Published by Devolver Digital and developed by Acid Nerve – from Titan Souls fame – is Death’s Door. It’s available now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One through the Xbox Store for £16.74 and PC via Steam for a similar price. A Steam bundle of Death’s Door and Titan Souls is also available for £27.78 as well as a Deluxe Edition of the game for £23.99.
Death’s Door Deluxe Edition includes a digital artbook, specially curated and designed by the game’s art director and a 50-track original soundtrack, in addition to the full base game.
Death’s Door is a top-down, action game with a twist. Players are put into the shoes of a Grim Reaper, or more specifically, a crow whose livelihood is the reaping of dead souls. Their job is corporate and monotonous, until one day their assigned soul is stolen, kickstarting the story. The chase to track down the stolen soul brings the adorable crow to a realm untouched by death – where creatures outlive their expiry date and are free to indulge in greed and power.
This world is full of endless secrets for players to discover and twisted characters to interact with. Even the game’s gigantic bosses have their own stories and motivations to learn about. The developers describe the story of Death’s Door as somber, yet darkly comedic, hinting there’s more to this adventure than satisfying action and exploration.
Speaking of gameplay, it’s up to players to take advantage of the game’s tools to overcome its punishing difficulty. Melee weapons, arrows and magic are available for players to utilize against an array of beasts and demigods.
As punishing as mistakes may be, victory is rewarded just as passionately. Finding secrets and defeating enemies can give players more options to customize their characters by upgrading stats, abilities and magic skills.
It is also worth noting that Death’s Door is not a roguelike nor is it procedurally generated, since there has been some confusion about that online. Everything about Death’s Door is handcrafted, from the enemy and secret placements, to level layouts and so on.
Key features include:
- Talon Sharp Combat: Utilise melee weapons, arrows and magic to overcome a fantastic array of beasts and demigods. Mistakes are punished and victory is rewarded.
- A Beautifully Bleak World: Venture beyond the Doors and explore a land full of twisted inhabitants and countless secrets, bringing hope to the weird and wonderful characters you’ll meet along the way.
- A Dark Mystery to Unravel: Track down and defeat colossal tyrants with stories and motivations of their own.
Many have tried to describe Death’s Door by citing its inspiration, from Zelda, to Dark Souls and classic Studio Ghibli films. But Death’s Door’s style seems to transcend all its inspirations, to create something unique. And you can read all about that uniqueness by taking in our full review of Death’s Door on Xbox Series X. Spoiler – It’s one of those games you just have to play.
If you’re sold, get over to the Xbox Store or Steam page to pick up a download.
Game Description:
Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous but it’s honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death – where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power.
