Death by AI – a free Jackbox style party game. AI judges your plans to survive
An experimental Jackbox-style party game called “Death by AI” lets players propose survival plans to absurd deadly scenarios, which an AI then narrates and judges, often with chaotic or illogical twists. Commenters find the concept funny and promising but note that the beta is buggy, outcomes can feel arbitrary, and the AI is easy to “cheese” with prompt tricks like simply asserting survival. Many see it as a glimpse of how large language models could power creative multiplayer and storytelling mechanics, and suggest improvements such as faster rounds, better UX, player voting, persistent traits, and AI-controlled players.
Overall reception
- Many find the concept clever, fun, and well-executed aesthetically (music, dark-carnival style, Jackbox-like party vibe).
- Several say it’s more fun with a group; solo play is possible but less compelling.
- Some find it frustrating, too random, or slow, and doubt its long-term replayability.
Gameplay & mechanics
- Core loop: players are given deadly scenarios and propose survival plans; an LLM narrates the outcome and decides life or death.
- Players often enjoy absurd, narrative-style outcomes more than realistic ones.
- Some complain that almost every story ends with a “twist,” making results predictable and easy to game.
- Certain strategies (accepting death, praying, “saved by God,” being a god or non-human, etc.) often yield survival.
AI behavior & exploits
- The LLM is described as arbitrary, funny, and often incoherent or illogical.
- Many report “prompt injection” working: explicitly stating that you survive, asking the AI what you should do and doing it, or embedding success-related words leads to near-100% survival.
- Generic or meta responses (“I do something smart and survive,” “the player survived; explain how”) frequently win.
- Other users observe inconsistency and apparent randomness: the same idea sometimes succeeds, sometimes fails.
- Some see this “bullshit factor” as part of the humor; others see it as undermining fairness and satisfaction.
Bugs, performance & UX issues
- Reports of UI bugs (instructions flashing, text overflow, undefined text, missing/unclear “start” cue).
- Complaints about long animations, slow text, and poor performance on some browsers/devices.
- Requests for text-speed controls, disabling 3D elements, and better mobile handling.
Feature and design suggestions
- Add AI-controlled players, rotating scenario selection, voting on BS answers, and traits that persist across rounds.
- Expand character limits and response time, enable custom scenarios more prominently, and add text-to-speech.
- Some propose modes where players sabotage each other’s scenarios or where the AI penalizes overconfident / magical solutions.
Broader AI/game reflections
- Discussion branches into LLM use for NPC dialogue, procedural missions, and dynamic storytelling in larger games.
- Mixed views on LLMs: some see strong potential for games, others emphasize their limits as stochastic text predictors.