Suicide

Billy Suicide is the flagship title of Mike Lasala, who has the trademark style of featuring a protagonist who may as well be him, with photoreal frames circa the 3DO era. This game is somewhat similar to a game I wanted to do back in 2007, except in my take on it your suicide was inevitable and the things you did beforehand would determine how people behaved at your funeral, and the resulting aftermath. Billy doesn't dig quite as deep as that causal model may have, but the episodic structure of this game suggests that the one-day-at-at-time model could bear out in interesting ways.

Oh, how we love those Karoshi games. Quick and basic, but all so challenging, and plenty of humor to boot. Jesse Venbrux has created exactly 25 more levels for us to enjoy, only this time you take control of multiple overworked businessmen who want to kill themselves (press space to switch between them). This little difference leads to a plethora of new possibilities in the puzzle genre, which Venbrux deeply explores. The levels often require the player to figure out the physics of the bullets, electricity or heavy blocks in order to create chain reactions that will lead to not only killing the other suit, but also the one you control. Sometimes, the solutions take a long time to figure out, though. But the humor of the game makes it worth the effort.

Karoshi means “death by overwork”. The game traps you in a labyrinth of office space with only one means of escape: killing yourself. It’s a satire of the mind-killing effects of constant work. Luckily, the game’s structure makes it perfect for briefly playing it in your cubicle while nobody is watching and sharing it with the colleagues you trust. Watch out, though, the laughter this game will create might attract some unwanted attention from your boss!

The game has twenty-five levels where you must figure out how you can end your life as a suit-wearing work-droid. This isn’t always as easy at it sounds. Most of the puzzles require smart use of boxes and triggers, but many levels require you to think out of the box. Humor is often your reward, as the scenarios are totally unexpected.