Death as a mechanic is an important part of any game involving combat or other survival elements. Many players want to feel like there are real consequences to their in-game actions, though Minecraft in particular offers plenty of options for people who want more or less of a challenge.
Challenge aside, Minecraft also holds the potential for each player to live out a story unique to them.
Whether it’s alone or with friends, the possibilities are limitless.
One such possibility is that through the use of the skin system and a little imagination, players can become the embodiment of death itself—the Grim Reaper.
While there are plenty of reasons to want a Grim Reaper skin, not least of all to look cool, there are some seriously creative takes on the standard design out there.
And although he may not have the wrinkles to show it, that doesn’t mean he can’t look his age.
Wrapped in chains, wearing partially decayed clothing, and covered in debris, the weathered appearance of this skin makes it feel almost as rich in history as the character himself.
These little details make an otherwise generic skin concept much more interesting at a glance.
Definitely a solid, modern take on a classic choice.
Be them irritating or hilarious, they’re all just a part of life for us gamers.
As it turns out, it can also be a part of Death.
Using vibrant blues and reds to give the skin a distorted look akin to that of a visual glitch effect, it’s easy to imagine the user of this skin as the Reaper forcing their way into the code of the game.
The torn appearance of this skin that’s created by the colors in play gets enhanced by the symmetry maintained by the majority of the black and white portions of the character.
Despite often being described as spectral, this ghastly take on the Reaper isn’t as common as one might think in regards to Minecraft skins.
Creating the illusion of depth and shadows in the folds of the robes without making it look too solid is more difficult to get right than it seems, but the creator of this skin nailed it.
By using blue hues in place of black for all of the shading, the skin is able to remain pale and ethereal without sacrificing dimension.
Herobrine was associated with death long before his acceptance into canon.
But the inclusion of certain aspects of his story served to reinforce the idea that Herobrine has quite the abnormal relationship with death.
The mystery still surrounding Herobrine lends itself well to the skin conceptually, and it’s easy to imagine him becoming the true Grim Reaper of Minecraft canon.
As for the skin itself, the integration of Herobrine’s style into the design of the Grim Reaper is done in a way that makes sense and allows both influences to be easily recognized.
This is absolutely a skin that many fans can appreciate, be them old or new.
Straying from the more familiar black robes, this skin opts instead to use a white robe as a base to better showcase the dark red and grey gradient spanning the full width of the ensemble.
Interestingly, even though it can’t be seen without hiding or removing the hood on the outer layer of the head, the under layer follows the same gradient as the rest of the skin.
All aspects of this skin, visible or not, work flawlessly to create a refined and intimidating end result.
While there are plenty of ways to explain the longevity of the Reaper in a mythological context, everything can be improved with cybernetics.
Although the most obvious additions are the robotic arm and wires running through the ribcage, one detail that’s invisible from most angles (but impressive nonetheless) is a glowing core beneath the Reaper’s cloak.
It’s difficult to spot when all the layers are on. But when viewing the skin in-game or simply examining the actual image file, you can see exactly what’s hidden beneath the raised patch of fabric on the back.
That level of detail is astounding, and definitely worthy of a high spot on this list.
Of all the mobs in vanilla Minecraft, the finality of their name and ominous appearance make the Endermen a perfect candidate for fusion with the personification of Death.
The deep purples and void-like blacks of the Endermen work well within the design of the Reaper.
Rather than sticking with plain black, the skin expands on the usual palette while maintaining a decidedly somber look.
The skeletal figure underneath has similarly been replaced with a figure much more menacing in the world of Minecraft, given the fact that Endermen are far more dangerous than skeletons when angered.
As for the scythe, it looks like it came right out of an End city.
The colors are thematic but stay true to the resources that can be found in the End.
Overall, this is a well-executed and lore friendly option that any fan of the End is sure to love.
