OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Death’s Door is an elegantly designed and finely tuned isometric action adventure with some nostalgic vibes of classic console games and souls-like experiences. A lot of thought and attention is given to the world design, layout, combat and enemy encounters. There’s something special about all of these elements coming together in cleverly designed ways. This title really shines in the adventure aspect as the player is free to explore and discover without much explanation or hand holding. This is how games were originally made without much tutorial or needing to explain and walk the player through every aspect in fear that they would not understand how to play. Instead the player’s ability to learn, be creative and experiment is encouraged and rewarded. This is a highly polished and well designed action adventure game that presents a fair challenge.
GAMEPLAY:
Much of the game is a cleverly disguised puzzle. You play as a crow tasked with reaping souls. This journey includes exploration, puzzles, and combat. The charm of the game is a call back to how games were originally designed without much guidance for the player. By going back to basics this actually empowers the player to discover and experiment.
The shining light of this experience is the adventure aspect. You are free to roam around the world and find your way through to your objective. There is no map. But there are signs along the path that guide you. Like many great games in this space there are also secrets to discover and clever ways the map creates shortcuts so when you do need to revisits a spot you have alternate options. As you acquire more abilities this also unlocks more exploration as previous areas become accessible. This creates a very rewarding experience throughout the entire playthrough.
Combat is also like a puzzle. You have very limited health making every encounter intense and meaningful. Attack movements, timing and damage are all finely tuned making it necessary to be precise and strategic about when to attack and when to back off. You have access to melee weapons (and attacks that can be instant or charged) and magic attacks (projectile type attacks that are charged) as well as a dodge. You can also pull off certain basic combinations with your strikes. The real innovation comes in the encounter and enemy design. Often you’ll find keys to winning a tough battle by examining the enemies and discovering ways to utilize them to your advantage. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who have not played the game yet. Suffice to say the enemy design, as simple as it is, has been thoughtfully designed and many battles are akin to solving a puzzle.
This design approach is also reflected in the meta-progression system of upgrades. Through exploration and fighting enemies you’ll be able to gain currency to enhance your weapons, movement/dodge and attack/charge speed. On the surface, many of the upgrades are minimal. However, these seemingly small upgrades all add up to giving you that little bit of edge in a battle. The fights here are so finely tuned that even one more attack or successful dodge can be the difference between a successful battle and failure.
The difficulty is challenging but fair. Battles that seem very difficult or impossible at first become achievable as you understand how to defeat each enemy. This is a game that rewards patience and a strategic approach rather than brute force. Often a shift in what enemy to prioritize or what attack to use or when to go in is the difference in overcoming a challenge.
STORY AND MUSIC:
The narrative is functional and leads you through the campaign. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously and this is reflected in the enemies and NPCs as well. You take on the protagonist, a crow that collects souls. The story adds to the gameplay and adventure which is the main feature of the game. Music is quite nice and adds to the overall vibe often somber, reflective and inspiring at different points matching whatever is happening in the game at the moment.
ART DESIGN:
The overall art design has an animated cartoon fantasy aesthetic. Some of the characters and enemies are simple and minimalist while others are over the top and silly. This ties in to the storyline that also does not take itself too seriously. The use of color is applied to great effect contributing to the tone and atmosphere of different areas ranging from bright and vibrant to somber and bleak. UI elements are clean and minimal and although a lot can be happening during battles, there is good visual clarity making it easier to position and avoid hazards during combat. The level of execution in the art design adds to the high quality feel of the game.
CHALLENGES:
Similar to most souls-like games, the main challenge comes in having to repeat certain sections. The amount of precision needed to make it through specific areas and bosses fights is quite specific. Challenging fights usually feel possible to overcome, but each attempt can easily fall short. This is of course expected, but nonetheless can lead to frustration. The other aspect that feels a bit overlooked is that weapons are quite similar in function. More utility and variety in play styles that allow player expression would be welcomed. However, what is available is quite well executed.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Death’s Door is a well polished and thoughtful action adventure experience with souls-like difficulty. Clever encounter, enemy and environmental design make exploration and combat exciting. Many aspects of the game feel like a puzzle that rewards strategy and a carefully considered approach. It’s a challenging and rewarding ride especially for those that enjoy this genre.
THANKS:
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: iOS, Android, PC, Console
RELEASE: 2021
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Acid Nerve / Devolver Digital
GENRE/TAGS: Action adventure, puzzle, exploration, souls-like
TARGET AUDIENCE: Those that enjoy a challenge especially souls-like games. Also those that like adventure and problem solving type games where strategy, patience and approach is important.
COVER IMAGE CREDIT: Death’s Door
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