Death’s Door PC Review – A Tale Of Crows And Souls

In Death’s Door, you assume the role of a crow who’s pretty much the Grim Reaper. You’re tasked with collecting souls and taking them to the afterlife. Except, things have been slow, and times are hard for both you and the organization. Thankfully, you luck out and get assigned to retrieve what’s called a Giant Soul, and things start to look up for our feathered friend. That is, until you tackle the first boss in the game and are about to snag your prize, only to get walloped over the head by some jerk who steals your reward. Man, you can’t catch a break, can you? Welcome to Acid Nerve’s newest title, Death’s Door.

Platform(s): Xbox and PC
Publisher(s):  Devolver Digital
Developer(s): Acid Nerve
Release Date: July 20th, 2021
Price: $19.99

The folks at Acid Nerve have crafted a game with the DNA of their prior title, Titan Souls, while adding more gameplay elements from other games such as The Legend of Zelda and, dare I say it, Dark Souls. Death’s Door is a challenging action-adventure title that also manages to be delightfully charming. The game is played via an isometric view, giving you a great look at the action. For the most part, it works, though there are a few times when the camera and foreground obscure the view.

This game doesn’t hide its Dark Souls influences, and perhaps that’s why I was drawn to it. However, unlike Dark Souls, dying here isn’t nearly as punishing, and I think this will resonate better with more players. When you die, you simply respawn. You may lose some progression, but you won’t lose any currency, nor does it feel as punishing. It strikes a perfect balance and feels great. The Zelda influences also shine through, especially when you find a certain item called the Hook Shot. It lets you cross over gaps and pull yourself into enemies while attacking. Honestly, the game has so much going for it that I think there’s something here for everyone.

One thing I found amusing is the death screen. If you’ve played any Soulslike games, you’re familiar with the iconic “You Died” message. Here, it simply says “Death,” and the first few times I saw that screen, I couldn’t help but laugh. I still don’t know why I found it so funny. Maybe because the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, or maybe I’m just losing it. Probably the latter.

It’s not just the gameplay that hooked me; the visuals are also wonderful. Sure, it’s not a next-gen showpiece, but the details scattered throughout are amazing. Though my time with the game was shorter than I’d like, I saw more than enough to know that Acid Nerve poured their hearts into this. For example, when walking through piles of leaves, they react realistically, with some sticking to your character and falling off as you move away. Background critters scurry around, sometimes approaching from behind and then scattering when you turn toward them. It’s simply a beautiful game that needs to be seen in action to appreciate.

The boss fights ranged from “okay, this is a challenge” to “wow, this is too easy.” I wish some were a bit harder, but the overall balance between enjoyment and difficulty is spot-on. Fans of Souls and Zelda alike will feel right at home here.

It’s not all combat, either. The game includes plenty of puzzles that forced me to think my way through situations instead of just swinging my sword, which I appreciated. I love a game that challenges my wits. I also met some interesting characters, including one named Pothead. No, not what you think — he literally has a pot for a head. He reminded me of an NPC from Dark Souls, both in personality and appearance. Curious, isn’t it? The entire world of Death’s Door is packed with places begging to be explored, and if you take the time, you’ll be rewarded. Secrets are everywhere. Even after finishing the game, I’m still trying to track them all down to reach 100% completion.

Without spoiling too much, the game does include endgame content after all the bosses are defeated. It’s a bit confusing in terms of what you’re supposed to do, and whether you pursue it is entirely up to you. It won’t impact the main story, but it does help toward full completion and offers additional boss fights and new items. And yes, there is a true ending, but I’m not telling you how to unlock it. Where’s the fun in that?

There’s a fair amount of backtracking when you acquire certain items, which sends you revisiting earlier areas. I found it worthwhile. The game is designed so that early on, you’ll see places you can’t yet reach, and later items allow you to explore them. While I know some players dislike backtracking, it’s handled well here. Exploration is rewarded, and I highly recommend taking the time to revisit previous areas.

Of course, it’s not a perfect game. My biggest complaint is that it’s too short. After taking down all the bosses, my playthrough clocked in at around 8 hours, and that included writing guides and recording video. Without those tasks, it would have been even shorter. I simply didn’t want the game to end — I was hooked. I also wish there were an in-game map. There were several times when I got lost because some locations look similar. A map would have helped. Then again, maybe I’m just getting old and my memory isn’t what it used to be.

I played Death’s Door on PC, and my experience was flawless. At the highest settings in 4K, the game ran perfectly on my RTX 2080 Ti and Ryzen 5600X. I played exclusively with an Xbox One controller, which felt great for this style of game. I can’t speak to the keyboard and mouse experience.

On a personal note, Death’s Door really touched me. Over the past few months, I’ve experienced the loss of several loved ones. Death has been on my mind a lot lately, and this game helped me process those feelings. Ironically, Death’s Door arrived at just the right time. The story is well told, engaging, and kept me glued to the screen, with a plot twist I didn’t see coming.

Death’s Door is my favorite game of 2021 so far, and I highly recommend it. I also hope we see DLC or a follow-up, because this game is truly something special. The only downside is that it’s currently only available on Xbox platforms and PC. I’d love to see it come to other platforms in the future.

Death’s Door releases for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC on July 20th, 2021. Does Death’s Door sound like something you’d like to play? Let us know in the comments.

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