Death's Door

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 117 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 117
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 117
  3. Negative: 6 out of 117

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  1. Conrad2k
    Sep 3, 2023
    5
    While it's esthetically nice looking and sounding, it feels a bit empty and there's a lot of unnecessary running around.

    The emptiness becomes a problem when you start dying in some boss, and this can lead to incredible frustration pretty quickly. The combat system has very little interesting progress other than "git gud" with the mechanics. The controls feel a bit clunky and sloppy, and    While it's esthetically nice looking and sounding, it feels a bit empty and there's a lot of unnecessary running around.

    The emptiness becomes a problem when you start dying in some boss, and this can lead to incredible frustration pretty quickly. The combat system has very little interesting progress other than "git gud" with the mechanics. The controls feel a bit clunky and sloppy, and with bosses this becomes an issue because. They feel hit and miss, and you finish them not with feeling of mastering the controls but feeling lucky.

    The healing system seems pretty pointless, and it's tied to level design. First you're taught to plant the seeds to get healing flowers, but this is soon throw out of the window by most encounters not having the pots to plant the seeds on.

    In overall, I think the game is heavily overrated. Not sure if it's the Switch version only, but the game seems to be running sub 30 fps, and that might contribute to the feeling of sloppiness.    … Expand
  2. tofuisawesome
    Aug 5, 2023
    8
    08/10
    .....................................................................
  3. george_bondo
    Jul 20, 2023
    8
    at first I wanted to give the game 8 (because of a couple of uninteresting locations), but in the end it just overwhelmed me with great boss battles (and the last of them is now one of my favorite boss fights), an excellent metroidvania, although not without decisions with which I disagree
  4. Skohi
    Jul 14, 2023
    3
    The cimbat in the game is not too bad and challanging in a good way. But do you know what's challanging in a bad way? F***ing waking!
    I would prefer fightung 10 enemies more than having to walk over a tiny bridge. It's sooo baaaaad. It just get on my nerves. Last seasion I had just made me wanna not finish this game...
  5. siell2001
    Jul 11, 2023
    8
    this game is like playing in a poe poem. gloomy ambient creating a horror atmosphere with a cute concept art.
  6. morterox2
    Jul 2, 2023
    6
    It works very bad on the switch, a lot of frame drops when there are a lot of lights or during boss fights. The game is obviously poorly compiled for the switch and this is a very light game so there is no excuse. Apart from that the game needs a compass or a map really hard, the world and weapon progression is OK but it has a lot of backtracking and vague clues on where to go. Finished itIt works very bad on the switch, a lot of frame drops when there are a lot of lights or during boss fights. The game is obviously poorly compiled for the switch and this is a very light game so there is no excuse. Apart from that the game needs a compass or a map really hard, the world and weapon progression is OK but it has a lot of backtracking and vague clues on where to go. Finished it in about 10 hours with some extra upgrades for weapons and life/magic… Expand
  7. Boogasoul
    Apr 13, 2023
    9
    Un precioso juego indie que lo hace casi todo bien. Gráficamente te atrapa desde el primer momento con su belleza y la música acompaña en todo momento. El combate es ágil y lleno de posibilidades y los jefes son divertidos y en algunos casos desafiantes.

    Un imprescindible si eres un amante de los Zelda clásicos y los souls like
  8. Zski
    Apr 8, 2023
    8
    This is a very well made indie game that reminds me of Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening on a much smaller scale of an adventure, but I mean that as a compliment to the game. Instead of having a big scale odyssey of an adventure, it’s a small scale journey of an unusual day at the office (literally). The gameplay is very simple, but it really boils the mechanics down to movement,This is a very well made indie game that reminds me of Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening on a much smaller scale of an adventure, but I mean that as a compliment to the game. Instead of having a big scale odyssey of an adventure, it’s a small scale journey of an unusual day at the office (literally). The gameplay is very simple, but it really boils the mechanics down to movement, positioning, and timing rather than having a ton of unnecessary weapons and items. The gameplay is very much skill based, but since it’s such a simple experience, it will provide you with enough of a challenge where you’ll have to repeat sections multiple times but it will almost never get to the point of frustration. Everything feels very fair, and when you die, you instantly know your mistake. The graphics are simple but charming, especially with the character designs. The music is fantastic, it really creates a very melancholic atmosphere. Truly the music is one of the strongest features of the game. Another point of the game that I feel is highly underrated is the story and the message. It’s not anything huge or memorable, but it does a really good job of exploring death, grief, and existential healing - something that is rarely explored in games. All in all it’s a very enjoyable experience. I don’t think it’s very memorable, but it’s an experience that provides the right amount of challenge and design to keep you engaged to the very end. The only major flaw with the game is the lack of a map. If you have to stop playing a dungeon or exploration point in the middle of the level, it gets really difficult to remember where you are. I feel if you are not going to provide a map, then there should be hard save points to indicate good stopping points. Otherwise, it’s a very good game.… Expand
  9. Jobni
    Feb 26, 2023
    9
    I really like this game, and I understand why it has received such good reviews. It's not too easy but not too hard either. It’s easy to control, there is fantastically good music and a great story. But there is one thing I really don't understand: why isn't there a map available? There are several places you can return to when you've got new items, but it is impossible to remember allI really like this game, and I understand why it has received such good reviews. It's not too easy but not too hard either. It’s easy to control, there is fantastically good music and a great story. But there is one thing I really don't understand: why isn't there a map available? There are several places you can return to when you've got new items, but it is impossible to remember all these places without a map.… Expand
  10. ReviewdaShopee
    Jan 22, 2023
    7
    "Death's Door" é um bom jogo que traz consigo algumas horas de diversão devido ao seu sistema de combate e história. Em alguns momentos diverto, em outros provocador, "Death's Door" é uma aventura em um mundo esvaziado que desestimula a exploração das regiões (Por que colocar caixas em todos os lugares se em 90% dos casos não há nada dentro delas???). A ausência de um mapa ou de alguma"Death's Door" é um bom jogo que traz consigo algumas horas de diversão devido ao seu sistema de combate e história. Em alguns momentos diverto, em outros provocador, "Death's Door" é uma aventura em um mundo esvaziado que desestimula a exploração das regiões (Por que colocar caixas em todos os lugares se em 90% dos casos não há nada dentro delas???). A ausência de um mapa ou de alguma ferramente que nos auxilie a acompanhar o progresso ao longo do jogo dificulta a vida do jogador que quer saber o que já foi explorado e o que não foi. É um bom jogo, mas existem outros indies de valor similar que vão garantir uma experiência mais significativa aos apaixonados pelo gênero.… Expand
  11. sloomo
    Dec 18, 2022
    4
    The game is alright. It’s beautiful but stutters on switch. It’s also very grindy. The exploration is fun but limited. It feels like a $5 game. If you pay more than this, you’re paying too much. Update: the longer I play this game the more I dislike it
  12. ophone
    Jan 9, 2023
    8
    A very good game in isometric 3D.
    Very good because on the one hand the gameplay isn't overcharged: Movement, hand-to-hand weapon, ranged weapon and dodge are all what's needed. On the other hand its art style, quite sombre but with its colourful moments.
    It took me slightly over 20 hours to see the credits, for such a game that's not bad.
  13. PanfiloHerculan
    Jan 8, 2023
    5
    If you have the time and like the souls-like games, go for it. I do not have the time nor the patience for this, I play to entertain me and relax, this game does not do this.
  14. DaileyBeating
    Sep 28, 2022
    9
    Deaths door is one of my favorite games this year, and up there with some of the best indie games in recent memory. The gameplay loop is satisfying, and I always enjoyed exploring the beautiful environment to find new secrets. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome or feel too bloated, but there is plenty there to keep you busy. After rolling credits you will even be offered a surprisinglyDeaths door is one of my favorite games this year, and up there with some of the best indie games in recent memory. The gameplay loop is satisfying, and I always enjoyed exploring the beautiful environment to find new secrets. The game doesn’t overstay its welcome or feel too bloated, but there is plenty there to keep you busy. After rolling credits you will even be offered a surprisingly beefy post game offering even more exploration, lore, and challenges leading to the true ending of the game. Acid Nerve has created a hit well worth the praise and attention it has been receiving.… Expand
  15. DanhTranz
    Aug 31, 2022
    9
    Out of the World! Great art style, good story, astounding soundtrack, awesome combat mechanics, fun gameplay and BRILIANT map, world designing. The bosses are fairly hard and each one has their own unique skill set, and the secrets are just icing on the cake.Some people want their game to have good soundtrack, some want a well-made storyline with lores, some seek a challenging gameplay,Out of the World! Great art style, good story, astounding soundtrack, awesome combat mechanics, fun gameplay and BRILIANT map, world designing. The bosses are fairly hard and each one has their own unique skill set, and the secrets are just icing on the cake.Some people want their game to have good soundtrack, some want a well-made storyline with lores, some seek a challenging gameplay, well this game has it all! One of the best Indie games ive ever played.
    CONS: I hate the pot mission    … Expand
  16. capchaba
    Aug 26, 2022
    9
    Death's Door is an amazing 15 to 20 hours experience if you don't follow guides. The game is really charming and the characters are captivating. There only two bad thing about this game and one is very personal: First is that it lets a taste of "I want more" and second is that you are a crow and you can't fly. There is a power-up that could be easily replaced by flying ability but theDeath's Door is an amazing 15 to 20 hours experience if you don't follow guides. The game is really charming and the characters are captivating. There only two bad thing about this game and one is very personal: First is that it lets a taste of "I want more" and second is that you are a crow and you can't fly. There is a power-up that could be easily replaced by flying ability but the developers chose something else.
    Last but not least, the art direction is a masterpiece and it was one of the best indie games I have played.    … Expand
  17. bhappenstance
    Aug 17, 2022
    5
    It's good. Not great.
    - The art design and music are both fantastic. It's a nice game to look at and listen to.
    - The combat is simplistic but frustrating. The mechanics aren't nearly as polished as they should be. Hit box detection is all over the place, and can be hard to tell why certain swings land and others don't. - There's a powerful dash-attack move that is difficult to time and    It's good. Not great.
    - The art design and music are both fantastic. It's a nice game to look at and listen to.
    - The combat is simplistic but frustrating. The mechanics aren't nearly as polished as they should be. Hit box detection is all over the place, and can be hard to tell why certain swings land and others don't.
    - There's a powerful dash-attack move that is difficult to time and gauge for distance. As such, this attack *looks* cool, but isn't super useful. Similarly, the regular attack edges the character forward, which makes battles near to water hazards tricky.
    - Certain sections lack guardrails, and falling into the water counts as a hit. This can be infuriating during intense moments of combat; i.e., when you're dodging multiple enemies, only to roll off the platform. (The roll/dodge attack doesn't work very well either -- you will sometimes roll in a random direction.)
    - The camera can be erratic, sometimes obscuring enemies at the worst possible times.
    - Desperately, desperately needs a map. Why no map? Why no waypoints? Dumb dumb dumb.
    - There are preposterous spikes in difficulty / enemy spamming.
    - The level design gets very convoluted, especially the dungeons. Map would've helped...    … Expand
  18. drlowdon
    Aug 3, 2022
    8
    Sent to collect the soul of a monster who refuses to die, a small crow who works as a "reaper" discovers a deeper conspiracy regarding the disappearance of other crows.

    Played from an isometric viewpoint Death’s Door is a fantastically well designed game that features a mix of exploration and puzzle solving that is reminiscent of classic Zelda titles, but with the added bonus of    Sent to collect the soul of a monster who refuses to die, a small crow who works as a "reaper" discovers a deeper conspiracy regarding the disappearance of other crows.

    Played from an isometric viewpoint Death’s Door is a fantastically well designed game that features a mix of exploration and puzzle solving that is reminiscent of classic Zelda titles, but with the added bonus of brilliantly precise combat!    … Expand
  19. AnnaLynxy33
    Jul 10, 2022
    7
    It's a nice game, not the greatest but nice.

    Cons: 1. No map. At all. Locations look the same and remembering a place where you were a couple of hours ago is impossible. (Sometimes you need to go back to a place that was unreachable earlier because of the lack of skill and this "returning" is a pain). 2. There is no exploring feeling. At the very begging, you know that you'll have 4    It's a nice game, not the greatest but nice.

    Cons:
    1. No map. At all. Locations look the same and remembering a place where you were a couple of hours ago is impossible. (Sometimes you need to go back to a place that was unreachable earlier because of the lack of skill and this "returning" is a pain).
    2. There is no exploring feeling. At the very begging, you know that you'll have 4 types of weapons, 4 types of magic attacks, and so on because you see their empty spots in the menu.
    3. Upgrading works soooo slow. I started seeing a slight difference only after upgrading the same skill 3 times (of 5).
    4. The world looks empty, there is nothing to explore. Everything you see is enemies, healing spots, and other things related to the gameplay itself. Of course, there is a couple of villages, but you need them by the main story, the other world looks not interesting at all.

    Pros:
    1. Nice graphic and art style.
    2. Bosses were interesting. The combat itself feels nice. Not something unbeatable, but definitely not super easy.
    3. The game feels like something that developers worked really hard on.
    4. Even with all the cons points I mentioned - I always wanted to return to the game until I finished it.    … Expand
  20. Nintendist
    Jun 30, 2022
    0
    this game is so terrible. there are no challenges. the game dont run smooth on switch
  21. Killerbirb
    Jun 23, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Death’s Door at first glance seems to be a semi-generic game with its own aesthetic, however through my play-through of the game I came to really enjoy it. Every boss and enemy have their own rhythm and while some bosses/mini bosses can be ever so slightly easy they are undoubtedly fun to fight against. At first I only enjoyed the game as a stress reliever but after [spoiler] the fight with the Grey Crow I came to truly find joy in playing. The fight consists of battling him in an endless white void with no boundaries, perfectly contrasting the black and grey of his feathers and your blood. The bout is engaging and brutal as you fight an ally and a fellow victim of the terrible forces that influence the crows. All in all pretty damn fun, I would give it an 8/10 but I think that the score here should be higher… Expand
  22. lucianobrantes
    Jun 23, 2022
    10
    Awesome! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ It's one of the most pleasurables games I've played this year. A love letter to anyone who enjoy "souls-like" games.
  23. pundy14
    May 26, 2022
    6
    I loved the world this game built, I loved the characters, and the gameplay was ok. The checkpoint system killed me. How hard it was to increase much needed health, killed me. In the end I was too frustrated to finish and deleted before doing so. If you can stick with it, I’m sure it’s a good game. Would avoid if you have a short temper though.
  24. Ginger_Avenger
    May 15, 2022
    8
    Good game. I really loved the art design and the music. There's a good mix of mood and humour going on. Decent challenge (you might let loose the occasional expletive in frustration), and, for the most part, interesting areas to explore and goodies to find. Not "souls-like"- but rather "Zelda-like". Some repetitive areas, but for me it was short enough not to wear on me and kill my interest.
  25. snufkinpl
    Mar 28, 2022
    10
    Best indie game of 2021. Now is on game pass but I have bought and played few days after premiere. I have spent nearly 20hours cause I really love this game. I want to try some other games this studio.
  26. Wrecktangled
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    A good challenge with a really fun world to it. It rewards exploration and has some fun boss encounters. I was quite engrossed in this game and finished it quickly. I'm a newer gamer, so I haven't played the older Zelda titles this is compared to, but this makes me want to go back and play those.
  27. 1cosmos
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    Love this game but I will deduct a point for late game being bit of repeat. The difficulty of late should have been bit more. Would have liked if the end boss had unique attacks than rehash of old attack patterns. Absolutely loved the game; any complaints are minor.
  28. Saintt
    Mar 3, 2022
    10
    After completing this game to 100% in about 17 hours I can say that this game is honestly a gem.
    Simple to play with good controls, controller support is also not that bad either but I feel keyboard is the best.
    A charming game that really captures that old adventure from classic TLoZ games. Pretty straight forward dungeons and boss fights that can provide enough of a challenge, while    After completing this game to 100% in about 17 hours I can say that this game is honestly a gem.
    Simple to play with good controls, controller support is also not that bad either but I feel keyboard is the best.
    A charming game that really captures that old adventure from classic TLoZ games. Pretty straight forward dungeons and boss fights that can provide enough of a challenge, while not being overly difficult. Had many secrets to find, items to collect, as well as a nice "true ending" to really tie the story all together. I would highly recommend this to anyone.    … Expand
  29. vodkaffee
    Feb 24, 2022
    6
    very repetitive it reuses a lot of assets and music but not in a very interesting way
  30. Bodipo86
    Feb 21, 2022
    6
    Un juego bueno sin más. En lo artístico muy bonito, con toques de humor que te esbozan una sonrisa de vez en cuando. Creo que su punto más fuerte son las mazmorras muy inspiradas en las clásicas mazmorras de los Zelda, y con un combate y una progresión de personaje un poco desaprovechada. Creo que el combate es su punto débil, juego realmente sencillo y bosses poco inspirados.
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Switch Game of 2021
24
#24 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 13, 2022
    90
    All in all, Death's Door is itself quite a Shiny Thing. [Issue #58 – March/April 2022, p. 19]
  2. Vooks
    Jan 10, 2022
    90
    Death's Door tightly packs a challenging action-adventure into some of the more enjoyable ten hours of 2021. It's a game deserving of the hype and spots on game of the year lists. Unfortunately, there aren't any difficulty options to help make the game more accessible. While it is a challenging game, it's a challenge that you feel you can overcome as you unravel what is going on in the department.
    Read full review
  3. Switch Player
    Jan 3, 2022
    90
    Death’s Door feeds a nostalgia for Zelda-like adventures while sprucing up nearly every aspect. Graphics, sound, and—not least—combat mechanics are polished to near perfection. Despite some very minor flaws, the final experience is an extremely rewarding challenge.
    Read full review
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