Life is a Game, is a auto scroller simulation that “simplifies” the progression of life in a couple of minutes. The makers, DAERISOFT, have put together a 16-bit design and concept to push the player through each stage of life and make decisions in an instant or have it pass by. Casually taking a stab at a life simulator on mobile devices, Life is a Game is a short game about life.
Life is a Game takes the player through each stage of life from infancy to death. While the main action is jumping to collect money or stat points, each decision influences your choices and availability later in the game. A few side actions become available as you age and determine your career path, which add joy to your character's life.
As the game progresses, Life is a Game forces the player to maintain a balance between money, health and joy. While each game will be different with an in-game randomizer, making each decision and reaction important towards the end game.
There are a lot of different endings pending on the choices you make and each run through only lasts a few minutes, so there is a lot of replay value to the game. Each game rewinds to the beginning and Life is a Game can evoke some bittersweet emotions, but each playthrough makes the player change their decisions, which makes for a lot of learning and memory towards the game (with a dash of luck added in).
While the Ads pop up here and there after each run, it can feel that the Ads last longer than a run-through of Life is a Game.
IMO: The game is great to play through a handful of times, but it gets quite repetitive. However, that is one of the strengths of the game. To realize each avenue of the game and the amount of routes the game possesses, is amazing given how short each playthrough is. It is a great nod to the “Choose Your Adventure" genre and well developed to give so much replay for such a small game. Especially for you completionist gamers, there are many, many endings to go through.
