Death Relives Review: A Clunky Aztec Nightmare (PS5)

The Horror genre provides many games released throughout the year, with many being overlooked. It’s quite challenging to find many that feel truly unique, especially when games like P.T., Outlast, and others have inspired many copycats. Death Relives was a game that caught my attention with its unique Aztec themes and the interesting design of its main threat. Developed by Nyctophile Studios, Death Relives has you running around an old manor, solving puzzles while being pursued by an ancient Aztec god. Will this nightmarish adventure become a major hit, or will it become another forgotten tale? 

Death Relives is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S for $24.99/£19.99.

If you’re interested in any other spooky reviews, here are a few recommendations:

1. 28 Years Later Review: An Apocalyptic Coming of Age Story
2. Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic Review – Secret Origins (PS5)
3. Deck of Haunts Review: The House of Torment

Story – A Disappointing Mystery Inside Some Interesting History

The story of Death Relives is a basic premise that hides darker details. It revolves around our main character, Adrian, as he searches for his mother after an incident on the road turns nightmarish when a mysterious individual takes her. As Adrian searches desperately through the jungle, he soon realises that his mother’s kidnapper is none other than an Aztec god by the name of Xipe Totec. Now, he must search through an old manor filled with corpses to save his mother from being sacrificed. However, as you explore, Adrian is transported to the past, where he’ll learn all about the Aztec ritual that’s taking place.

After seeing a body in the road, your mother investigates, beginning the horror

Sadly, in the three hours of playing through Death Relives‘ story, things don’t become interesting until the final moments. The last-minute reveal attempts something big but comes off more confusing than clever. This is a shame since it’s probably the most memorable moment of the story. The Aztec elements are interesting, but the constant back and forth from reality to the back in time history lessons felt tacked on. 

Gameplay – Interesting Ideas Lost In Poor Execution 

Death Relives is a first-person horror game that incorporates elements of survival horror. The gameplay is built around the usual horror favourites: evasion, puzzle-solving, and some light combat. It’s mostly a stealth game where you’ll mostly be hiding from pursuers using different wardrobes and storage boxes; however, on some occasions, you’ll have to complete a quick-time event minigame to remain hidden.

Alternatively, you’re able to fight back using an ancient weapon resembling a sawed-off shotgun, the Xizoltic. It’s fun to use and has a cool lightning effect when you hit Xipec Totec, but it does come with a few bugs where your shots don’t hit where the reticle is aiming. 

Use this ancient weapon to fend off supernatural enemies

Alongside the mystical weapon, you’ll also be equipped with The Seed, a floral device that attaches itself to Aiden’s arm. It acts like a radar in which you can see yourself, Xipe Totec, and the location of your next objective. There’s an intriguing push-pull system involving the Seed, where killing Xipec Totec allows time to explore and solve puzzles. However, the Seed slowly kills you, and Xipec Totec will return stronger.

To avoid dying, you can collect blood from ghosts using the Obsidian Blade and inject it into the Seed. Sadly, most of the time I attempted to slay a ghost, it would take multiple attempts due to the prompts not appearing, causing me to constantly spam the button until it worked. 

Use The Seed to see how far Xipec Totec is from you

Enemies and Puzzles – Fun but Frustrating at Times

There are three enemy types, the first being the Aztec god, Xipec Totec, who’ll be wandering around the manor looking to grind your bones. Then there are the cultist ghosts that will hover around, alerting Xipec Totec to your location. They can also stun you and control your body for a short time. Finally, there’s the Seer, a last-minute obstacle in the form of a monkey creature with thin spider-like tentacles.

They’re all pretty easy to get through, but the AI can be frustrating at times. The ghosts behave erratically, acting like they’ve seen me, making stealth kills harder to accomplish with them zooming about, and the evil cherry on top, they alert Xipec Totec. The god even had some issues with somehow detecting me through walls if they’re on the other side, and grabbing me from a larger range when being chased. 

Stare into the face of death…many times

Luckily, Death Relives doesn’t fall with its puzzles; there’s plenty scattered around the manor to solve. Most are easy to work out, though it’s mostly due to them being pulled from other games like Resident Evil. However, they’re too frequent with not many breaks in between, creating a repetitive experience. Alongside this, on some occasions, certain puzzles would break, causing a roadblock until you either reset the level or die. Speaking of dying, while you try to solve these puzzles, you’ll have to deal with Xipe Totec on multiple occasions. This can make the experience a tad frustrating, especially when you’re too focused on solving the puzzle and are unable to notice their presence. 

Some puzzles are simple, while others require a little more time to solve

Companion App – An Unnecessary Feature Filled With AI-Generated Slop

One interesting feature of Death Relives is a companion app that allows you to simulate Aiden’s mobile phone. By using the QR code in the main menu, you have access to Aiden’s SMS messages, photo gallery, social media, and his chat logs. The primary purpose of the app is to contact Aiden’s father, Jeffry, who assists with puzzles and offers guidance on what to do. Sadly, outside of this, everything else is just flashy gimmicks.

You don’t get to speak to anyone else on the phone outside of messaging your father, making you wonder why there’s even an option to phone someone. The photo gallery is used only for collectable photos that you unlock via passwords scattered around the game. However, the worst part of the app is its overreliance on AI.  

I thought it was a good concept at first, but then I saw all the AI-generated slop

The SMS system lacks believability, and the only active conversation between Adrian and his father is powered by generative AI. The dad chatbot, while an initially novel idea, quickly reveals its limitations. The conversations are shallow, the emotional beats fall flat, and the novelty fades when you realise Jeffry doesn’t help you. It’s worse when you talk about the mother being taken and then change the subject, making Jeffry forget about everything that was just said.

Meanwhile, much of the imagery in the social media sections appears to be AI-generated, often grotesquely so. Characters have mismatched limbs, unnatural expressions, and an uncanny look that jars with the game’s otherwise sincere tone. There’s also some odd attempts at humour, like with name parodies such as “Abbassin’s Creative” and “Malecraft” which come off as low-effort gags. 

Graphics & Audio – Horrific Designs Mixed With Terrible Sound

Death Relives‘ visual design looks fine, though it does have some screen-tearing issues, especially when motion blur is turned off. Luckily, despite many of its faults, Death Relives’ horror elements do occasionally shine. The manor is covered with grotesque areas filled with blood-soaked altars, flayed skeletons, bizarre mechanisms, and medical equipment. The designs of Xipe Totec and the Ghosts are pretty good. I could see the Aztec gods’ look being a skin for The Oni in Dead by Daylight. Xipe Totec also shines when he performs one of the many Mortal Kombat-like executions on you. They’re brutal and made me want to get caught to see them. 

The sound design for Death Relives ticks most of the boxes for a horror game. The highlights include the panic-inducing chase music built on breathy rhythm and distorted bass to the unsettling ambient creaks and whispers of the mansion. The voice acting for Aiden and his family isn’t the best, but luckily, the voice of Xipe Totec is great. I generally felt a small chill when I could hear the murderous god getting closer. Sadly, the audio does have a few bugs with some sections cutting out, especially in the Aztec past scenes. 

Death Relives was reviewed on the PS5 with a code courtesy of Nyctophile Studios.