Death's Game


Death's Game is a 2023–2024 South Korean fantasy anthology television series written and directed by. Based on a webtoon of the same name by Lee Won-sik and Ggulchan, the series follows Choi Yee-jae, a man who dies by suicide after losing hope. He is subsequently punished by Death, an entity who forces him to experience 12 cycles of reincarnation and death. If Yee-jae can survive the imminent death of any host, he earns the right to live out that life. It was released on TVING from December 15, 2023 to January 5, 2024, and is also available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in selected regions except South Korea and China.
Death's Game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its high production values and philosophical depth, though some noted a reliance on spectacle and a simplified approach to mental health. It also received a nominations for Best OTT Original and Visual Effects at the 2024 [Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards], and listed as ninth Best K-Dramas of 2024 by Time Magazine.

Synopsis

Death's Game centers on Choi Yee-jae, a young man who attempts suicide after struggling to find a job for seven years, losing all money to a fraudulent investment, and being kicked out of his apartment. Death, however, is offended by Yee-jae's suicide note and his view of death as a tool to escape from pain. Death chooses to punish him by forcing him to play a game in which he must reincarnate and die 12 times before being sent to hell. The rule is that if he manages to survive in any of the 12 incarnations, he will be able to continue living in that reincarnation. The game helps him acknowledge the power of death, understand the differences in each person's fate and life, and teaches him profound lessons about the value of life.

Cast

Main

Choi Yee-jae's reincarnation

Production

Development

Developed under the working title I'm Going to Die Soon, Death's Game was written and directed by, who previously worked on dramas like Go Back and 18 Again. He based the drama on the webtoon of the same name by Lee Won-sik and Ggulchan. SLL, Studio N and Saram Entertainment co-managed the series' production. It was supposed to be a JTBC drama and would air on the network, and stream through TVING.
On January 13, 2023, it was announced by director Ha that the production would be in the final casting and filming would begin as early as February and last for about six months.
On May 31, 2023, Dexter Studios announced that they received an order for the VFX technology of the series with a total budget of billion. The period of contract was from May 31, 2023, to January 31, 2024. A representative said, "Visual special effects would be widely used in various scenes as the main character is placed in different environments and conditions each time he lives 12 lives," adding, "the delicate technology would contribute to the drama's fantasy elements and mysterious atmosphere."

Casting

The role of Choi Yi-jae was first offered to Kang Ha-neul.
Seo In-guk and Park So-dam were cast for the main roles of the series in January 2023, and officially confirmed the next month. On February 21, Joy News 24 reported that the actors conducted a full script reading on the 14th and Seo started to film on the 20th. It also marks Park's small screen comeback since tvN's Record of Youth in 2020, as she took a hiatus to recover from papillary thyroid cancer.
On August 4, 2023, TVING released a video of the star-studded lineup cast namely Seo, Park, Kim Ji-hoon, Choi Si-won, Sung Hoon, Kim Kang-hoon, Jang Seung-jo, Lee Jae-wook, Lee Do-hyun, Go Youn-jung, Kim Jae-wook, and Oh Jung-se.

Original soundtrack

Studio Curiousity's Park Sung-il led the series' soundtrack as the music director.

Album

Death's Game soundtrack album was released on January 11, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.

Track listing

Chart performance

Singles

Singles included on the album were released from November 29, 2023, to January 5, 2024.
Part 1
Part 2
'''Part 3'''

Chart performance

Release

confirmed the release date of Death's Game would be on December 15, 2023. On November 18, 2023, it was announced that the series would be available to stream through Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries and territories except China and South Korea.
The series was divided into two parts: Part 1 was released on December 15, 2023, with first four episodes while Part 2 was released on January 5, 2024, with the remaining four episodes at 12:00.

Reception

Critical response

Writing for the first half of the series, Cine21 Kim Hyun-seung noted that while many South Korean works like Along with the Gods have explored the afterlife, the "worldview built by Death's Game is quite novel". Kim lauded the series for visual effects rarely seen in domestic productions, though he expressed disappointment that the narrative occasionally relied too heavily on these effects. While Cine21 Evaluating the second half, Nam Ji-woo observed that the show successfully "transforms into a contemplative drama" that attempts to address the complex philosophical questions of suicide in a unique manner.
International critics also highlighted the show's generic fluidity. Jasneet Singh of Collider noted that while the high-concept premise of 12 lives is the initial hook, the "revenge storyline woven between its emotional folds" provides the series with its narrative heart and drive. Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post gave it 3/5 stars, describing it as "pulpy entertainment where quibbling over plot points is ill-advised". Conran noted that the fast-paced storytelling and frequent shifts in genre forced "logic to take a back seat to visceral thrills and emotional swings". In a 3.5/5 star review for India Today, Bhavna Agarwal praised the balance between "emotional aspects and action sequences". However, she noted a significant omission in the show's messaging, stating that it "doesn't quite take into consideration the external factors or fails to stress the need for more mental health guidance to prevent suicides".

Viewership

A December 22, 2023 report claimed that, according to Amazon Prime Video statistics, the series was the most watched show in Indonesia and Thailand and in the top ten most watched shows in 43 countries around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Listicles