Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman

About

Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman flips the script on platformer logic by making death the objective. You control a salaryman whose only job is to die in increasingly bizarre ways. Each level hides environmental hazards that must be manipulated to off yourself efficiently. Use elevators, vending machines, and even coworkers as tools to reach the end goal. The twisty puzzles ramp up quickly as later stages subvert expectations with shifting mechanics and red herrings. The game’s 50 levels balance absurdity and clever design with a darkly comedic tone. A final boss battle recontextualizes the entire experience in a way that’s equal parts hilarious and bleak. Though released in 2008, its sharp humor and inventive level design still land well with browser game fans. The Salaryman’s relentless march toward oblivion has an oddly satisfying rhythm that keeps you clicking through the pain.