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Press release:
Warsaw, Poland, September 7, 2023.
Console port developer and publisher Pineapple Works announces that “Death and Taxes“, a hit indie game developed by Placeholder Gameworks is now available for purchase on the Microsoft Store for Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Windows PC (digital only)

In this small, narrative-based game you take on the role of the Grim Reaper… as your first (and only) office job. You have to push papers and fill quotas, all the while deciding which people are going to live and which will die! Both the world of the living, and the office you call home are affected by your choices so you better take care, since there’s no second chances…

Or are there?
Death and Taxes is a game in the vein of narrative-based indie titles, such as “Papers, Please”, “Reigns”, “Beholder” and “Animal Inspector” – and achieves a difficult task of making paperwork fun and engaging. Withstand the whims of Fate and balance the future of the mortal world on the tip of your marker… or get fired trying!

Armed with a reality-shaping sharpie and Deus Fax Machina (as well as reasonably-priced plundered artifacts of office efficiency) the players will have to keep the world in balance and fulfill increasingly more convoluted orders of Fate – your boss, who seems to be acting more aloof than usual for some reason.

Since this game is all about balancing both long-and-short-term choices, the players will need to find their freedom in working for the Keeper of World Order, since even a single choice, too carelessly made – can spell doom for entirety of mankind. And that’s something we don’t want… right?

With a plethora of profiles to sort through, Death and Taxes offers many small stories, from the mundane to near-otherworldly; from the self-contained, to the pivotal for the overarching narrative. Some of these stories can be nurtured and grown, affecting more and more mortals, or snuffed in the name of properly following Fate’s orders, and it’s all up to you.

The game has a lot of charm that shines through in every aspect of its design. From the smooth, jazzy tumes you can have playing through the spirit radio on your desk (reportedly rivaled only by Fate’s voice lines), through an artstyle that carries with it a dream-like aesthetic, down to curious and sometimes absurd situations you can often find yourself glimpsing on the mortal profiles – it offers a refreshing take on an office job like no other!

Key features:
• Multi-layered choices that shape two different worlds simultaneously!
• Multiple endings [some of ’em VERY secret]!
• A mix-and-match customizable Grim Reaper!
• Quality voice acting for every NPC!
• Phenomenal writing, beautiful visuals and a smooth, atmospheric soundtrack!

Raw data:
Game title:
Death and Taxes
Genre:
adventure game, visual novel, simulation
Release Date:
September 7, 2023 – https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/store/death-and-taxes/9p9xzd603vtt
Publisher:
Pineapple Works (https://pineapple.works/)