Death end re;Quest
Death end re;Quest
Game
Game2025
Death end re;Quest: Code Z
Developer Idea Factory, Compile Heart
A parallel world created by the AI known as Iris. It's in this world Sayaka Hiwatari awakens, in a place called the Strain Area. Here, she'll encounter many familiar faces, but those who were friends in another world before may be foes here. Death looms at every step; will you ever find the end? From the Steam store page
86 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 26, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
70
Fresh
26 positive · 11 negative
95% range 54–83%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 26 | 11 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 2 | 26 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
28 of 39 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
72% recommend · 26 yes, 10 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 36 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (78 of 99 positive).
Players praise the story but warn it's best for series fans. [1][2][3] The roguelike gameplay is divisive, with some enjoying it and others finding it tedious. [4][5][6] Several reviewers criticize the forced death mechanic and repetitive dungeon design. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Even as a fan of this series, this game was hard to suffer through. To this day, Death End re;Quest is my favorite IP to ever come from Compile Heart, even moreso than Neptunia, so when a new game in the series was announced I was beyond excited to play it. Boy was this game disappointing, and it didn't have to be this way. TL;DR = In order to progress, your character has to die to accumulate Death End Skill Points …
- [1]
While this game has its moments, I still find the original Death end re;Quest more appealing. The game has unique rogue-like mechanics, but you’ll end up suffering in hundreds of different ways. It also contains more disturbing gore content (if that’s your thing, then go for it). The plot is interesting, especially if you’re already a fan of the DERQ series, but for newcomers it might feel overwhelming or confusing …
- [5]
ehho ehho ┌( □ v □ )┐ on my way to replay this 25 floor dungeon for the FOURTH ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ TIME WITH EACH RUN TAKING OVER 30-60 MINUTES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T MANUAL SAVE BEFORE A DEATH END LIKE THE PREVIOUS GAMES TO SEE THEM AAAAAAAA MAKE IT STOP NOT TO MENTION YOU HAVE TO DIE 3 (THREE!!!!) TIMES TO EVERY SINGLE ENEMY MOB IN THE GAME TO GET ALL THE BAD ENDS WITH THE LAST REQUIREMENT NEEDING YOU TO BE AT 0 SANITY, THEN DIE …
- [2]
EDIT: I've completed the story, including the post-game chapter. I still recommend the game, but only for the story, and even then, only to Death end re;Quest fans. This game is basically a prequel to the upcoming Death end re;Quest 3, and has the audacity to end on a cliffhanger on top of that. As a dungeon crawler, Code Z is solid, but anyone experienced in the Mystery Dungeon sub-genre of Roguelikes won't find …
- [3]
I will start with saying: Do not, absolutely do not, play this if you haven't experienced both DERQ and DERQ2's true ends. It is heavily tied into the story, and this is not like some neptunia game where they just conveniently forget everything, every character development that happened. it's a real and fluid and ongoing story, and this is the thirdish game, but it's a bit of a side story. (Also stop before the …
Summarised from 34 of the 82 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
72% of the 36 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Death end re;Quest: Code Z. The complaint that keeps coming up: tedious death end grind to unlock skills. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 86 · most liked firstAs much as I love this game and supported Compile Heart / Iffy Int. over the years, I will not condone the hideous price gouging that is charging Japan TWICE the price the US is being asked to pay for this game. Shame on you Iffy. このゲームが好きで、長年コンパイルハート・アイディアファクトリー（インターナショナル）を応援したが、米国が要求されている価格の２倍もの値段を日本に請求している、このひどい不当な価格設定は絶対に許さない。アイディアファクトリー、恥を知れ。 --- Comments are temporarily closed as I don't have time to keep removing the misinformation posted by certain people who think it's okay to make…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this game has its moments, I still find the original Death end re;Quest more appealing. The game has unique rogue-like mechanics, but you’ll end up suffering in hundreds of different ways. It also contains more disturbing gore content (if that’s your thing, then go for it). The plot is interesting, especially if you’re already a fan of the DERQ series, but for newcomers it might feel overwhelming or confusing at times. In the end, I can only recommend picking this up during a sale. At…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Glitch Mode Clea from Death end re;Quest. She’s badass #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Death End Re;Quest Code Z (PS5) is $37.39 on Amazon buff.ly/r1O76qy #ad
neutral · AI labelView post →I haven’t been able to find any Sayaka fan art anywhere, so I have willed it into existence. Send me Sayaka fan art! #fanart #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Don’t mess with a glitch! #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Some Death end re;Quest sketches #art #drawing #deathendre;quest #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Upcomming JRPG's 2025 and later. # Disclaimer: This list may not be complete and release date or platform of games may be subject to change. I have also tried to assign games as jrpg according to my own judgement. Please let me know if you think a game is missing from this list. # January  ### Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - release date: 07 Jan 2025 - plattforms: NS, PS4, PS5 - action game ---…
neutral · AI labelView post →[後半に日本語レビューあり] A cute rescue tale that suddenly turns into a merciless Death End loop It looks cute, but the inside is a merciless loop-based roguelike RPG. You dive into procedurally generated dungeons, and in a turn-based system where one action makes both allies and enemies move, you tighten positioning and resource management. Floor traps include not only damage but also sanity loss, status ailments, warps, and even reinforcements, and if you let your guard down you can die in an instant.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upcoming JRPG's April update. # Disclaimer: This list may not be complete and release date or platform of games may be subject to change. I have also tried to assign games as jrpg according to my own judgement. Please let me know if you think a game is missing from this list. Since the switch 2 is new i add a short summary of already anouced games for that platform. ::: spoiler switch 2 confirmed games summary - Final Fantasy VII Remake (2025) - Ys X: Proud Nordics (japan only so far)…
neutral · AI labelView post →Upcomming JRPGs February update. # Disclaimer: This list may not be complete and release date or platform of games may be subject to change. I have also tried to assign games as jrpg according to my own judgement. Please let me know if you think a game is missing from this list. # February  ### Oddventure - release date: 13 Feb 2025 - plattforms: PC (Linux, Windows, Mac) - indie ---…
neutral · AI labelView post →Death end re;Quest: Code Z? When Mystery Dungeons Meet Death Flags! "A spinoff that swaps flashy RPG combat for roguelike floors, sanity meters, and dozens of gruesome Death Ends—sometimes clever, sometimes clumsy, but always twisted." Intro : Death end re;Quest has always been about horror-laced JRPGs, but Code Z takes a detour. Instead of a 3D RPG, it drops you into a grid-based dungeon crawler more like Mystery Dungeon or Mary Skelter. You play Sayaka Hiwatari, stuck in the Strain Area…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDIT: I've completed the story, including the post-game chapter. I still recommend the game, but only for the story, and even then, only to Death end re;Quest fans. This game is basically a prequel to the upcoming Death end re;Quest 3, and has the audacity to end on a cliffhanger on top of that. As a dungeon crawler, Code Z is solid, but anyone experienced in the Mystery Dungeon sub-genre of Roguelikes won't find much challenge on Normal mode. If that's what you're in it for, turn up the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Notice: Compile Heart had effectively no involvement with the game. This review was originally written with it in mind that the devs were CH/IF. All development was done by Now Production. IFI you should probably add them to the developer section on the Store Page. Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a striking departure from the original 2 games which were more traditional 3D 3rd Person RPGs with it now taking the gameplay formula from [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/836760/]Sei Madou…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even as a fan of this series, this game was hard to suffer through. To this day, Death End re;Quest is my favorite IP to ever come from Compile Heart, even moreso than Neptunia, so when a new game in the series was announced I was beyond excited to play it. Boy was this game disappointing, and it didn't have to be this way. TL;DR = In order to progress, your character has to die to accumulate Death End Skill Points in order to strengthen yourself to be able to survive the later chapters. Even…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upcomming JRPGs May update. # Disclaimer: This list may not be complete and release date or platform of games may be subject to change. I have also tried to assign games as jrpg according to my own judgement. Please let me know if you think a game is missing from this list. ::: spoiler changelog - add LumenTale: Memories of Trey - add Varlet - add Kingdom Hearts All in One europe only - add demonschool - add Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth Trilogy - update Sea of Stars DLC release date - add…
neutral · AI labelView post →Death End Re;Quest Code Z (PS5) is $34.99 on Woot buff.ly/KRyJDOb
neutral · AI labelView post →There's a funny story about this game, because I found it on a Neptunia's Japanese threads. The first thing that I see is the games main character: Sayaka, which I found to be beautiful and had a very cool apparels. Believe me when I'm saying that I got a soft spot on anime character that was dummy thicc (but beautiful). Talking about Sayaka, I heard that this game was a bit of a downgrade from the previous two installments and some of the story still using the same assets. It has a roguelike…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upcomming JRPG's March update. # Disclaimer: This list may not be complete and release date or platform of games may be subject to change. I have also tried to assign games as jrpg according to my own judgement. Please let me know if you think a game is missing from this list. There wasn't much to update in March. I will update potential Nier announcement in this post. Next month's post will be after the nintendo direct. # March…
neutral · AI labelView post →Death end re;Quest: Code Z Follow [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45434562/]Good Game Collections to check other reviews. Let's collect good games together~! Conclusion (If you don’t feel like to read the full text) Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a spin-off of the Death end re;Quest series (and also serves as a setup for Death end re;Quest 3). Unlike previous titles, this title shifts to a roguelike dungeon-crawling RPG with 3 difficulties, bringing a fresh new experience to the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to preface by saying I 100% cleared DERQ & DERQ 2 and loved every minute of it. This game is not like those. If you buy this, get it on discount and play through the story. If you struggle use cheat engine or something to "help." Being a big DERQ fan I would rate the story an 8/10. But the gameplay loop... that's a 3/10. There should be items for floor skips or warping to the stairs to the next floor. And whoever approved of the death ends only for AFTER backtracking out of a 40…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy Juneteenth!! Ooooooooooh you should totally support a black youtuber and watch their awesome and cool video essay about Death End Re;Quest 2 and breaking past the roles forced on you!!!! OOoooooooh www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2CZ...
neutral · AI labelView post →i liked the combat of the previous games can't say the same about this one and i wish they would've kept the dub cast i hope if we get another game that it goes back to the original game play style
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to start with the technical state of the game. It’s impressive for IF/CH, I only encountered one minor bug and a short FPS drop while using a specific item. CGs and sprites look great, 3D visuals are consistently acceptable, and that's already much better than their other games. For some reason, there's a resolution limit at 1920x1080, but it’s native, if you have a display with higher resolution, upscale with Magpie or Lossless scaling, they produce far better quality than the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How about creating an enemy that confuses two out of three times? Oh yes, and when the effect wears off, it confuses again! And we'll put it in a room with an enemy that can attack the entire room!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sayaka Hiwatari from Death end re;Quest: Code Z naked on a bed commission for @rubyxcoded.bsky.social #derq #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Lots of really fun stuff here! You can't go wrong with any of the mainline Neptunias (and the later spinoffs like Sisters VS Sisters and Game Maker Evolution), but I'd most strongly recommend the Death End Re;Quest series and their weirdo Touhou game that's genuinely like nothing else I've played.
positive · AI labelView post →Oh look, best girl got her own game ! And Arata must've been feeding her something rather nutritious, because now she's 乇乂ㄒ尺卂 ㄒ卄丨匚匚 only in HD tho Why can't i have best girl be dummy thicc in 4k ? Is this too much to ask ?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →JRPG discounts on Steam Summer Sale / GOG Star Festival Sale (UPDATED). ## Sale front pages and dates [](https://store.steampowered.com/) [Steam Summer sale](https://store.steampowered.com/) *June 29 - July 13 10 AM PST* [](https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_star_festival) [GOG Star Festival…
neutral · AI labelView post →ehho ehho ┌( □ v □ )┐ on my way to replay this 25 floor dungeon for the FOURTH ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ TIME WITH EACH RUN TAKING OVER 30-60 MINUTES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T MANUAL SAVE BEFORE A DEATH END LIKE THE PREVIOUS GAMES TO SEE THEM AAAAAAAA MAKE IT STOP NOT TO MENTION YOU HAVE TO DIE 3 (THREE!!!!) TIMES TO EVERY SINGLE ENEMY MOB IN THE GAME TO GET ALL THE BAD ENDS WITH THE LAST REQUIREMENT NEEDING YOU TO BE AT 0 SANITY, THEN DIE TO A MOB ATTACK THAT DEALS MINISCULE DAMAGE INSTEAD OF YOUR OWN SELF…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Al Astra from Death end re;Quest. Drives me crazy it’s never stated what animal she is #deathendrequest
neutral · AI labelView post →Vert (Neptunia) + Shina Ninomiya (Death end re;Quest) = Vershi #Vert #Neptunia #ShinaNinomiya #DeathendreQuest #MegaMiracleForce #Vershi
neutral · AI labelView post →Death End Re;Quest While not necessarily an awful game, there's nothing that pisses me off more then introducing an intriguing mystery and characters, and then completely fuck it all up, making everything pointless and meaningless I despite this game's ending and I hate this game wasted my time
negative · AI labelView post →If you like Derq, then you probably already own it or you plan on getting it later. It's a super simple rogue-like. I myself, don't like these type of games. The whole "you die, you go back" just isn't my thing. I don't have time for that, I'm an adult, I vote. As I said it's very simple. Two attributes, atk & def. Also you get one weapon to equip. You get more weapons the more you progress and those level up on use. This lets you raise it's stats and add passives. Tons of items litter the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Last four games I played! Been playing a lot of peak, and also Death End Re;Quest, which while not peak, is definitely one of Compile Hearts better (and edgier) titles. I like the interaction between the real world and video game world in it.
neutral · AI labelView post →Death End Re;Quest 2 out of context: (Not gonna do everything in the game btw)
neutral · AI labelView post →This is the 28th IF game I've played, and this might be the worst game they have put out. Both the gameplay and story independently suck: 1. Gameplay - At first, the simultaneous turn-based system functions just fine, because it's so simple that there's not much to mess up. As long as it keeps humming along and doesn't overstay its welcome, then it's functional, albeit kind of boring/one-note. Then we get to the problem: the main collectable in the game (and how you progress the skill tree)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don’t make my mistake - don’t get this piece if you want a okay JRPG (like others in Galapagos series) with gore scenes. Because in thuth it’s a super boring and super tedious visual novel.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will start with saying: Do not, absolutely do not, play this if you haven't experienced both DERQ and DERQ2's true ends. It is heavily tied into the story, and this is not like some neptunia game where they just conveniently forget everything, every character development that happened. it's a real and fluid and ongoing story, and this is the thirdish game, but it's a bit of a side story. (Also stop before the story section of this review if you haven't experienced those true ends yet) Now,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, this is gonna be a weird review. Story: Pretty good, it fits a midpoint very well. This follows Sakaya's story a character who reflects a certain murderer in DE1. While at first she was more shy and hid behind Shina, as it goes along she gains more confidence. This story continues off of DE2 and connects DE1, in a parallel world. Where Iris did something(Being as vague as possible here to avoid spoilers). Everyone do not have their memories from the previous DE, but it is reclaimed as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's an unpopular opinion for you: This game is the best in the DerQ series so far. The first game doesn't support keyboard and mouse, has massive game-breaking (actual) glitches, has a weird system where you need to play some VN sections for a bit so some doors will be unlocked in the dungeon you're in, and has characters who will never STFU with their moaning when you free roam. The second game is even worse. A very pathetic story, barely any new teammates, with most of them being…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Spectator Mode Podcast Episode 172 is live. Topics include: -Path of Exile 2 impressions -Concerns about Elden Ring Nightreign -Nintendo scraps North America Neptunia and Death End Re;Quest: Code Z releases -Our favorite Game Award Reveals And More! bit.ly/41TOXPJ
neutral · AI labelView post →Once again, an absolutely amazing installment in the Death end re;Quest series, this time with a brand new kind of gameplay -Looks absolutely gorgeous as always, the art, the characters and basically everything -The soundtrack is, as always, a masterpiece -The same goes for the story and dialogues -This new gameplay, different from the usual system, is easy to pick up while remaining engaging, and the decision to keep some aspects of the usual JRPG system like item inventory management, xp…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the Death end re;qest series and I love mystery dungeon games. This is a dream come true.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this games gameplay certainly wasn't as fun as the other main series games, I still found this game quite enjoyable (if not a bit tedious at times). That being said, I did need to keep a wiki open at all times to try and remember all the terms and characters from the previous games... If you played and enjoyed the story of the other two, then I think checking this one is out worth your time even though the core gameplay is completely different, but if you haven't then go play Death end…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unlike the others opus, Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a Dungeon Crawler with a gameplay similar to Mystery Dungeon. The game is very fun to play, especially if you manage your inventory well. Some runs can be punishing. The concept of dying in different ways to unlocks stats is somewhat disturbing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's a lot of RPGs that I picked up in the past but never finished I haven't finished a single Neptunia game, I dropped Death End Re;quest cause my save got nuked when I fucked up a drive Never played the Caligula effect Played a bit of mind zero back when I had a vita
neutral · AI labelView post →I have played a number of true Rogue-likes and I own and have attempted to make any sort of substantial progress in many Mystery Dungeon-esque titles. I have also defended plenty of mediocre JRPGs. This game looked like it was going to be up my alley with not being as unforgiving as Shiren & the like with "an ability to unlock permanent upgrades via dying". There are two main issues with this game that I encountered as someone who skipped 100% of the VN story segments.. The game does not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I also recommend Death End Re;Quest Code Z for the Mystery Dungeon + Gay, and Viractal for the Tabletop Coop Adventure RPG Roguelike Deckbuilder.
positive · AI labelView post →Let's start saying this is not a fully negative review. But my god those achievements are making me go crazy. The story in this game is an amazing improvement over the second game, while literally continuing the story of the 1st game (while incorporating the characters from the second in a way that makes sense). I really ended invested in the story and the characters, and Sayaka is an interesting character to follow as the god of death. That said, the ending is a cliffhanger for the next…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death End Re;Quest Code Z. This is not a well reviewed game and I get why. It is the third game in what was a turn-based RPG series and the genre shift is weird
neutral · AI labelView post →I really liked the game but mostly plot-like, too many revelations and seeing the characters from both previous games, even the faces of some characters without a previously established appearance was one of my favorite things, plus they confirmed the developing of the next game in an exciting ending. The gameplay, saving system and death ends could've been better, though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun roguelite dungeo crawler jrpg following the evens of Death end re;Quest 1 and 2 as you adventure through the dangers of the strain area and explore randomized dungeons as you try to survive and gear up to get through every floor, also has different difficulty settings for those looking for a harder roguelike challenge.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great horror game, it REALLY makes you feel like you're losing sanity. man that "ghost" or "wraith" is horrifying as heck I always buy Death end request games on day 1, such a good time Still didn't complete the game, enjoying it slowly I love it so far, but there are things that are annoying: -some dungeons are super long and it's annoying. -game sometimes automatically save, so the game might auto save itself in times you DON'T WANT it to. -the inventory space is so small. -in dungeons,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think this has been a great addition to the DERQ series. The most important thing to me is the story and the story has been very interesting and intriguing. I have really enjoyed seeing all the old characters, watching their interactions, and figuring out how this story relates to previous games. The rogue game play is okay, but I enjoyed the previous RPG style game play better. Still - it has been interesting for a change of pace. Edit: I completed the true ending and would still recommend…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, I must say I am immensely disappointed this game had no English voice acting. I enjoyed the EN voices in DERQ 1 and 2 and I associate them to their characters, so hearing pretty different voices and acting did get in the way of enjoying all the returning characters. Second, I only recommend this game if you're a big DERQ fan like me. I actually ended up enjoying the Mystery Dungeon gameplay much more than the Neptunia RPG gameplay, but it's nothing particularly impressive. No…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For the people who say the game is good, wait untill you reach Chapter 5; you will defiantly start hating the game. That damn frog! honestly if you're here for the story you might enjoy the game as i do but game-play wise... well that's the worst part and they've been saying "There will be a lot of Death Ends' Yeah sure, there is but most of them feels the same with re-used Cg. Not to mention if you want to get the special death ends you have to spend around 30 minutes or even more to reach…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of the entries where the hype leading up to it's release was more exciting than the game itself, while the game is serviceable, it executes the roguelike format poorly and is nowhere near as good as it's previous entries. I do reccomend playing it if you want to invest fully in this series and to understand the plot of the upcoming third Death end re;Quest title, but for most people I would tell them to skip this entry.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know why I find this gameplay loop as satisfying as I do, is there something wrong with me? Story is about what you'd expect from the series, and there aren't many game breaking bugs. I'd recommend it to anyone who's played the first 2 and is interested in a DERQ spin off before we get information on the third game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished Death End Re;Quest lmao yeah one of the games of all time I guess, Compile Heart your games have an undeniable jank to em
neutral · AI labelView post →
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