History VideoGame / DeathAndTaxes

** One of outfits, a green suit with a red bowtie, is called "Bowties Are Cool", an outfit and {{catchphrase}} of the Twelfth Doctor from ''Series/DoctorWho''.

*** You can find a profile for "Luigi Wah", who enjoys racing around on his forklift.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Chimera does this to varying levels, hinting that the player is actually dead and now exists as the Grim.

** An outfit that closely resembles [[Franchise/{{Hitman}} Agent 47's]] gets labeled "Assassin." You can complete the look by selecting a bald skull for your head.
** The Ears of the Beast add a selection of cat-eared heads to your character design options. The description, however, has a TakeThat to [[Film/{{Cats}} the film adaptation]] of [[Theatre/{{Cats}} a musical]].

* DiegeticInterface: The Threnody to Desolation is the closest thing to a UI in tracking the current state of the world. It has four sections - a tree, residence, peace flag, and group of people - representing the main parameters of the world. When marking a profile indicators will appear to show which parameters changed and how.

* GoldenEnding: The achievement "Goodest Ending" is rewarded for the "best" possible ending - utopia conditions in the world and [[spoiler:Fate peacefully passing his role on to the Grim]].

You play as the Grim Reaper - or at least, ''a'' grim reaper with a more local remit. Fate, "the keeper of world order" and your boss, has created you through arcane magic to choose life or death for the people of the Sun County of Cosmopolis City, whose impact on (or absence from) the world may have potentially vitally important and far-reaching consequence. You are given daily instructions that you can choose to follow or not follow at your discretion and then observe the world as the results of your choices play out throughout the game.

** In addition to your smartphone updates regarding previous impacts and upcoming events, you can collect several widgets that help remove the obfuscations involved with how your choices impact the world.

*** A Scientist obsessed with bringing people back to life by stitching corpses together, if you kill them; the [[FrankensteinsMonster monster]] shows up on your list the next "day"

* TitleDrop: During a conversation Fate has with you about a previous reprimand he'd gotten. [[spoiler: Specifically, for taking an unannounced vacation, and even ''thinking'' of taking a vacation to begin with.]] He tries to remember the phrase they used regarding [[TheThreeCertaintiesInLife the two certainties in life]], and you're given the option to complete it with the appropriate phrase... or a selection of incorrect ones.

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: Each time you purchase a Lethean Obliterator, the price for the next one increases to a max of $2000 each.

* TooAwesomeToUse: The Lethean Obliterator vanishes after use. You can purchase a new one from Mortimer, but he takes a while to restock it, and its price increases with each purchase.

** When you start a New Game Plus, you'll get an abbreviated version of the opening cutscene leading up to your Reaper's creation.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: When working in the office you may come across an interesting individual; since no matter how many times you sign them off to die they will simply keep coming back [[WhyWontYouDie with their profile writer getting more and more confused and frustrated every time]]. After bringing up the problem with Fate [[CassandraTruth (in which he wont believe you and thinks you're joking)]] you and the profile writer come to the conclusion that he's an immortal demon, [[MundaneUtility who uses his never ending life to modify bicycles for as long as he wants.]]

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: On your 13th day of the job, [[spoiler:the cat will steal all your paperwork, preventing you from making a choice that day]]... that is, unless [[spoiler:you bribed her with a chew toy from the merchant prior to this moment. Even bribing her with the chew toy won't save you if you've provoked her by trying to play with her before.]]

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: On your 13th day of the job, [[spoiler:the cat will steal all your paperwork, preventing you from making a choice that day]]...that is, unless [[spoiler:you bribed her with a chew toy from the merchant on the 12th]].

** When Chimera starts intervening, you're given a red, modified profile, telling you to defy your orders and kill everyone.

** Some profiles are obvious spoofs of either real life people or fictional characters. For example, auteur game designer [[Creator/HideoKojima Hijimo Kodea]] whose games are still successful despite being [[TakeThat increasingly incomprehensible]].

** A parody of [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gordan Freeman]] shows up on your list (he's actually just an unemployed warehouse operator here though).

* ChessWithDeath: Briefly discussed with Fate in one of the conversations. Fate is slightly bemused at the thought.

* ToBeLawfulOrGood: You will frequently find yourself at a dilemma -- will you defy Fate's instructions for the betterment of the world, or will you kill off important individuals to ensure you are paid? The game also gives you the option to be Chaotic by killing or sparing the right people.

* TooDumbToLive: Do poorly enough at your job and the Grim receives ''their own profile''. Mark Death and [[NonStandardGameOver the end runs]].

** The free coin that you're provided for flipping with every hundred currency you make can be stowed in your drawer to silence the exhaling noise it makes.

* TheGrimReaper: Literally your name and job description, although it differs from the classic definition of the Grim Reaper in that you are created at the start of the game and are not unique (in fact, you are assigned a random number upon the game's beginning).

** Fate's glasses.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: When working in the office you may come across an interesting individual; since no matter how many times you sign them off to die they will simply keep coming back [[WhyWontYouDie with their profile writer getting more and more confused and frustrated every time]]. After bringing up the problem with Fate [[CassandraTruth (in which he wont believe you and thinks your joking)]] you and the profile writer come to the conclusion that he's an immortal demon, [[MundaneUtility who uses his never ending life to modify bicycles for as long as he wants.]]

** A parody of [[Videogame/{{HalfLife}} Gordan Freeman]] shows up on your list (hes actually just an unemployed warehouse operator here though)
** A bizarre woman shows up who is apparently a cultist with her being the only member; what does this cult do? [[Videogame/{{DarkSouls}} Praise the sun.]]
** A small movement of people on your list begin wondering if [[Film/{{TheMatrix}} they are actually living in an artificial reality.]]

* ZombieApocalypse: A possible cause for humanity's destruction in one of the special apocalypse events.

You play as a Grim Reaper that was literally created by Fate to micromanage a small community full of random (but potentially vitally important) citizens, deciding who lives and who dies. You are given daily instructions that you can choose to follow or not follow at your discretion and then observe the world as the results of your choices play out throughout the game.

** Some profiles are obvious spoofs of either real life people or game character. For example, auteur game designer [[Creator/HideoKojima Hijimo Kodea]] whose games are still successful despite being [[TakeThat increasingly incomprehensible]].

** An outfit that closely resembles [[{{Franchise/Hitman Agent 47's}}]] gets labeled "Assassin." You can complete the look by selecting a bald skull for your head.

** An outfit that closely resembles [[Franchise/Hitman Agent 47's]] gets labeled "Assassin." You can complete the look by selecting a bald skull for your head.

* ShoutOut: Some profiles are obvious spoofs of either real life people or game character. For example, auteur game designer [[Creator/HideoKojima Hijimo Kodea]] whose games are still successful despite being [[TakeThat increasingly incomprehensible]].

* DevelopersForesight: Triggering a special apocalypse would seem an unrecoverable act but with luck and careful management it is possible to pull the world out of a critical state regardless. Fate has special lines to acknowledge this.