My Playtime: 8.8h (100% achievements, finished the game, 110.5% completion)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~27 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Love is Dead is a puzzle game about two zombies that are looking for their lovely pets. The game has 61 levels with some optional, easier levels in between. It offers both single-player and local co-op with 2 players, but since I only played in single-player mode, this review will be based on that.

Pros:
- 61+ levels with varying mechanics
- Collectibles to make the levels more challenging

Cons:
- It's hard to finish levels that rely on diagonal movement

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like puzzle games, buy this game at a sale.

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The main character might not look appealing since they are just "fat stickmen" without hands and feet, but the monsters, especially the ghost, look so adorable in this style. The backgrounds are made in a similar style as the models, albeit with more detail to make them stand out. The varied theme and level design also help to make not only each world but also each level differ from each other. It's always nice to see the variation that the game offers.

The story revolves around the premise that was given at the beginning of the game. Dialogues are voice dubbed with a clear and soothing sound, making it easier to listen. Some subtitles don't match with what the voice dub said, although luckily, the in-game dialogue is usually not important. It usually talks about either the story or the mechanics that the characters encounter, along with some tips on how to go through them. They are told in such a lovely way, making the zombies look innocent despite them doing something that might scare humans.

Gameplay
The game allows you to be in control of a pair of lovers which can be switched anytime you want. Each level has different objectives, but you usually have to do a combination of going through the obstacles, infecting humans, saving zombie pets, and meeting with your lover. Although some levels place both characters at the same spot, others spawn them in different spots, requiring you to switch between them to clear the level. You eventually need to reunite the couple in the end, with or without collecting a collectible beforehand.

Each level is divided into 3 segments, equaling to a different map and puzzle. A pancake collectible is usually hidden in each segment to give more challenge to the level. They are usually not hard to obtain, and although they are optional, you still need to collect some to progress the game. I enjoyed collecting them in my playthrough since the main game will be too easy without them.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1815677384

Surprisingly, the game offers a lot of mechanics. It introduces a new mechanic at almost every level while still retaining some of the previous ones. However, everything will be scrapped once you reached a new world; the game will introduce a new mechanic that is unique to that world by then. Strangely, I never got overwhelmed with them - all mechanics are easy to learn and memorable.

Movement
Enemies are annoying to beat. Your character uses tile-based movement, and although it helps when you need to avoid enemies in narrow places, the same can't be said when you need to eat them. You need to bait them to attack before you can do that and enemies usually won't attack unless you stop running away. However, since the character has a slow acceleration speed, you'll most likely die from their attack before you can walk again if you decide to stop.

The tile-based movement also can prove to be problematic with the level design. Some level has rotating blades, which can be troublesome when you need to move your character diagonally. Since the game doesn't support walking diagonally, you need to press two buttons to achieve that, and sometimes, the character won't move to the right position. There was an occasion when the character moved to the top-right when I pressed both the down and right buttons in one of the levels. Luckily, there aren't many levels that require these mechanics.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2785847285

Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 8.6h. I spent the rest of my playtime finding some secret exits that can be used in speedrunning, which is not needed for achievement completion. One achievement is bugged in the game, which can only be fixed by installing an unofficial patch. As for the difficulty, it is on the medium side - some sections might annoy you, but you just need to replay the level a few times until you get the hang of it.

As someone who has played the i saw her[www.kongregate.com] series, flash games that were the prequel of this game, this one looks different but feel similar at the same time - it has a different look and mechanic, but level designs are still cleverly done. The introduction of some easy levels in between helps to refresh my brain, and the short levels help to urge you to keep going. I never got bored playing the game and always looked forward to seeing what each level will bring. I could definitely recommend the game, although not at a full price due to some problems that I mentioned.

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