Death of a Wish is a Combination of Christian Imagery, Anime, and Bayonetta

Death of a Wish is an action RPG that tells a much deeper story than its striking, abstract graphics and visceral game play may initially suggest. Players adopt the role of Christian, a defiant youth who vows to annihilate the oppressive theocratic order that raised him. The indie title has garnered very positive reviews from Steam and offers a compelling combat experience with an emotional narrative core.

The Best War Games recently spoke with producer Kevin Wong and Death of a Wish's creator Colin Horgan, also known as melessthanthree, about the game's heavy themes, use of religious imagery, and other major influences like anime.

Iconoclastic Action in Death of a Wish

Employing religious imagery for impact rather than spiritual significance is a frequent technique used by games like Xenogears and anime such as Hellsing and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Death of a Wish manages to interestingly draw from these secular and spiritual traditions simultaneously. The game's anime-esque action employs cross-shaped explosions in the same way Evangelion did, which are powerful images whose broader implications lend a sense of impact to the visuals. There is a certain degree of implicit blasphemy featuring crosses and grails divorced from their typical holy connotations. At the same time, the game's narrative focus on overthrowing an authoritarian religion uses those images in earnest, effectively weaponizing spirituality and religious authority.

It's rare for a game to manage to be both iconoclastic and earnest with its religious imagery, and it speaks volumes about the title. Death of a Wish wrestles with questions of spiritual oppression and abuse while simultaneously reaching out to players with a distinctive style.

Death of a Wish's Bayonetta Influences are Laid Bare

During Death of a Wish's development, melessthanthree placed a tremendous emphasis on nailing the sensation of impact in attack animations as well as creating flashy combos befitting the game's tagline, "style is salvation." But melessthanthree admits borrowing even more from one iconic action series:

"Bayonetta for one. It was a huge influence on the game’s design and its turn more toward character action, like Devil May Cry-style fights. Even the name Paradiso is taken from an aspect of Bayonetta’s world. The angelic enemy faction of that game exists in an alternate-reality layered on top of the real world called Paradiso. That seemed too perfect not to crib."

It is important to note that Death of a Wish is not a fantasy game, at least in the strictest terms. Despite the appearance of nightmarish creatures, and Christian and company's use of seemingly supernatural abilities, the world itself is relatable and grounded. The idea of a fantastical layer on top of a more familiar reality is an important distinction from a world of wizards, dragons, and knightly warriors, and one that again resonates with many shonen anime.

Dogmatic Diction in Death of a Wish

The faith-based trappings of Death of a Wish extend all the way to the naming conventions of Christian's equipment. His move-sets, or weapons, are referred to as "Arias" after the heavenly, solo-voice performances frequently featured in religious services. He also has access to "Prayer Cards," which provide powerful passives that can bring builds to the next level. Finally, certain enemies—and some snarky comrades—also refer to Christian as an "Altar Boy."

Framing combat and conversations in a way that speaks to a game's deeper theme is a mark of deep harmony between a game's systems. At the very least, ludonarrative resonance gives a game a stronger, clearer identity, and Death of a Wish has a strong personality indeed.

Death of a Wish is available now for Linux, Mac, PC, and Switch.