It’s entirely possible that this review will take longer to read than it’ll take the average gamer to play Today I Die. Nevertheless, this imaginative browser-based free game from Daniel Benmergui is worth more than a moment’s notice. Today I Die explores new ways of thinking about the videogame do-over by starting at “Game over.” The scene opens underwater, with the body of a dead woman floating limply in the dark. The rock tied around her waist suggests that her demise was no accident. A handwritten poem floats above her: “dead world / full of shades / today I die.” Nearby, the words “dark” and “painful” swim among fierce-looking black fish and jellyfish who glow when approached. Through point-and-click experimentation, it becomes evident that players can re-write the story and change reality by discovering and swapping new words into the poem.
Today I Die is a game about writing, or more accurately, editing. Each tweak to the poem is a fresh draft and another chance to get it right. Benmergui’s over-inflated pixels echo the look of the Atari 2600, dragging nostalgia with them—perhaps a little heavy-handedly. Still, it’s hard to bear ill will against a game that aims to mend wounds rather than inflict them.