Let It Die players can’t get enough of Uncle Death

As a game, Grasshopper Manufacture’s Let It Die has proven divisive: Some are in love with the free-to-play PS4 title’s roguelike mechanics, while others see it as another attempt to win over the Dark Souls audience. But there’s one thing uniting everyone who’s checked out Let It Die thus far: Uncle Death, its mascot, is rad.

Uncle Death presides over Let It Die, bringing a comic, chilled-out vibe to the dungeon-crawler’s otherwise gloomy aesthetic. He can be found hanging out in the arcade where the player is technically located, controlling the game-within-a-game.

From the first time Uncle Death referred to the offscreen player as “senpai” — an honorific commonly used by anime fans — PS4 owners fell in love. This jokey Grim Reaper’s got ever-changing sunglasses, a skateboard in hand and the most blasé attitude ever.

He’s inspired a ton of fan art on Twitter and Tumblr, even before Let It Die’s surprise release during PlayStation Experience earlier this month.

Uncle Death’s ‘80s geek style and ironic, pervasive optimism is what’s drawing many to Let It Die, even if he’s only a small part of the game. He’s currently in control of the game’s Twitter account, and he’s stumping for an expanded role in Grasshopper’s next project:

There’s no Uncle Death spinoff — or new project — in the cards yet for Grasshopper Manufacture, whose best known member is designer Goichi “Suda51” Suda. We’ll keep our eyes peeled, but we’re digging Uncle Death a ton in the meantime.