Summary
With the ability to let players explore vastly different worlds from their own, many video games have taken their settings beyond the mortal realm. Games that explore the afterlife tend to depict it in wildly different ways. Typically, games set in the afterlife tend to focus on the hellish side of things, usually pitting their player characters against the vicious forces of Hell.
Not all of them takesuch a bleak portrayal, however, with some embracing comedic tones and even drinking games. Some games even focus on a heavenly depiction of the afterlife, tackling the sensitive topic of mortality and grief. Regardless of its depiction, these are some of the best games set in the afterlife.
10Grim Fandango
Grim Fandangois an adventure game that is set in and depicts an afterlife heavily inspired by the Aztec notions of the afterlife. With characters designed to look like calaca figures, instantly recognizable for their use in Mexican Day of the Dead festivities, the themes of death are impossible to escape.
Alongside its traditional depiction of the afterlife,Grim Fandangois depicted in a classic noir film style. This means that, despite its familiar afterlife, the game approaches life after death in a refreshing style.
Unsurprisingly, given its title, theDante’s Infernoaction-adventure game is set in a hellscape largely based on the depiction of Hell in the first canticle of Dante’sDivine Comedy. The game was considered quite shocking, butthat’s natural for Dante’s Hell.
Players follow Dante, a Templar Knight, as he travels through the circles of hell to save the soul of his lover, Beatrice. Despite its distressing depiction, it is an infamous game set in the afterlife.
Also set in Hell, its depiction withinHellsingeris similarly bleak. The plot follows a lost soul who seeks to fight their way out of their prison in the underworld. A very action-packed game, it is strongly inspired by the infamousDoomfranchise. However,Hellsinger, also embracing its name, has a unique feature that makes it feel a little more lighthearted than other games that pit players against the forces of Hell.
Hellsingeris both a shooter game and a rhythm game, with players receiving benefits based on how closely their shooting, reloading, and maneuvering match up to the metal beats that play throughout the player’s trip into the afterlife. It is the most musical depiction of Hell!
Speaking ofDoom…it would be impossible to discuss depictions of the afterlife in video games without includingDoom.The infamous shooter seriesis admittedly not always set in Hell. Primarily, it is set in outposts in outer space.
Despite this, parts of the game do take the player character, lovingly known as Doomguy, to Hell itself, and he is known primarily for his seemingly never-ending fight against the forces of Hell. As withHellsinger, Hell doesn’t seem too pleasant in the world ofDoom, but it is certainly action-packed.
It’s time to move away from the dark depictions of Hell. Sure, it’s a place of devils and torturous punishments, but that doesn’t mean its inhabitants can’t have some simple fun!Afterparty, by the studio that brought players the belovedOxenfree, puts a unique and comical twist on Hell.
The plot centers around a pair of friends who end up in Hell and try to escape by challenging Satan to a drinking contest. Featuring a unique choice-based mechanic that is influenced by whatever types of demonic alcohol players choose to consume, and a legion of hilariously ordinary devils,Afterpartycertainly seems like the sort of Hell players would be more inclined to pay a visit to if they had to.
Another game with a beautiful, stylized, and oftentimes comedic take on the afterlife, it will come as no surprise thatHadesis set in the Ancient Greek Underworld. Although, for the player character, Zagreus, Son of Hades, escaping the Underworld is a little more complicated than a drinking contest.
Zagreus wants to escape the Underworld and get back to his mother, Persephone, in the mortal realm. To achieve this, Zagreus must battle through a roguelike world full of demons and mythical beings trying to prevent his escape.
The darkly beautiful monochromatic narrative ofLimbois told entirely through environmental storytelling, making it a little challenging to pin down its exact setting. Given its name, horrific encounters, and plot of a young boy trying to find a little girl, who is always just out of reach, it seems likely that the innocent character is navigating some kind of afterlife.
Ranging from forest, to cityscape, to bizarre factories, the setting ofLimbois certainly a unique take on the afterlife. Its monochromatic stylized art makes it simultaneously bleak and strangely beautiful. For a unique afterlife experience,Limbois the perfect game.
For a game set in the afterlife,Before Your Eyesis as much about life as it is about death. Players control a lost soul in the afterlife when the game begins, rescued by the ferryman, who wants to prove their case to reach a pleasant afterlife. To do so, they must glean an accurate picture of the character’s whole life.
The game iscontrolled by a player’s blinking, with players witnessing brief moments from the character’s life, which move on each time the player blinks. A moving depiction of the brevity of life,Before Your Eyessuccinctly and beautifully demonstrates that life really does pass by in the blink of an eye.
As with the earlier entry,Dante’s Inferno,Senua’s Sacrificefeatures a character’s journey through Hell in an attempt to rescue their deceased lover. In this case, it is the Norse depiction of the Underworld, Helheim. A horrifically dark and disturbing experience,Senua’s Sacrificeis well known for its sensitive depiction of psychosis.
This experience is vastly supported by the backdrop of a terrifying depiction of Hel, and players are going to have to face challenging physical and emotional battles with Senua as she seeks to save her love, Dillion. It isa classic Hell narrative, reminiscent of Orpheus and Eurydice, and a classically disturbing depiction. A must-play for fans of mythology and visceral narratives.
For all the brutal and terrifying depictions of Hell found in gaming,Spiritfarercreates the most beautiful and touching depiction of the afterlife, through which to explore themes of mortality and grief. Players control Stella and her cat, Daffodil, who become Spiritfarers. Essentially, they take the job from the classic grim reaper figure, who is finally moving on themself.
From there, Stella and Daffodildevelop their own ship, collecting animal-like spirits, and tending to them until they are ready to move on. It is such a comforting game, especially regarding its depiction of the afterlife and the topic of death, and is undoubtedly one of the most unique and moving portrayals of the afterlife in video games at least, if not in media as a whole.
