Nobody Wants to Die Uses Art Direction to Offer a New Vision of a Dark Future

A picture tells a thousand words and, in our interactive noir story, Nobody Wants to Die, the stylized vision of the future is the lead character of our dystopian experience.

Nobody Wants to Die is a narrative adventure that sees you controlling two investigators as they unravel the mystery of a serial killer in a cyberpunk New York – uncovering the darkness surrounding the city’s elite in the process.

To fully submerge players in the world of New York 2329, our team at Critical Hit Games have imagined a neo-noir cyberpunk environment filled with thought-provoking touchpoints. This hyper-realized environment fully transports players into the lives of our protagonists, James and Sara, giving players a rich and engaging experience as they pursue a serial killer targeting the city’s elite.

Built in Unreal Engine 5 and optimized for Xbox Series X|S, we have pushed the boundaries of storytelling for players, combining photorealistic graphics and a unique narrative to create a one-of-a-kind story-focused gameplay experience.

We wanted Nobody Wants to Die to straddle the worlds of film and gaming and create an engaging spectacle for our players. We leaned heavily into the noir landscapes of iconic films, novels, and comics, combining the 1930s stylings with futuristic visions of New York to create Nobody Wants to Die’sworld and convey the mystery and intrigue at the heart of our game. Here are a couple of examples of the thought we put into our locations:

Green Tower

As players enter the first crime scene, they’ll be overwhelmed by the opulence of the apartment’s art deco architecture. The apartment is ornately embellished with stylized patterns, hard edges and low-relief designs – all in stark contrast to the unique investigation tools at James’ disposal.

James’ Apartment

James’ Apartment brings the dystopian narrative at the heart of Nobody Wants to Die to the center, with a dark and gritty atmosphere. His apartment building is in disrepair and disheveled, much like his life at the start of the game. His home is a blend of advanced technology that meets 1930s style, with the in-built automated decontamination shower played down by the Streamline Moderne art deco aesthetic of the bathroom. His high-tech investigation board contrasts with the apartment’s exposed bricks and smoky haze.

As a small team, we are so excited for players to dive into this world we have poured our hearts and souls into for the last four years, which you will get to do very soon. Nobody Wants to Die is now available on Xbox Series X|S.