Dumb Ways to Die is a game by Metro Trains Melbourne Pty Ltd. DWtD is an action game similar to McPixel. You have to complete required tasks in a short amount of time to prevent the deaths of characters.
In addition to saving lives, the goal of DWtD is to collect characters at your train station. To unlock characters, you have to hit a certain amounts of points. You rack up points as you complete tasks and save a variety of characters from dying in dumb ways. Tap wasps to save dude from getting stung. Drag out a fork with toast out of a toaster without touching the sides because if you do, you will get electrocuted. Pick the door with the panda behind it or get killed by a psycho killer. Swipe the vomit so the guy doesn’t slip and fall. Tilt to keep the character from falling. Swipe kids forward so they don’t get hit by a train. Tap rapidly to put out a dude on fire. Drag string to connect a hand to balloons. Blow on the phone’s microphone to keep a plane in the air. Put mustard on a hot dog to feed a snake; make sure you follow the line or the snake will bite an eye instead. Spell “patience” to stop someone from driving into an oncoming train. Defend the private parts by flicking piranhas away.
At first I thought the limited number of activities (I listed all of them above) would bore me, but playing the same sections helps because as you play, the game gets faster and harder. You have to kill more wasps, you get just a peek at the figures behind the door, and you have less time to clean up the puke or to tap to put the fire out. The vignettes are random, so you don’t know which one will be next; you have to have quick reflexes. Die three times and your session is over. I found myself tapping “play again” many times because I would be just short of a target score.
The game is silly. I enjoy the art style and the animations. The art is simplistic with basic shapes for characters and minimal backgrounds. The style reminds me of paper cutouts. Characters dance at the train station. My favorite animation is the dude waving his privates, tempting the piranhas to come and take a bite. He is just swinging his goods without a care in the world (don’t worry, no actual private parts are shown; it’s like he’s a Ken doll).
Dumb Ways to Die is best played in short bursts. The game doesn’t take itself seriously, and that is its charm. DWtD is a goofy way to kill some time. The game can be played on an iPad or iPhone, but I suggest playing it on an iPhone because you have a smaller screen to swipe, making segments like cleaning puke and dragging out the toast easier.
Dumb Ways to Die is rated 9+ and requires iOS 4.3 or later.
