To Be or Not to Be frames its adventure around a countdown to the end of the player character’s life, with cultivating immortals presented as the way to reset the hourglass. Its premise puts supernatural cultivation at the center of a desktop-based story, giving the game a more unusual setting than a conventional dialogue-led adventure.
Progress can come from clicking through dialogue or from playing mini-games to build values that trigger new plot developments. The game also combines text adventure elements with desktop-pet play: players can cultivate favorite characters while they are hanging around the desktop. Its five mini-games are described as challenging ways to improve attributes, offering a hands-on alternative to simply advancing through conversations.
The placement mode is designed around keeping story characters on the desktop for company without demanding too much attention, while the dialogue and mini-games provide more active routes through the adventure. The listed adventure and RPG genres reflect its blend of narrative and character development.
