Death Wish Mode

"Time you saw what I'm really capable of, kid. Say goodbye to that little head of yours!" — The Snatcher, Your Contract has Expired / Breaching The Contract / Quality Time With Snatcher

Death Wish Mode
That does it, time to DIE.
Chapter #	3X
No. of Acts	38 (although, these are challenges not "acts")
No. of Time Pieces Needed	27 (must include Your Contract has Expired)
Next Chapter	None
Previous Chapter	Your Contract has Expired

Death Wish Mode is a challenge mode that is added with the Seal the Deal DLC which has released on September 13th, 2018. It features 111 hard-as-peck challenges (114 with the Nyakuza Metro (DLC)) and give many different customization rewards, including newly introduced outfits.

Overview

A completed map of Death Wish Mode (including content from the Nyakuza Metro DLC)

Snatcher has a list of 111 (114 with the Nyakuza Metro (DLC)) challenges for Hat Kid to take on. At first only one will be available, but more will unlock as you complete more challenges.

To Unlock Death Wish mode you must obtain 27 different Time Pieces; One of those 27 MUST be Your Contract has Expired.

Each challenge has three objectives, the main one and two bonus goals. For each one you beat you get a Death Wish Token.

Some challenges will have a silhouette in the left corner, indicating that there is a reward for beating it. To get the reward you only have to beat the main challenge, and do not need to complete the bonus challenges. To collect the reward talk to the Snatcher again and select the completed mission on the Death Wish list.

If Hat Kid completes all 111/114 Death Wishes, Snatcher will then be in complete shock and holds a grudge that Hat Kid is still alive. Believing that she'll bother him. Snatcher will then realize that he or anybody can't always get what they want. Hat Kid will ask for an award and Snatcher will tell her that she did have the feeling that she achieved something and she earned it.

A new Death Wish mode map during the Winter Event.

A new Death Wish mode map during the Summer Event.

During Live Game Events, there can be new limited-time challenges added to Death Wish with exclusive rewards on separate maps. In the Winter Event, 5 more Candle challenges were added, rewarding players stickers upon completing each one. In the Summer Event, 17 new challenges were added, rewarding players with 2 weapons, a sticker, a dye, and 4 community-made hat flairs, along with other items from the specific mods downloaded from doing the challenges.

Peace And Tranquility

"No one is around to help. Life is hard, life is stressful. I need peace and tranquility. I don't have to prove myself to anyone." —The Player

Once you die enough times attempting a Death Wish challenge, you will be asked to enable Peace and Tranquility mode. By paying a certain number of Pons, the difficulty of the challenge will be lowered. An example would be that the infamous 10 Seconds Until Self-Destruct would start at 30 seconds instead of the aforementioned 10 and that the clocks that would add 20 seconds to the timer would now add 40 seconds. Viewing the contract in your start menu would change the contract from a "Death Wish" into a "Nice Wish". In Peace and Tranquility mode, you get a stamp of dishonor on the map, but this can be remedied by tearing up the contract and doing the challenges normally. You can use the developer console on Peace and Tranquility mode (and on every candle except Zero Jumps) and you only have to complete the main objective to full clear a challenge (except Community Rifts, for some reason). Completing the challenges in Peace and Tranquility mode does count toward the achievements.

Standard Challenges

Stage Remixes

Image	Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward
	Beat the Heat	Turn off all of the lava faucets *It's much hotter than usual, cool yourself off! Bonus 1: Don't get too hot! Bonus 2: Don't cool down more than 2 times!	Virtual Kid Costume
	So You're Back From Outer Space	Reach the Time Piece *Mafia saw spaceship!! Bonus 1: Smash all the 7 UFOs Bonus 2: Reach the end in less than 80 seconds	None
	Mafia's Jumps	Complete She Came from Outerspace in only 15 jumps Bonus 1: Complete in 11 jumps Bonus 2: Complete in 7 jumps	None
	Collect-a-thon	Simply collect 100 Pons *Your progress drains over time Bonus 1: Don't pick up more than 200 Pons in total Bonus 2: Don't break any crates or barrels	None
	She Speedran from Outerspace	Clear She Came from Outerspace in 1:50 or less Bonus 1: Clear in 1:35 or less Bonus 2: Clear in 1:20 or less	None
	Vault Codes in the Wind	Open the Golden Vault *You have only 30 seconds to collect each Vault Code Bonus 1: Don't slow the flow of time Bonus 2: Find time to defeat 10 Mafia	Raincoat Costume
	Encore! Encore!	Defeat the Mafia Boss *He's all charged up! Bonus 1: Don't miss your cue to attack Bonus 2: With One-Hit Hero equipped	Hat Flair for Brewing Hat
	Security Breach	Infiltrate Dead Bird Studio *Security has been upped, significantly Bonus 1: Complete with less than 200,000 Pons in fees Bonus 2: Complete without getting caught	None
	10 Seconds Until Self-Destruct	Escape Train Rush *The Owl Express is way behind schedule Bonus 1: Collect all the 9 Conductor Tokens Bonus 2: No hat abilities, One-Hit Hero equipped	None
	The Great Big Hootenanny	Complete The Big Parade *It looks like you've gained quite a following Bonus 1: Don't get hit by the Express Band Bonus 2: Don't let any DJ Grooves tokens expire	None
	Killing Two Birds	Defeat both directors *This next project is a collaboration... Bonus 1: Win with more than 100 seconds left on the clock Bonus 2: Only attack one director until the very end	Parade Outfit
	Speedrun Well	Clear Subcon Well in 2:00 or less Bonus 1: Clear in 1:40 or less Bonus 2: Clear in 1:25 or less	None
	Boss Rush	Down with the Mafia (and Everyone Else)! *No healing between fights! *You can retry from last checkpoint 3 times Bonus 1: Don't miss any chance to hit Bonus 2: Win with One-Hit Hero equipped	Nani?! Camera Filter
	Quality Time with Snatcher	Survive Snatcher for 2 minutes *This time, no blue potions! Bonus 1: Survive for 4 minutes Bonus 2: Survive for 6 minutes	None
	Breaching the Contract	Defeat The Snatcher *I'm even more handsome than usual! Bonus 1: Don't let drop your health to 1 HP Bonus 2: Don't hit me with your umbrella! It's rude!	Witch costume
	Bird Sanctuary	Tiptoe through The Birdhouse *Hurting birds is not allowed! Bonus 1: With One-Hit Hero equipped Bonus 2: Defeat 6 hidden Mafia	None
	Wound-Up Windmill	Reach the top of The Windmill *The Windmill is operating at "peak" performance Bonus 1: No hat abilities, One-Hit Hero equipped Bonus 2: Reach the end in 4 minutes	None
	The Illness Has Speedrun	Clear The Illness has Spread in 7:00 or less Bonus 1: Clear in 6:30 or less Bonus 2: Clear in 6:00 or less	Transcendent
	The Mustache Gauntlet	Defeat all the 99 Bad Guys (enemies) *You have 3 chances Bonus 1: Don't get burned Bonus 2: Don't use any projectile weapons	Hat Flair for Ice Hat
	No More Bad Guys	Defeat Mustache Girl *She stole a bunch of those weird Time Pieces Bonus 1: Don't use any of your stupid hats! Bonus 2: Don't spend more than 3 minutes in the hyper zone!	24 Karat Kid costume
	Cruisin' for a Bruisin'	Complete 40 tasks *There's no end in sight Bonus 1: Complete 40 tasks without missing one Bonus 2: Complete 70 tasks	Hat Flair for Sprint Hat
	Seal the Deal	Defeat your strongest foes *Good luck! *You have 3 chances Bonus 1: Don't use any hat abilities Bonus 2: Don't let drop your health to 1 HP	Shadow Puppet

Rift Collapse

Image	Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward
	Rift Collapse: Mafia of Cooks	Escape the Mafia of Cooks Time Rift *The Time Rift has become unstable! Bonus 1: Escape with 30 seconds to spare Bonus 2: Collect every Rift Pon	Hat Flair for Sprint Hat
	Rift Collapse: Dead Bird Studio	Escape the Dead Bird Studio Time Rift *The Time Rift has become unstable! Bonus 1: Escape with 30 seconds to spare Bonus 2: Collect every Rift Pon	Metallic
	Rift Collapse: Sleepy Subcon	Escape the Sleepy Subcon Time Rift *The Time Rift has become unstable! Bonus 1: Escape with 30 seconds to spare Bonus 2: Collect every Rift Pon	None
	Rift Collapse: Alpine Skyline	Escape the Alpine Skyline Time Rift *The Time Rift has become unstable! Bonus 1: Escape with 30 seconds to spare Bonus 2: Collect every Rift Pon	None
	Rift Collapse: Deep Sea	Escape the Deep Sea Time Rift *The Time Rift has become unstable! Bonus 1: Escape with 30 seconds to spare Bonus 2: Collect every Rift Pon	Mirror Badge

Community Maps

Image	Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward
	Community Map: Rhythm Jump Studio	Complete the Time Rift *Contributed by Lane "FlameLFH" Haskins Bonus 1: Collect every Rift Pon Bonus 2: Collect all the Storybook Pages	None
	Community Map: Twilight Travels	Complete the Time Rift *Contributed by Eric "Jak" Ridge Bonus 1: Collect every Rift Pon Bonus 2: Collect all the Storybook Pages	None
	Community Map: The Mountain Rift	Complete the Time Rift *Contributed by Devan "Mr. Brawls" Miller Bonus 1: Collect every Rift Pon Bonus 2: Collect all the Storybook Pages	None

Candles

Unlike the other challenges, these goals are for completing outside of Death Wish. They still count towards the Death Wish challenge total.

*The Camera Tourist Challenge is not available in the Switch version, bringing down the total amount of stamps to 108 (111 with Nyakuza Metro (DLC)).

Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward	Unlock
Snatcher's Hit List	Kill 5 Mafia without getting punched *They've got you all figured out! Bonus 1: Kill 10 Alpine Pompous Crows without getting bullied Bonus 2: Kill every type of enemy	None	Complete Beat the Heat
Snatcher Coins in Mafia Town	Find a Snatcher Coin in Mafia Town Bonus 1: Find 2 Snatcher Coins Bonus 2: Find all 3 Snatcher Coins	Cardboard Dye	Complete So You're Back From Outer Space
Snatcher Coins in Battle of the Birds	Find a Snatcher Coin in Battle of the Birds Bonus 1: Find 2 Snatcher Coins Bonus 2: Find all 3 Snatcher Coins	Detective Outfit	Complete The Great Big Hootenanny
Zero Jumps	Collect any time piece without jumping *You jump, you die! Bonus 1: Collect 4 time pieces without jumping Bonus 2: Clear Train Rush without jumping	Nostalgia Badge	Complete Rift Collapse: Dead Bird Studio
Snatcher Coins in Subcon Forest	Find a Snatcher Coin in Subcon Forest Bonus 1: Find 2 Snatcher Coins Bonus 2: Find all 3 Snatcher Coins	The Queen's Dress Costume	Complete Rift Collapse: Sleepy Subcon
Snatcher Coins in Alpine Skyline	Find a Snatcher Coin in Alpine Skyline Bonus 1: Find 2 Snatcher Coins Bonus 2: Find all 3 Snatcher Coins	Hiking Shorts Costume	Complete Bird Sanctuary
Camera Tourist*	Snap a picture of 8 different enemies Bonus 1: Snap a single picture with 3 different enemies in it Bonus 2: Snap a picture of every boss	Movie Poster Camera Filter	Complete Rift Collapse: Alpine Skyline
Snatcher Coins in Nyakuza Metro	Find a Snatcher Coin in Nyakuza Metro Bonus 1: Find 2 Snatcher Coins Bonus 2: Find all 3 Snatcher Coins Including with Nyakuza Metro (DLC)	None	Complete Killing Two Birds Earn 30 Death Wish stamps

Live Game Events Challenges

These challenges are only available during Live Game Events with limited-time rewards. The stamps here are collected on separate maps, so they do not count towards the total stamp count.

Winter Event Candles

These challenges were only available during the 2022 and 2023 Winter Events.

Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward	Unlock
Season's Greetings	Boop 1 Online Party player Bonus 1: Boop 5 different Online Party players Bonus 2: Boop 30 different Online Party players	SnatcherClause Sticker	None
Cold As Ice	Play Vanessa's Curse Bonus 1: Experience 5 Cursed Victories Bonus 2: Experience 5 Kiddo Victories	MuBeard Sticker	Complete Season's Greetings
Present Workshop	Collect a Time Piece in a Steam Workshop map Bonus 1: Complete a Challenge Road Bonus 2: Collect 10 Time Pieces in Steam Workshop maps	BowKidCookie Sticker	Complete Season's Greetings
A Present For Me?	See 5 Stickers From Other PlayeComrs Bonus 1: See 40 Unique Holo Stickers From Other Players Bonus 2: See 100 Stickers From Other Players	HatKidPresent Sticker	Complete Season's Greetings
Family Reunion	Slap a Steam Friend in Online Party	ConductDeer Sticker	Complete A Present For Me? (2022 & 2023) Complete Queen Vanessa Boss Fight (2023 only)

Winter Event (2023) Community Maps

These challenges were only available during the 2023 Winter Event. They are levels downloaded as mods from Steam Workshop.

Image	Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward
	Jingle Pons - A Winter Time Rift	Collect the Time Piece *Challenge By jevil plushie (real)™ (Cassie) Bonus 1: Collect 2 Pages Bonus 2: Collect 5 Pages	None
	Blizzard Wanderland	Collect 3 Time Piece Shards *Challenge By ChainsmokingPeepo Bonus 1: Collect 6 Time Shards Bonus 2: Collect 10 Time Shards	None
	Queen Vanessa Boss Fight	Damage Vanessa *Challenge By Habijob Bonus 1: Damage Vanessa Twice Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	Trumpet

Summer Event Community Maps

These challenges were only available during the Summer Event. They are levels downloaded as mods from Steam Workshop.

Image	Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward
	Bow Kid's Beach Bash	Win the Race *Challenge By SuperInkLink Bonus 1: Gracefully Dive From the Lighthouse Bonus 2: Defeat the Cookie Thief	Summer Drink Sticker
	Pirate Palm Paradise	Collect 2 Time Piece Shards *Challenge By kazeemanuar Bonus 1: Collect 4 Time Shards Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	Summer Fairy
	Rain Aquarium Hotel Rehydrated	Collect 2 Time Piece Shards *Challenge By MrBrawls *Reward By PastaPillows Bonus 1: Collect 5 Time Piece Shards Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	Hat Flair for Brewing Hat
	Rift Of The Rising Sun	Reach First Checkpoint *Challenge By Super Sandwich Galaxy Bonus 1: Reach Second Checkpoint Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	None
	Seaswept Scramble	Collect 20 Power Pons *Challenge By Rhoyse Bonus 1: Collect 50 Power Pons Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	None
	Snatcher's NOT Sketchy Carnival	Collect a Golden Ticket *Challenge By jlintgod *Reward By Habijob Bonus 1: Collect 2 Golden Tickets Bonus 2: Open the Golden Vault	Hat Flair for Sprint Hat
	Breezy Summer Parasailing	Parasail 6 Times *Challenge By SabMods *Reward By Dr. Treefrog Bonus 1:Land on the Target 9 Times Bonus 2:Get First Place	Hat Flair for Brewing Hat
	"Phasing" Summer Time	Collect the Time Piece *Challenge By Habijob Bonus 1: Don't Get Wet Bonus 2: Finish Within 2 minutes	None
	The Painted Sand Castle	Start the Countdown *Challenge By Catwish Bonus 1: Collect the Time Piece Bonus 2: Find a Key	None
	Snatcher Candle's Dwelling Course (Summer Jam 2023)	Defeat 10 UFOs *Challenge By Biddy Bonus 1: Collect 100 Pons Bonus 2: Collect the Time Piece	None
	Summer Heat Time Rift	Reach Second Checkpoint *Challenge By Teratorn Bonus 1: Break The Cage Bonus 2: Reach The Top	None
	Hattle Royale	Play 3 Matches *Challenge By Jazzrabbit Bonus 1: Defeat 5 Other Players Bonus 2: Win 3 Matches	None

Summer Event Candles

These challenges were only available during the Summer Event. Some use downloaded mods from Steam Workshop in order to complete the tasks. Uniquely, new weapons can be unlocked here.

Challenge Name	Objectives	Reward	Unlock
Hot Pursuit	Play Vanessa's Curse Bonus 1: Experience 5 Cursed Victories Bonus 2: Experience 5 Kiddo Victories	Pool Noodle	None
Freedom Planet 2: Lilac's Headpiece	Use Lilac's Cyclone Attack *Challenge By MekuCube Bonus 1: Kill 10 enemies Bonus 2: Travel 2 kilometers	The Catchmaster 9000	None
The Ukulele	Play the Ukulele *Challenge By EpicYoshiMaster *Requires Keyboard Bonus 1: Play for 1 Minute Bonus 2: Play for 4 Minutes	None	Complete Freedom Planet 2: Lilac's Headpiece
Quick Draw Game [Game + Costume]	Duel Another Player *Challenge By Don Bonus 1: Win 10 Duels Bonus 2: Win 3 Duels In a Row	None	Complete Freedom Planet 2: Lilac's Headpiece
Cave Story Weapons	Level Up *Challenge By Khanromi *Reward By Habijob Bonus 1: Level Up 5 Times Bonus 2: Obtain 1,000 XP	Hat Flair for Sprint Hat	Complete Quick Draw Game [Game + Costume]

Achievements

Below is the list of achievements related to this mode;

Image	Name	Description	Hints
	Prepare to Die	Clear All Objectives In a Single Death Wish!	All three objectives can be completed over multiple attempts.
	Punished Kid	Obtain 50 Death Wish Stamps!	-
	I Refuse To Die!	Obtain All Death Wish Stamps!	Obtain all 111 stamps (114 stamps for Nyakuza Metro (DLC)); All levels can be completed in Peace and Tranquility and will still give the achievement.

Gallery

A Teaser image for the Death Wish mode

The Snatcher in Hat Kid's room

A hat flair for the Ice Hat is one of the rewards in Death Wish mode

An image of the map, taken from the trailer.

A stamp after completing a challenge in Peace and Tranquility mode.

Trivia

• The big differences between the Death Wish and normal stage splash screens is that the former has heavy purple undertones, features Snatcher in almost all of them in some way (even as far as to replace the Hat Kid in Security Breach) and in one of them the Hat Kid looks more scared or worried than happy (The Great Big Hootenanny).
• The Snatcher has an idle dialogue line where he states that an unknown woman was "like dynamite with a laser beam," which is a reference to the Queen song Killer Queen. It is likely that he is referring to Queen Vanessa, considering the name of the song and his history with her.
• Rift Collapses are inspired by Wario Land 4.
• If the player dies more than 12 times on a single Death Wish, then their death count starts displaying the number of times died next to a single soul.
• The Peace and Tranquility menu is a reference to a meme created after an error message that appears in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the message being "No one's around to help.".
• Sometimes, when asking if the player wants to activate Peace and Tranquility, the message instead offers "Piece of Tranquility", "Trees and Pranquility", "Please and Thanksility", "Peck and Trainquility", "Peas in the Trees", "P34C3 and TR4NQU171TY", "Nice Wish", "to see Hat Kid dance", or "EZ modo ???" (which is a reference to the IOSYS Touhou Project fan song Lunatic Udongein OVERDRIVE).
• One of Snatchers voice lines involves him talking about a "Luigi" you can unlock after beating every death wish on the first try, saying it's genuine since he read it online. This is a reference to the "L is real 2401" rumor from Super Mario 64.
• In the cutscene when Snatcher tells Hat Kid about Death Wish mode, he says, "These aren't your average everyday contracts, these are advanced contracts", which is likely a reference to the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Rock Bottom."