Death (Nitrome games)

Death is a state almost every character in every Nitrome game can enter when they run out of health. Although depletion of health causes death, other events may lead to death, unconnected to health. Death is found in both the player's main character, enemies, bosses, and sometimes inanimate objects.

Overview
In the majority of Nitrome games, the player controls a main character who has a certain objective. Of most of these main character's, the majority of them have health. When impacting a hazardous object, enemy, or projectile from an enemy, they will lose health.

Upon depleting their health, they will die, usually in some short but simple animation. Usually upon dieing, the player's character will die in some sort of way their entire body is gone from the screen, usually.

The depletion of all health does not necessarily cause the player to die, they may perform some other action which simply causes the player a game over screen (For example, Magic Touch, upon a Beetleknight landing on the castle, the wizard simply runs away).

What is becoming common in Nitrome games is the presence of checkpoints. Objects like these will immediately respawn the player if they are killed. Although all Nitrome games with the concept of death have the main character having health, many Nitrome games do not display the player's health, usually because the player can only incur one blow of anything before dieing, the presence of a health bar being futile in this situation.

Game over screen
Common in many Nitrome games, but become less common due to the presence of checkpoints, are game over screens. Whenever the player dies - and usually when there are no checkpoints - a screen will pop up.

This screen will usually have a short sentence at the top, and give the player the option of trying again ("Try again"), which restarts the player at the start of the level, quitting ("Quit"), which takes the player back to the level select screen of main menu, and submitting their score ("Submit Score") which takes the player to a panel that allows them to type in the 10 letter name of the choice (giving them access to the 26 letters of the English alphabet), and submitting their score to the Game high scores.

A very few amount of Nitrome games have a special image seen only when the player dies.

Death in numbers
Games in which the player is in control over more than one character will only give the player a game over screen if all the character's they have die.

Enemy death
Death is not present for just main characters, enemies and bosses can also experience death if they lose all their health. Unlike the main character, enemies are usually not respawned upon dieing.

The death of enemies is sometimes required in order to progress farther in the level of a game, while the death of bosses is always required in order to progress farther in the game. Enemies/Bosses will generally grant points or leave valuable items once killed.

Not all enemies in all Nitrome games can be killed, some cannot be killed because the player does not possess any weapons capable of damage, while others altogether are made unable to be killed.

Avoiding death
Avoiding death in any Nitrome game is very simple - the player has to simply avoid objects that are capable of causing death, or destroy them if possible. Although the two aforementioned actions are easy to do, later levels in many Nitrome games will usually put the player in situations where even this is hard to do.

Deaths in Nitrome games
Below lists what happens when a Nitrome character dies, and what is on the game over screen. Each game over screen will have a try again, quit, and submit score button, unless noted.

Hot Air
Hot Air's balloon will pop and his gondola will fall off the screen. Hot Air does not have a "game over" screen, the words "Oh No!" will appear, and take the player back to the level select screen.

Sandman
After hitting a hazard, sleepwalkers will die by disappearing in a flash.

Chick Flick
The squirrels themselves do not die, but chicks will. If chicks fall to the ground, they will shine for a bit and their eyes will have x's on them (like x_x).

Roly Poly
When the hedgehog hits a hazard, it will raise its paws, grin, expose its stomach, and fall off the screen.

Scribble
All Blots disappear and a "SPLURT" sound can be heard.

Frost Bite 1 and 2
The Eskimo freezes into an ice statue.

In the first game, there is game over screen saying "get well soon!" in addition to turning into ice.

Tanked Up
When the tank runs out of health, it will explode.

Skywire 1 and 2
After hitting a hazard, the passenger will fall and yells "OW!"

In Skywire 2, the passenger has more quotes. Here's some of them:

"WHEEEEE!!!"

"Why me?"

"I feel sick!"

"Not fair!"

"Not again"

"Mommy!"

Player can also lose by drowning passengers or getting eaten by animal.

Dangle
The spider just spins with a x's over its eyes (looking like X_X).

Square Meal
The troll falls onto its bottom and its tongue hangs out, with x's over its eyes and four stars circling over the top of his head, indicating that the troll has been stunned or knocked out.

Toxic I and II
In the first game, the Toxic's suit will melt, leaving his skeleton.

In Toxic II, this does not happen, unless the character falls to the acid ocean. There is also a game over screen when Toxic dies. If Toxic simply loses all of his health through not impacting the acid ocean, a game over screen will come up as he is hit their last time.

Yin Yang
Yin or Yang (depending on who died) show the expressions of screaming and turning to face the player, but no sound is heard.

Nanobots
The player's nanobot just explodes, like other nanobots.

Off the Rails
The cactus brothers and their cart explodes. If they hit an enemy, the enemy will explode along with player. Exclusive to the cactus brothers (and later seen in Test Subject Complete six years later) is how parts of the cactus brothers will be thrown of themselves, these parts seemingly thrown in a different direction every time they die.

The cactus brothers will always leave a burnt heart, burnt cactus bodies, and burnt parts of their handcar once killed.

Headcase
Norman Noggin screams and falls off the screen if he comes in contact with any enemy or hazard. If Norman Noggin comes in contact with the electric field of an electro dude, however, he will be electrocuted.

Twang
Black ball will fall to pieces, when losing all his health, and can also drown. Black ball will show signs of damage when the first or second heart of health is lost.

Snow Drift
The yeti falls from screen and holds his knees. Notably, the screen scrolls downwards as he falls, until he falls off the screen.

Jack Frost
Jack Frost falls from the screen.

Aquanaut
The submarine explodes.

Dirk Valentine
Dirk falls from the screen and says "Back out!" upon losing all of his health.

Magneboy
When falling, Magneboy's face turns wide and he falls. An exclamation mark can be seen when this happens.

Cheese Dreams
The moon falls apart into pieces cheese.

Knuckleheads
The angry heads' chain is broken and their heads fall off the screen, the heads showing a stunned face.

Small Fry
When touching an enemy, everyone, except Skeleton, melts and their spirit flies away.

Mutiny
Pirate turns into a skull and crossbones that falls to the ground.

Final Ninja/Final Ninja Zero
Takeshi appears as though he has crashed into a electric wall, explodes, and makes a sound.

Onekey
The character falls from the screen and makes the injured sound from Jack Frost.

Numbskull
The skull makes a suffering face, screams, and falls from the screen.

Bomba
Bomba explodes.

Fat cat
The cat meows, explodes, and falls downward.

Ice Breaker series
If a Viking touches a rat, or is harmed by the explosions from a bomb, this will cause him to fall from the screen and make a sound. If a viking touches a rune, he will turn to dust. In Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage, if a Viking dies, his spirit will fly away and the leader of them will take his hat off. Along with this, the crushed bones of the fallen Viking will move around before disappearing.

Pixel Pop
This game has various failure-screens:

EASY

Level 1: The character is crying.

Level 2: Dinosaur is lying on ground.

Level 3: The old man is just lying on a hill.

Level 4: The cat is covered in mice.

MEDIUM

Level 1: The vampire is happy and licking his mouth.

Level 2: The cookies are in one cup filled with coffee and has x's on their face (similar to an X_X face).

Level 3: The UFO ship has crashed and cow and its owner are standing on it.

Level 4: The cloud is sad and there is an empty bottle, where only one drop of juice is in it.

HARD

Level 1: The Siamese dogs are sad and it iss raining.

Level 2: The apple has lots of holes and worms.

Level 3: The man's face is dirty from the food.

Level 4: There are two ghosts and background is green. Slime is also sliding from the screen.

Flash Cat
The cat and worm explodes.

Twin Shot/2
The cat falls from the screen.

Mirror Image
If Warlock touches a demon, he will disappear, and only his skull helmet is left from him. If he get in the sight of a four eyed demon, he will turn into a stone. If he falls, he screams and he suck into a black hole.

The Glassworks
If Kapowski hits laser, he will burn and fall off the screen screaming. He screams in every case, if he falls, or hits and obstacle.

Rustyard
If Rusty gets crushed or loses health from taking too much damage, he will fall from the screen. If he falls into a crushing machine, Rusty will come out of the machine as a box. If Rusty hits a laser, he will turn to ashes.

Droplets
If a rabbit gets crushed, or hits enemy, the rabbit will pop and turn into a ghost. When hitting an electric wall, the Rabbit's skeleton can be seen and it turns into a ghost.

Double Edged
The Spartan dies same way like enemy soldiers - falling back on to his back. He also enters this phase - but does not die - when he is knocked unconscious.

Castle Corp
The knight falls from the screen while facing the screen.

Parasite
The Parasite explodes and green blood splatters on to the screen.

Rockitty
The kitten explodes and meows.

Nebula
The little sun explodes.

Cave Chaos
The miner falls into a pit, then peeps.

Graveyard Shift
The player makes a sound and the screen flashes red.

Cold Storage
The yeti screams and falls from the screen.

Blast RPG
The knight's armour explodes. The player on their stomach slides acorss the ground, before getting up and beginning to cry.

Tiny Castle
The knight falls to his knees.

Chisel
Chiseler explodes and the metal parts of him begin to float around.

Bullethead
The soldier falls on its side and screams like Kapowski from The Glassworks.

Ribbit
Ribbits's heads will separate from each other.

Worm Food
The worm explodes.

Sky Serpents
The Young Norse warrior will fall from the dragon, if sustaining too much damage. If he falls, he will scream if the fall will cause him to lose all his health.

Enemy 585
Enemy 585 will spin around, explode, then disappear, and only his hat will be left.

Super Treadmill
Billy will become confused and Uncle Rico will begin laughing.

Bad Ice Cream
The ice cream falls on its back and melts, expanding into a puddle of ice cream.

Rush
The player is explodes. While exploding, the player will trip over objects.

Canary
Canary 214-LE explodes.

Test Subject Blue
Blue's Proto-Suit glass breaks while the suit sits down.

Knight Trap
There are various deaths:


 * When hitting a fireball, the knight will burn and turn into ashes.
 * When hitting a blob, bat, spike or arrow, the knight turns into a skeleton and collapses into a pile of bones with a skull on top. This animation also happens if a knight is wrapped for too long in a spider's web.
 * If hit by a boulder, the knight flattens into a circle.
 * When hitting a red knight, the blue knight gets knocked down, watches the player and turns into a skeleton.
 * When hitting a ghost, the hurt knight turns into a stone and is reduced to ashes.
 * When hitting a buzzsaw, the knight is cut in two and half of his body falls over.

Steamlands
The entire tank explodes and the engineer runs off the screen.

Silly Sausage
The dog spins and pops.

Office Trap
Like in Knight Trap, Office Trap has various deaths for the employees:
 * When touching a zombie, the employee turns into a zombie.
 * When touching a buzzsaw or chainsaw, the employee is cut in two and half of his body falls over.
 * When hitting a fireball or piece of toast, the employee will burn and turn into ashes.
 * When hitting a blob, spike, arrow, cat, flower, bat, laser, robot, laser beam, or getting blown up by a bomb explosion, the employee turns into a skeleton.
 * When hitting a bee, the employee's head explodes and the body turn into a skeleton.
 * When hitting a boulder, cash safe, or getting squeezed by rotating block, the employee flattens into a circle.

Canopy
Canopy falls from the tree and makes sound like that of the furry creatures from the Frost Bite series.

Mega Mash
Carrot Story: Fluffykins falls from the screen.

Xolstar 3: Xolstar explodes.

Blast-Man Joe: Joe turns into a skeleton.

Balloon: Balloon blows up.

Nitrometris: The screen fills up with the unbreakable blocks.

Ninja: Takeshi dies, and green electricity runs over his suit.

Smash: Faceball disappears.

Stumped
The severed foot disappears in a red flash. The skeleton of the foot can be seen.

Nitrome Must Die
Austin Carter or Justin Bennet recoils and screams.

Lockehorn

 * When getting smashed by an ice slab, Lockehorn blows up and its eyes will fall out onto the ground.
 * When hitting any other enemy or hazard, Lockehorn turns into a snow rabbit.

Rainbogeddon
The grey creature explodes.

Swindler/2
Swindler explodes and the rope attached to him breaks.

Gunbrick
Gun-Brick explodes.

J-J-Jump
The teeny hero explodes.

Calamari
The squid explodes and leaves rings of calamari.

Turnament
The red knight explodes.

Ice Beak
The bird turns into stone and crumbles away.

Plunger
Plunger's head explodes.

Super Stock Take
The chimp screams, disappears, and only leaves only his hat, which floats downward to the ground.

Nitrome games that do not have death
Although the majority of Nitrome games have death in them, a few Nitrome games do not have death in them.

Gift Wrapped
The player will simply be asked if they want to play the game again, once the timer runs out.

Magic Touch
The wizard will simply flee the castle when a knight lands.

Dog House
The player cannot, in any way, even harm the dog. Thus, death is impossible.

Powerup
The transformers cannot die as the player cannot harm them.

Cosmic Cannon
The main character cannot die as no main character exists, and no hazards exist at all.

B.C. Bow Contest
The main character cannot die as no hazards exists for the main character to die. In fact, the player's main character doesn't even move, or enter a state where they can be harmed.

Skywire VIP/Skywire VIP Extended/Skywire VIP Shuffle
The characters do not enter a state of danger, at all, as the game is purely a guessing game.

Rubble Trouble/Rubble Trouble Tokyo/Rubble Trouble Moscow
The demolition crew members cannot die at all as they are not put into a situation of which they have health. However, if Larry, one of the demolition crew members, falls off a high enough platform or is exposed to an explosion, he will become injured and limp off the screen. He will not die, though.

Snot Put/Super Snot Put
No hazards exist to kill or harm the snot or nose.