For a couple years now I have been patiently awaiting the release of a cute little game that mixes a little bit of The Legend of Zelda and a little bit of Dark Souls starring a cute Fox hero. That game, Tunic, is planned for release later this year or early next. Tunic is one of my most anticipated games of the last few years.

But this review isn't about Tunic, because all the while I was waiting for that to release, Acid Nerve and Devolver dropped another adorable little Zelda/Souls cross called Death's Door. And instead of a cute little fox, the protagonist is a cute little crow.

Actually, I was aware of Death's Door last year when I say a short teaser for the game. But I wasn't aware of how the game play would turn out. Flash forward a year and it turns out that Death's Door is a fun isometric Zelda-like that borrows ever so slightly from the Souls formula. Like a Souls game you navigate a map that often loops around back on itself opening gateways through previously traversed areas. Like a Souls game, there is quite bit of focus on boss or mini-boss encounters. And like a Souls game even lowly enemies can wreck you if you're not careful. Yet, unlike a Souls game, Death's Door is considerably less challenging, with ever fairer odds once you learn your enemy's individual dance.

Like a Zelda game, Death's Door is a fun isometric hack and slash complete with sword, bow and arrows, bombs, a fire spell and a hook-shot (sorry, no boomerang folks!). Like Zelda there are plenty of secrets to be found, tools to unlock and a land to be saved. And like Zelda you are the legendry hero, or the hero that was foretold in Death's Door's terminology. Death's Door is a little shorter than a conventional Zelda game, being closer in length to the first three shrines and initial battle with Agahnim in A Link to the Past (that is if we are not counting Death's Door's post game content). That's not a criticism of the game. In fact it's praise because Death's Door feels like a very tight and well thought out game that never overstays its welcome while simultaneously providing enough boss encounters (including optional ones) that it is ultimately quite satisfying.

Death's Door is not just thoughtful in it's mechanics. The game tackles the concept of death with respect and reverence. It's a game that forefronts death as a concept while embracing its inevitability through a mix of grace and humour. It acknowledges the fear that many of us grapple with in respect to death, and tries to touch on that fear without resorting to mockery. I can't think of another game where you take a moment to remember the lives, and mourn the deaths, of the bosses you are sent to defeat. Death's Door tries to tackle a difficult topic in a way that doesn't shy away from ideas of fear, grief and the process of grieving. I think it is successful in that aim. We aren't kicking ass in this game, we are ushering people through their final moments. I couldn't help but think of Spiritfarer while playing this because both games take the time to acknowledge and address death rather than elide those difficult concepts in favour of disavowal fueled entertinment. And I'm not arguing that either game isn't fun. Rather, they are fun but also melancholic and emotionally difficult at times, much like life often is.

Death's Door is a thoroughly meticulous game. It's polished, mechanically thoughtful and feels like a game that was developed without shortcuts taken. It's an accomplished and tightly designed game with intricate pieces that fit so perfectly together that there is very little I can really find to criticize the game over. Although it can be hard, the game does provide ways to reduce the difficulty. Perhaps the skill ceiling is too high for some, but it's also much lower than any actual Souls game. If we compare it to another indie Souls-like, Death's Door is significantly more forgiving than something like Hollow Knight. Although some bosses may give people a challenge, I don't see many people rage quitting the same way they might playing Dark Souls or Hollow Knight. That's not to say that an easy mode wouldn't be a nice touch for some players because, frankly, easier difficulties are probably worthwhile for most difficult games. But I do honestly think this is a better and far gentler entry into the Souls-like genre than many other games. My only real criticism of the game is that it could definitely use a new game+ mode as well as a boss rush mode, the latter of which is surprisingly missing from a game by the studio that developed Titan Souls.

Overall I very much enjoyed my time with Death's Door and I look forward to replaying it in future, either just to revisit or if they do release a new game+ mode.

Severely disappointing. Probably the most pronounced divergence this year in critical opinion vs. my personal experience. It's a gorgeous-looking game with an okay minimalist soundtrack that I think wants to be more haunting than it is. But the rest...

I've played a great many difficult games in the Dark Souls vein, and tend to adore difficult exploration-heavy games, but with this... the lack of responsive controls and character agility mixed with a fixed isometric angle that distracts more than it aids, absolute garbage aiming and hit detection, and pretty terrible checkpointing make this more of a chore than a worthwhile experience. Toss in the lack of a world map and you have a game that's just not worth struggling through.

I recognize I'm in the minority here, but playing this and Hades at the same time reveals, starkly, just how poorly Death's Door plays on nearly every level. Everything is also so tiny that be it handheld or on a 50" screen, I am constantly losing sight of what's happening.

This is a sincere disappointment. On paper, this game is entirely my jam. And the critical response to it had me rather excited. But, sincerely (and yes, I know, subjectivity is everything), my entire time playing this I kept thinking to myself "how in the shit did everyone overlook how poorly this controls?"

Hard pass. Don't regret playing through it, would not dream of touching a sequel or recommending this to anyone.

This game has gorgeous aesthetics, a cute protagonist, great character design overall and a beautiful, atmospheric soundtrack.

Gameplay-wise, it's not far off from any given top-down Zelda game. It features both melee combat, as well as ranged spells, and later in the game even a hookshot. Very fun. The puzzles can sometimes be too simplistic, but if you're going for the completionist run, like I have, you will encounter some challenges, and one very tedious task.

I really enjoyed the difficulty of the game. It isn't hard like any given From Software game, but it isn't easy, either. Some bosses (and mini bosses) will defeat you a couple of times, before you learn their patterns and achieve victory. There are some optional encounters that can be rather challenging, too. Beside the bosses, the enemy placement and variability will ensure a fun playthrough.

The story of the game is fun and quirky. Most importantly, it's not self-contradicting and it's not stuffy and pretentious.

One last thing I've loved is that the game doesn't have to be over once you defeat the last boss. You can go on and finish one more big quest to unlock the true ending of the game.

With all the positives I've just listed, let me address the negatives.

First of all, if you do well with upgrades and finding new weapons, the difficulty drops in the endgame. While that is the point of powering oneself up, I think it can be overdone.

Second, in the postgame, the day turns to night, which in turn makes a lot of areas too dark. Not a big thing, you can mostly see everything, but I think setting the brightness a little higher would have been better.

And that's it. 4/5, would recommend.