My answer is close to the one I gave here:
I prefer to tell people what is happening and why, but in text rather than numeric stats. I like numeric stats for stat screens (or a combination/choice between text and numbers) but I hate how it looks when a piece of writing has math all over it. Just my preference.
There should be some clue as to why you failed. Were you not fast enough, tough enough, did you have no one to help you when an ally was necessary? Is there a stat that corresponds to that? Good to go. “As you fade into the sweet grip of death, the thought plagues your mind… if only you had been well-hydrated enough to avoid this terrible fate. But the vitamin water, forgotten in your knapsack, is lost to you now.”