Originally released on PC and Xbox a few months back in the summer by publisher Devolver Digital, developer Acid Nerve has now made Death’s Door accessible for the PlayStation community. Being a PlayStation gamer, I was initially bummed to hear it wasn’t going to be available right away. With great reviews pouring in, I was itching to get my hands on it. Luckily, the time has finally come and I’m happy to say all the hype behind Death’s Door is true. This top/down action adventure is absolutely stunning. With it’s simplistic but gorgeous 3D character and level design, it’s hard not to compare it to the likes of some of the older Legend of Zelda games.
You play as a cute little crow with a rad glowing sword. You work for the Reaping Commission, a drab office like environment that is all about collecting souls when their due. You are tasked to reap three giant souls in three separate realms. On your journey through these realms, you will be claiming souls left and right and solving very fun puzzles to open up more of the map and progress. Exploring is an exceptional treat! The beautiful maps are amazingly designed and I always feel like there is something more over yonder. Often times, there is, you just need to do a little extra puzzle solving of some kind to get there. These secret passage ways always tend to come with something rewarding, if anything, the sense of accomplishment.
The gameplay itself can at times be rather challenging. It does a good job of holding your hand a little bit at first with basic type enemies, then slowly peppers in more and more inventive ones. The learning curve is very fair, so it doesn’t often feel as difficult as it is. Dying and coming back is also fairly forgiving. It isn’t a roguelike game where you lose everything whenever you die. The main goal really is to have as much health as possible by the time you get to a boss fight. To regain health, you need to collect and plant seeds throughout the map. Eventually they will sprout to be a source of pain relief. Make sure to plant as many seeds as you can!
The boss fights are all unique from one another and while some are more challenging than others, they all left me with memorable experiences. Strategically fighting bosses or enemies in ways where you can use some of your magic attacks as well as your melee attacks is your best bet for success. The combat can get pretty dicey here and there, with how fast it can be it always will keep you on your toes. The progression system is very enjoyable and feels very seamless.
There is really not much to hate on with Death’s Door. The saddest part is probably that it ends too quickly. It took me roughly 10 hours or so to complete and I enjoyed every minute. The puzzles are decently challenging and really made me feel accomplished and smart for figuring them out. There is so many things to uncover as you go. I also just want to say again how much I loved the character designs and overall aesthetic of this world. All the characters are very creative and distinct with a lot of obvious love put into them. I can’t forget about the music, it always felt like it was adapting to what was going on with what I was doing on screen. If things got pretty chaotic, so did the score. Overall, if you enjoy top/down adventures in vain of an old school Zelda like game, then this one will impressively scratch that itch. It’s a must play!
9/10
For more information on Death’s Door, visit playdeathsdoor.com
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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