For the past couple of years, the only experience we had of Death Trash was seeing the occasional .gif or work-in-progress screenshot on developer Stephan Hövelbrinks’ Twitter account. Players got a chance to try the Fallout-inspired RPG game during the Summer Game Fest, which featured the first-ever Death Trash demo playable by the public. Now that demo is a permanent addition to Steam, so you can dip your toes in the contaminated, pixelated waters of Death Trash.
Death Trash is an RPG set in a post-apocalypse that’s severe even by apocalypse standards. Civilisation has fallen thanks to an incursion by extra dimensional cosmic horrors, and what’s left of humanity remains either hiding within its ruined cities or wandering the blasted wastelands as outcasts. Giant machines stalk by the ruined settlements, apparently feeling rather smug about themselves.
You’ll create a character and pick some starting stats, and then find yourself waking up in some kind of ancient bunker filled with old computers and robots who would like you to be on your way as quickly as possible.
Right away, Death Trash gives you some inclination of its sense of humour and self-awareness. The writing reminds us a bit of some of the adventure games of the ’90s, but there’s a world weary edge to some of it that gives Death Trash its own unique voice. Early on, I had to vomit on the floor so I had something to use as lubricant for a derelict machine that controlled a door. You’ll have to talk to sentient tentacles and a giant who emerges from a giant pool of blood. So yes, it’s inspired by Fallout, but it’s a heck of a lot weirder.
It’s a hand-crafted world done in a crunchy pixelated style, and the aesthetic is perfect for the kind of gross, piles-of-meat setting that pervades the game. While it’s an RPG, action is all real-time, so you’ll have to position your character and attack using some reflexes in addition to whatever stat bonuses you give yourself.
You can try the Death Trash demo by heading to the Steam page. You’ll find a button for the free demo just below the box that explains the Early Access plan for the game. That will kick off August 5, so have a look at the demo to see if you might like to join in.