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Death's Door review
by Curious_Cat

A fun game that's easy on the eyes. Doesn't overstay its welcome with a reasonable length.

Date Completed: 2022-03-12
Playtime: 10h
Enjoyment: 8/10
Recommendation: Great art, fun combat, challenging at times. What's not to like?

Other reviews12

cool
«Sit back and relax»
This is an easy recommend. A fantastic soundtrack, solid gameplay and a beautiful world to explore. This is one of those games that sticks with you for a while after you finished it
«Blew my mind»
«Underrated»
Nice little game. Way better to play using a control instead of keyboard. Had a hard time without a map, the way through the game is mostly intuitive, but I really think Lost Cemetery could use a map.
Journal Style Review:

Quirky style to the game. Crows reaping souls. I like it. It started off a bit simple but by the time I beat the Urn witch I was on board.

I usually don’t comment or notice the music in a game as much but so far this game has a great soundtrack. 

I find this game very peaceful. This is a good game to play when you don’t want to be stressed out. It’s semi challenging with boss fights or some tough areas but there is no punishment for death and it’s really not that difficult overall. I’m enjoying it. The writing has occasionally made me laugh. I like the look.

The longer I’ve played the more I’ve enjoyed this game. I’ve even gone back to previous locations to search for souls, shrines and items once I unlocked the abilities. I don’t always do that for these types of games. 

The little story beats are surprisingly fun. I love the history of the lord of doors and how they swindled death. 

Beat it. Final boss battle was a bit tougher. The length was appropriate. Fun game. Low B+.

Current Score: B+
Looks cute but don't get fooled because of the minimalist design, you'll die and retry for sure but on the other side it's relaxing, confusing right? Just do it :)
«Constantly dying and enjoy it»
«Sit back and relax»
It's a fascinating game with a good mechanic
«Can’t stop playing»
Flawed but Fun game overall.

WHAT I LIKED:
-Beautiful, rich environments, full of collectibles and secret areas that are fun to explore. 
-Memorable, funny, unique characters with awesome character designs. 
-Interesting meditation on the meaning of life and death. 

WHAT I DISLIKED/WOULD DO BETTER: 
-No map (very easy to lose track of progress or run around in circles, especially for first time players).
-Hack n slash action, but with VERY slow movement speed and the need to aim/point your cursor really freaking precisely to land a hit. 
-Boss battles take a really long time and are very boring/repetitive (no transformations or new moves)
-Repetitive gameplay overall (you have to find four souls in each area in order to progress, fighting enemies along the way) 
-You only get four HP, need to grind in order to get more, and you have no way to self heal. If you die and haven't opened up new pathways you'll find yourself starting all over again. 
-Lots of grinding needed to get 100%
-Unskippable cutscenes (you can fastforward through dialogue, but that's about it) 

VERDICT: 
If you like Dark Souls or Zelda you'll probably love this game (since this game is supposed to be inspired by them); if you're not into them (like I am) it's still fun but not without problems. 
Stunning.
One of those games without any real flaws that perfects what it sets out to do. 
«Blew my mind»
«OST on repeat»
Death's Door is exactly what it wants to be: a well-crafted Zelda-like full of mystery and intrigue. Its laser sharp focus, appealing visuals, witty storytelling, and thoughtful level design make it the best $20 I've spent this year.

 It's hard to find a flaw in Death's Door. Its simple premise and mechanics are used to their fullest, the level/dungeon design is satisfying and smart, the animations are cute and full of flavor, the visual style is varied and never tiring to look at, and the witty writing compliments the mostly light-hearted experience. I completed 100% of the game and 23/24 achievements in 12 hours, which included a "true" ending in the prologue. The mystery surrounding the true ending scratched all the right spots for me, reminding me of games like Fez and Hollow Knight.

 If you're a fan of Zelda titles, metroidvanias, and their like, then Death's Door is for you. It can be fairly challenging at times, so be aware this might not be accessible to everyone.