Do I need to make a whole new scene for a death screen?

Questions & Answers
1

Do I need a whole new screen for a death screen with the player’s score and high score with a replay button? Or would animations be easier to use?

2

You could just have a disabled UI of the death screen and either toggle or trigger it (along with the animations) on the fly. Making a new scene is a bit of overkill, especially if the death screen is only simple.