it has a fun Trophy list that requires you to engage with I Am Dead’s optional collectibles and challenges.
Throughout each area, you can find Grenkins, small spirits hiding in quite specific spots. You have to examine certain objects and view them from specific angles to uncover them. It’s a fun extra thing to hunt down while you progress through the story.
On top of that are Mr. Whitstable’s riddles, a series of phrases that each refer to a specific object in each stage. You have a limited time to track them down, and some of them are pretty tough, but you’ll need to solve them all if you want the plat.
I think it’s a nice addition to the game because it encourages you to really get familiar with each level. There are definitely things you wouldn’t see if you just power through the main objectives.
An enjoyable platinum then, and a lovely game too — but what’s the “something better” I mention in the headline?
I’ll tell you.
You might be expecting that I took away a poignant life lesson, perhaps about community, and mortality, and the importance of appreciating what you have while you have it.
There may be some truth to that, but that’s not what I’m referring to.
Something better than getting the platinum in I Am Dead? Getting Mr. Whitstable’s Master of Riddles certificate, of course!
Hell yeah.
Cheers, I Am Dead.
Do you have the platinum Trophy for I Am Dead? Tell us in the comments section below.