Imagine waking up to find yourself on a boat out at sea and subsequently discovering that you’re also unfortunately dead. This is the scenario that Why Am I Dead At Sea explores with an intriguing murder mystery title that has you solving your own murder in this twisty adventure and investigation title. Released in 2015 this Windows and Mac title offers a unique narrative with multiple endings to unlock based on the decisions players make.
As a ghost players abilities are limited in Why Am I Dead At Sea to possessing other people on the boat that you find yourself which allows you to temporarily take control of their body and investigate the boat in more detail than available to your ghostly avatar. Assisted by Paulo, a young boy who has used his strange psychic powers to bring you back as a ghost in the first place in order to prevent horrible events that he has foreseen.
Figuring out who exactly was behind your murder plays a role in preventing these events and won’t be an easy task which is where the strategy and puzzle elements of Why Am I Dead At Sea come into play. Depending on the character you take control of with your ghost and who you interact with during that possession you’ll get unique conversation trees based on their relationship. While this is an obvious expectation as characters adjust to different NPCs under your control the implementation of this mechanic and how it weaves into the core story leads to a fantastic narrative sequence.
By slowly learning additional information about the people available to the player on the boat you’ll be able to have greater control over them and unlock the secrets they are trying to hide form each other. This cast of characters includes the likes of the upbeat DJ named Alton who has a crush one of the waitresses named Sue, an old passenger Garv, the shop cook Marcurio and Ferdinand the first mate alongside a other guests including Sunshine the cat.
Importantly each of these characters also has a special skill which can be activated after taking control of their body with your ghost powers. This includes the ability to change the game music, read peoples emotions or simple see what they have in their pockets which range from simple game adjustments to being incredibly helpful in the search for the truth. Pairing this ability to control characters with investigation of the three decks on the boat and the various guest rooms also forms part of the story investigation experience.
All in all you’ll find nearly a dozen fully fleshed out characters that have their own desires, fears, soundtrack and secrets which can be carefully picked apart to reveal more about yourself and the potential actions that led to your demise. This investigation culminates with several possible endings based on your level of investigation which is also closely tied to the large number of potential game achievements for achievement hunters.
Summary:
- Solve the mystery of your own death on a boat out at sea with ties to a greater dark event.
- Possess characters to gain extra information and unique abilities as you piece it all together.
- Experience multiple endings based on your actions or lack of action throughout the story.
- Various soundtracks unique to each character to help create a different atmosphere for each possession.
- Use information to unlock secrets and improve your control over each game character.
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Review Platform: PC