Death end re;Quest: Code Z
Death end re;Quest: Code Z
Game
Game2019
Death end re;Quest
Developer Idea Factory, Compile Heart
Death End Request (stylized Death end re;Quest) is a role-playing video game developed by Compile Heart and published by Idea Factory. It was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in April 2018 and worldwide in February 2019, for Windows in May 2019, and for Nintendo Switch in April 2021. A sequel, Death End Request 2, was released in the same regions and platforms across 2021 and 2022. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
232 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 10, 2026 · last updated Oct 20, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
66
Fresh
119 positive · 62 negative
95% range 59–72%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 119 | 62 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 8 | 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
458 of 608 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
66% recommend · 122 yes, 62 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 184 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (1,085 of 1,423 positive).
Players praise the dark fantasy story and unique blend of horror and JRPG elements. [1][2][3] Many reviewers criticize the PC port for technical issues like low FPS and crashes. [4][5][6] Some players find the game too heavy on visual novel segments with limited gameplay. [7][8]
Representative posts
- [7]
Two hours into this game and it has been 85% visual novel, 5% cutscene, and 10% gameplay. Audio is inconsistent, you will be listening to the visual novel portions, then all of a sudden, BGM is gone, no more narration, time to read. Ten or so text panels go by, a completely different song comes on and narration starts again. The opening cutscene pulled me in, the THREE instances of combat there have been in two …
- [11]
Unfinished. Plain and Simple. This game is unfinished. Plain and simple. Technical issues, clunky gameplay, lack of voice acting in some key scenes, lack of imagery for scenes that desperately need it, limited backdrops, skeletal "bad endings" etc. In contrast with some positives though, there is: phenomenal voice acting, characters, and story (until the ending). The highlights end there. Gameplay is interesting in …
- [1]
Underrated dark fantasy JRPG with well-written and mature story. System is fairly confusing, first map is convoluted , both makes players feel overwhelmed. But once you overcome the first chapter and learned its mechanics you'd have a good time.
- [2]
Death end re;Quest is a story-heavy JRPG that mixes visual novel pacing with turn-based battles and a strong sci-fi/horror edge. It starts off like a stylish anime adventure, but quickly shifts into something darker and more unsettling, especially once the mystery around the game world begins to unravel. If you like narrative-first games with weird twists, it knows exactly what it wants to be. The story is the …
- [4]
TLDR, good game but awful PC port A little about the game itself before i rant, this is one of those VN/J-RPG fusion games. The story and characters are actually quite nice, though a common complaint is that this game often leans more into the VN side of things. I dont mind that personally, but its worth mentioning nonetheless. The combat system atleast for me was really unique and quite fun, and is probably the …
Summarised from 34 of the 231 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 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Death end re;Quest talk about well-written and mature story with horror elements; those who didn't talk about poor PC port with performance issues. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch version of Death End Request both received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 50% of critics. RPGSite praised the game for being a solid entry and starting point for a new IP by Idea Factory, that the mixing of Neptunia-like anime tropes with a more serious story like Death End Requests' story created some strange tonal shifts, and mused that it would have ultimately been a better visual novel than RPG. Similarly, Hardcore Gamer noted that the JRPG segments were of a good quality, and that…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 232 · most liked firstGlitch 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 →"*groan*... I feel miserable... I-it... hurts..." - Al Astra, during Volcano death scene , and also me, playing this game Let me tell you a little tale. A little tale about little old me, a few years ago, having a blast playing Hyperdimension Neptunia. I thought "wow, Idea Factory makes such fun games! You know what? I'll 100% all of their games, not only the Neptunia ones!". Sweet summer child, what a disastrous decision. Having added Death end re;Quest to my radar a few years ago when I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →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 →the virgin "ehrmmmm one of our main characters is a thousand year loli" vs the chad a straight up 15 year old teenager in a game where a core mechanic is everyone getting butt naked. Stay classy, japan
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not finished playing the game yet but I can already guarantee a negative review because of 1 simple mechanic: The game randomly throws some choices at you that just kill you and force you to load the game and lose hours of progress, without even giving you the ability to save during the VN sections where the choices are. It's not even important or reasonable choices. It's hard to imagine a game dev team thinking this garbage was a good idea.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If this game runs at low FPS, this may be because your computer has more than one GPU. Add \Steam\steamapps\common\Death end reQuest\resource\bin\Application.exe to the graphics settings on windows, and select your best GPU for this game. Hope this works
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underrated dark fantasy JRPG with well-written and mature story. System is fairly confusing, first map is convoluted , both makes players feel overwhelmed. But once you overcome the first chapter and learned its mechanics you'd have a good time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't find the right words to describe the afterwards feelings I've got after completing the game other than saying that it is one of the best, if not the best game that've been created by Idea Factory. P.S Shina best girl
positive · 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 →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 →Does not work on steam deck despite it being verified. Nothing works except the touch controls and the game dips to like 10 fps once you actually get out of cutscenes.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a mix of turn-based JRPG, adventure and visual novel with horror elements, intriguing plot and beautiful girls. Help out Shina escape a game universe filled with infected digital demons! Gameplay: https://youtu.be/a9-d5FmQeKs Shina Ninomiya was locked inside the game World’s Odyssey. She lost her memory. She will have to beat the game to return to the real world. She receives help from programmer Arata Mizunashi from the real world and the game characters - war girls. A great game for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please be advised if you don't like gore and horror stuff don't play this game Story: Hmm ok the premises is great, It's basically Sword Art Online + Re;Zero but the execution is meh, I'm not satisfied with the ending and there are so many plot holes and "magic" stuff without proper explanation.... Gameplay: It's your typical Iffy/Compa Turn Based JRPG but with more gimmicks, the gameplay is cool, but I don't know why it's getting very unbalanced at chapter 6 and above, you either getting 1…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death end re;Quest is a story-heavy JRPG that mixes visual novel pacing with turn-based battles and a strong sci-fi/horror edge. It starts off like a stylish anime adventure, but quickly shifts into something darker and more unsettling, especially once the mystery around the game world begins to unravel. If you like narrative-first games with weird twists, it knows exactly what it wants to be. The story is the centerpiece, and you’ll spend a lot of time reading dialogue and following character…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a mix of visual novel and rpg elements. If you don't like story heavy games, this is not the game for you. I really enjoyed the story and all the 'game over' endings it has.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two hours into this game and it has been 85% visual novel, 5% cutscene, and 10% gameplay. Audio is inconsistent, you will be listening to the visual novel portions, then all of a sudden, BGM is gone, no more narration, time to read. Ten or so text panels go by, a completely different song comes on and narration starts again. The opening cutscene pulled me in, the THREE instances of combat there have been in two hours were fun, but god, this game is an absolute slog so far. If you don't…
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 →Unfinished. Plain and Simple. This game is unfinished. Plain and simple. Technical issues, clunky gameplay, lack of voice acting in some key scenes, lack of imagery for scenes that desperately need it, limited backdrops, skeletal "bad endings" etc. In contrast with some positives though, there is: phenomenal voice acting, characters, and story (until the ending). The highlights end there. Gameplay is interesting in design and bad to subpar in execution. It's a turn-based RPG with positional…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For those planning to play this on a Steam Deck: Don't. The FPS I was averaging ranged between 5-15fps in the opening stage with nothing going on, button input was slow and often non-responsive as well.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, you can save game during the dialogue, and this is important because.... YOU CAN GET GAME OVER BY CHOOSING THE WRONG ANSWER IN DIALOGUE CHOICES, and I learned that the hard way by losing an hour progress during the beginning. The game itself is pretty ok, story was pretty interesting and can be quite dark(especially if you got the bad ending). Battle system has its ups and downs, i do like how its not a traditional turn based system, but the enemies counter attack is very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death End Re;Quest as it stands is another Idea Factory game which whoever opinion on the company and their game is either a good or a bad thing. For me however I've always been a shill for the company due to personal reasons I just wanted to give my outlook on a janky but fascinating game. I will say this is post 100% completion talk so take it as you will. The gameplay some people say is fine but overall I don't think its too amazing the flash drive system is quite cool but everything else…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Seems like it could be okay, but there is waaaaayy to much talking before the game even begins.. more of a storybook than a game really. Edit: thank goodness for skip, excessive story not enough playing .. sorry.
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 →Death End re:Quest Review :) If you enjoy and find the review helpful, please follow my curator! [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43679955/] StarsDeck Introduction Death End Re: Quest is a unique blend of psychological horror and dungeon RPG. As Shina Ninomiya, you find yourself trapped in a video game, where escaping requires navigating dungeons, solving puzzles, and confronting horrifying scenarios. This intriguing mix of genres sets the stage for a thrilling gaming experience.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It got interesting story that requires too much suspension of disbelieve, And the game itself is just insufferable. The story tried to mix in technology and occult conspiracy which already pretty edgy but then they decided to add magic and I just lost. I would have like that they stick to bomb threat plot and not add in magic instead of the whole merging world and time travel stuff. As the name of the game suggests. "Death End" reward you with items or money at the expense that you will have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →I don't even know where to start tbh... wow... just wow... I played the entire game from start to finish multiple times and the story left me speechless every single time, the characters, their designs, the universe, the writing, the soundtrack, there's no word to describe the emotions I felt during some scenes, it's absolutely breathtaking in the best possible way, not to mention the great jrpg turn-based gameplay, Death end re;Quest is definitely one of the games you should play at least once…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How is this deck verified I can only get 15fps out if it I've never seen anything run this poorly in my life. Stay clear of this absolute unoptmized piece of garbage.
negative · 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 →Honestly, it's a good game, with just some problems, like being super laggy. It's, almost like the nep series in terms of gameplay but darker (yet they still include *their* type of jokes sometimes). Grotesque and dark content? Perhaps, but the most explicit thing you'll see is like, "Happy Ending", or a lady covered in blood, but other things usually are slightly out of camera (or outright not even shown) so you don't see anything.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aaaaand another game that keeps throwing rocks at you while you try to have fun. Tutorials for the most basic things that nobody would need a tutorial for? Check! Not explaining how actual crucial game mechanics work? Check! When you try to execute an attack string the targeted enemy can attack you first even though it's not his turn and interrupts your attack, means you take damage, don't get to attack at all and lose your turn. The worst part about this, they can do this ACROSS the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game save system make this game a chore to play through. There is saving only in camps which there is only one per level usually at the start of the level and unless your willing to backtrack through infinitely respawning monsters you cant save. You can also easily get game overs in cutscenes by picking the wrong dialogue choice this sends you all the way back to your last save point make you replay all the stuff you just did to get back there. While i liked this game at first this quickly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR, good game but awful PC port A little about the game itself before i rant, this is one of those VN/J-RPG fusion games. The story and characters are actually quite nice, though a common complaint is that this game often leans more into the VN side of things. I dont mind that personally, but its worth mentioning nonetheless. The combat system atleast for me was really unique and quite fun, and is probably the games strongpoint aside from the story. Now here the rant: I previously played…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death End Re;Quest Code Z (PS5) $37.50 via Amazon (Prime Eligible). ow.ly/lyFi50WCKMH
neutral · AI labelView post →during my short gameplay: too many dialogue. scenes are described as people talking, flashes on screen. or our character running. battles are slow paced. i imagined the battle system is same as neptunia's but actually feel slower. duration of controlling character : pressing buttons to read texts are 20:80. saddening that IF & compile heart made thing like this.
negative · 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 →cant recommend if playing on steam deck SHOULD NOT BE STEAM DECK VERIFIED not playable around 15fps
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solid 7/10 experience for me. In Sonic Terms, that's a whole ass C right there. It does some things pretty well, it does some things poorly, but overall I can say I had a pretty nice time with the game. Starting with the Negatives: The Visuals, while graphically nice to look at, are not that interesting in terms of creativity. It's either a generic Fantasy Landscape or a generic Japanese City landscape, for a game with this concept, it could have been fantastically weird and wild being a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I came in with someone who wasn't expecting much, got mainly cause it's Similar in vibe with Mary skelter. Just to end up liking this one just as much. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ this story is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, in a good way, i finished not knowing what was real and what was fiction
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit: Please port Death End Re;Quest Code Z to Steam! It's really buggy on the Steam Deck. I tried different protons, and it still has issues despite being verified. I've experienced stuttering, crashes, and sometimes movie audio won't even play. The only proton it kinda plays at is 6.3-8, and even that has its issues. I'm hoping I'll be able to find an actual fix for it. Edit: I found a fix from a discussion forum for this game. This is what I did. Go to the DE;RQ Game Page in your…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After more than three hours, I considered "re;Quest" to be more a visual novel htan an ARPG. You permanently see hentai images of girls and click through endless texts. The story is just the typical "Tron" / "Matrix" universe, so IMHO good enough for an ARPG, but not for a VN. There are some fights, but those are clumsy and repetitive. Especially worth noting is the constant mockery about God.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Traumatizing. Use with care.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I went into this game expecting a simple visual novel with some arcade style gameplay. I was pleasantly surprised to find actual combat that required more than just a simple button mash which is common for games like this. Spoiler free, tl;rd at the bottom The Story First thing you need to realize is that this is mainly a visual novel with gameplay, not the other way around. You're going to spend a lot of your time reading. Story is decent, I was interested all the way through to the end.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView 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 →Death end re;Quest is one of those games that’s *deeply flawed* but still absolutely worth your time. The gameplay is fun and engaging, especially once you get the hang of the combat system. That said, it’s also clunky as hell. Between awkward mechanics and frustrating moments, it made me rage quit more than a couple of times. Still, I always came back — and in the end, I’m glad I did. The story is good, dark, and interesting, but it’s also way too long. It definitely drags at times. That…
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 →I hate heartis palace so much, its so tight and confusing But everything else about the game is so peak, if you liked neptunia you will like ts too
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Death End Re;Quest 2 out of context: (Not gonna do everything in the game btw)
neutral · AI labelView post →Death end re;Quest Recommended Length: Medium (10-30 hours) Number of Routes: 1 (single route, multiple endings) Choices: Yes Failure Possible: Yes (multiple) Character Rating: Good Story Progression: Good Chaotic Elements: Yes / Moderate Music Rating: Good Achievement Difficulty: 2 Additional Thoughts: while it follows a typical CH/IF JRPG format, it seems heavier on the story elements. its a decent story that kinda loses alittle at its ending but it was still rather good. did not expect the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even though Neptunia/Neptunia-adjacent games tend to feel like cookie cutter JRPG's, there's something so comfy about playing through them, and DERQ is a gem of the bunch. Easily one of IF/CH's best works. PROS: - Endearing, interesting, and cute characters that have more depth than you'd expect. - The usual IF/CH turn based combat, but polished with additional mechanics. - A story with plenty of emotional beats and dark turns, you'll want the best ending for everybody. - A LOT of bad ends…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting idea, bad execution. The JRPG sections take place in a corrupted VR MMORPG in decline while the VN sections take place in the real world, with communication between the two sides. It looks and sounds interesting but the characters are writing are just not done well, there's almost zero tension, the mysteries are not compelling and every little minor detail in the plot requires an endless stream of text to get across, like they were being paid by the word. Combat is fairly…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edit: So I said I would edit this review and potentially change my opinion after seeing the endings, and left it as if i didn't edit, it would mean it wasn't worth it. Well I did it. All character endings, the DLC character ending and the true ending. It was so bad, I had to edit just to highlight how ducking bad they were. ALL character endings apart from the main girl (Shina) where WORTHLESS. They literally added several lines of half-ashed dialogue with it always ending with the protag…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Has 1440p option at the menu but it can't be selected... The game is blurry at my PC, it runs 1080p. Refuses to use nVidia's image sharpening to sharpen the picture quality. Has low FPS for what it does with low tex graphics. I don't get it, my eyes hurts just by playing the game. And i've used the VRR to cope with the low FPS. Only has turn post processing option at the setting, and when it does, the graphics become unbearable even at standing still. Like where's the lighting? Anything looks…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.