Great detective thrillers keep viewers on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who the killer is, and even following the investigations. But in the case of Death Note, viewers and readers are thrown into a nail-biting cat-and-mouse chase between main protagonist Light Yagami, also known as the serial killer Kira, and world-renowned detective L. The popular manga and anime also create an interesting moral dilemma among fans because they find themselves rooting for both Light and L. Soon, they might experience this in video game form with the leaked Death Note game that will reportedly be published by Bandai Namco.
Although it's still unannounced, Death Note: Killer Within has reportedly received a rating from the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee for the PS5 and PS4. The scope of the game is still unknown, but there is speculation that it could be a detective puzzle game like Professor Layton or have the same vibe as Persona and Danganronpa. There are a lot of influences and genres that Death Note: Killer Within could pull from, but it could also work as a choice-based title similar to Life is Strange.
Why is Death Note Banned In Some Countries?
Death Note didn't hold anything back throughout its narrative. Maybe that's why the series generated some controversy in these countries.
Death Note: Killer Within Could Take a Different Route With a Choice-Based Mechanic
What makes Death Note so intriguing is that Light/Kira is both the protagonist and main antagonist, guided by his shinigami Ryuk. His intentions and conflicting because he initially uses the Death Note to eradicate crime in Japan, but the lines get blurred when he starts abusing his power and murders innocent people in order to get away from the authorities. The foil in Light's plan is L, a quirky yet intelligent detective who's always a step closer to finding out the truth.
- Light Yagami: A gifted student who discovers the Death Note
- Kira: Light's alternate persona, whose goal is to create a new world free of injustices
Assuming that Death Note: Killer Within will have people play as Light, it would be interesting if they're given choices to control his actions and potentially change his fate. Perhaps players could be given a chance to decide whether they should write a person's name in the Death Note or not. They could even do a pacifist or serial killer run depending on how many people they decided to kill.
Just like Life is Strange, which also has murder mystery elements, players may have the power to make important decisions and find necessary clues that can affect characters' relationships and, ultimately, dictate the ending of the story. As many Death Note fans know, Light continues his murderous streak and gets caught years later, ending with Ryuk writing the protagonist's name in the Death Note. Death Note: Killer Within could give players a choice to either save or kill Light, which could lead to some dire consequences in the bigger story.
Death Note: Killer Within Could Take on Multiple POVs
The beauty of choice-based games is how players get invested in the characters, fully immersing themselves in making sure they choose decisions that they think would be the best. This genre also has high replayability because players want to get every ending, both good and bad. Life is Strange is known for its final arc that lets players choose if they want to sacrifice Chloe or Arcadia Bay. That said, other titles like Until Dawn and Detroit: Become Human rely on the collective decisions of multiple characters to achieve certain results or endings.
In Death Note, other characters play pivotal roles, like L, Misa Amane, Ryuk, and Near. Killer Within could expand its gameplay further and make these characters playable so they could see Light's actions from different perspectives and make important decisions that could cause a butterfly effect. Light could build relationships with each character like in Supermassive Games' Until Dawn to possibly decrease the risk of him getting caught and increase the chances of him living in the end, even if it would mean sacrificing some of his allies for his survival.
WHERE TO WATCH
- Streaming Service(s)
