was a video game developed and published by EA Mobile for iOS and macOS devices on December 16, 2010, that was removed from the App Store in September 2014.
[4] When some of the writers work on the gruesome murders that take place throughout the series, they like to become fully immersed in their research, for example filling "[their] cubicle walls were covered in tarot cards and books about voodoo" when writing a psychic-themed episode.
[6] As many of the CoD writers also work on Surviving High School and switch between the two projects, there is a major contrast between the lighthearted and dark tones, particularly in the earlier years of SHS, which provides a nice change of pace and variety.
[5] Though originally Cause of Death and Surviving High School were constructed in two very different ways, over time SHS was altered to reflect CoD, becoming a more plot and character driven story rather and being directed at a more adult target audience.
[7] The art style also changed to become more realistic, expressive and gritty, and the minigame-style gameplay was replaced by an interactive movie structure.
In particular, the Blaise-Jeremy pairing was seen as controversial to some, arguing that it is unrealistic and unwarranted, so the writers explained the rationale behind it: "There's something significant in looking at how opposites attract.
For example, in the wedding episodes between Natara and Oscar, Winchester's role consisted on planning the "wedding-themed violence" in the action scenes, while Lily did some of the more "grace[ful]" writing.
[4] The Maltara kiss at the end of the episode was a tough moment to write that went through many drafts, as it was an integral "exciting" turning-point of the series.
[12] Written in second-person (where the player plays from the perspective of characters), Cause of Death is very passive and laid-back gameplay-wise; it is purely a Visual Novel with major elements of Interactive Fiction and classic Choose Your Own Adventure books.
[13] The game is "packed with mystery and suspense", and is "aimed at adults, due to the graphic nature of the plot and occasional sexual references".
[13] What distinguished EA's visual novels (this and Surviving High School) from others is the fact that their games released new content periodically.
Cause of Death has a plot inspired by crime scene investigation television shows and is based upon solving murder mysteries.
Most protagonists are members of the SFPD (including FBI Agent Natara Williams), whilst the antagonists are serial killers; a plurality of whom have unique MO's, victimologies, motivations and backstories (predominately of tragedy or abuse).
The main protagonists of the series are Mal Fallon and Natara Williams, an SFPD detective and an FBI Special Agent respectively.
The main antagonists of the game are the serial killers and members of organized crime who put the safety of the protagonists and/or the city at risk.
Brad Gallaway of GameCritics.com said "Cause of Death: Volume 1—The Maskmaker isn't the sort of thing that I'd want to play all the time or for long stretches", and described it as a "little morsel of romance-flavored cotton candy".
[15] TapScape gave the game a rating of 8/10, and said "Cause of Death is a great app for those who love pulp fiction and crime dramas like CSI and Criminal Minds.
[17] App Unwrapper gave the game 5/5 stars, writing "The story is creepy and satisfying, with enough twists to keep you guessing till the end.
It also features a great episodic structure that hopefully means we’ll still be playing Cause of Death for some time to come", and gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
"[20] iFanzine wrote that the game was "An intelligently written and gripping thriller powered by well implemented interactive elements, impressive production values and the gloss of a big-budget TV show.
[21] Giving the first four seasons 4/5 stars, BrightHub said the game is "for people with a passion for gritty storylines and fast paced action."