Death’s Door PS5 Review – Game with purpose

Death’s Door was released to a lot of positive traction on Xbox and PC earlier this year. A surprise announcement during the State of Play last month let the world know that Death’s Door was coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch today! I was already deep in my backlog during this release on Xbox but was able to take a look at it once my time started to free up. Boy, am I glad I was able to play this game!

Game Name: Death’s Door
Platform(s): PlayStation 5
Publisher(s): Devolver Digital
Developer(s): Acid Nerve
Release Date: 11/23/2021
Price: $19.99

You play as a crow who reaps souls and must find giant souls in order to open death’s door. If you don’t open death’s door then you are fated to be in the mortal realm until you age and die. It’s a simple premise but the world and how the enemies become giant souls are extremely interesting and a bit sadistic at times. Everything in this story, this game, and this world is very specific and pointed and that is honestly what makes this game resonate with me. It was extremely polished to play and every small thing in this game makes a huge difference. From striking signs that still can be read but in where you cut them, to the specific enemy types in this game, everything in this game feels thought out.

Gameplay – 

Death’s door is all about pinpoint accuracy with controls and timing. You can roll, slash, use your bow, and use various magic to defeat your opponents. You can increase your max health by finding vitality shrines throughout the areas. More health is helpful so you can have more mistakes in fights. Trust me you’ll need the extra health for mistakes unless you are a glutton for pain.

You will find puzzles that require your various magic abilities to operate doors and switches to get into all the other areas of the game. Progressing through the areas this way makes it so that you get to fight difficult enemy after more difficult enemy in each area with utilizing your various abilities and resourcefulness. Make sure that you level up your stats by turning in souls to the front desk. You get souls by exploring maps and finding piles of souls in hard-to-reach places, or by defeating enemies.

This game got released earlier this year on Xbox and pc so how does it differ? The ps5 version takes advantage of haptic feedback on the Dualsense controller. Every roll gives you a kick on the controller. It’s very small and subtle but I think it actually adds a lot to the experience. Sword slashes and getting hit add a different bit of a kick to the controller. It almost makes battles feel rhythmic as you are feeling the kicks of the controller as you dodge and slash your way to victory. Most of my fights were won using the sword and dodging at the right time. It may take you a few or more tries to beat a boss since you will need to learn and understand its tactics. They can be overcome by playing the game in an intelligent way. This game really rewards effort and attention to detail and it makes every fight extremely satisfying to win. 

Graphics –

The graphics in this game are stylized. The environments are specifically attuned to make you feel a certain way and also to be ominous with how you move in Death’s Door. The environments are specific to the soul you are hunting and give you an idea as to the character of that soul. One thing you may notice from every mention I say is that everything is specific and with purpose. The graphics are exactly the same vein. It is 2D/3D overhead design with combat and atmosphere as the priority above all else. This design gives you a feel that it is based on older games that came out during the SNES and Sega Genesis era.

Due to how the graphics are in this game, it can be easy to find things that seem amiss in the environment. This is for a reason. Some things you will need to come back to later once you acquire a new magic skill or weapon to destroy or activate objects. This incentive rewards exploration and also asks for the player to stay attentive to the environment. I honestly love just how purposeful this makes every different screen you explore in Death’s Door. 

Sound – 

Similar to the graphics, the sound is stylized. Death’s door’s soundtrack gives a nostalgic sense of retro melancholy. The sounds of the sword, of bows, of the spells, and the enemies, are also very purposeful. An enemy will make a certain sound or movement as they are about to do an attack that gives you a moment to dodge. The sword slash sound gives you a sense of when the combo ends by the number of slashes you can hear and the timing of the effect. The sound design in Death’s Door also rewards players who pay attention to the patterns. 

Value – 

This is a game that is a straight-up masterpiece. Every screen of this game oozes with purpose and style. The combat is carefully crafted and the enemies all are made so if you lose it is due to your own skill. On the PS5 with the slight addon with haptic feedback, it is still a great buy to experience again. Especially at the price point of $19.99. If you have it on Xbox or PC I would recommend giving it a try on PlayStation 5 to see the small changes the controller can have on the game. It is an experience with an estimated 6-8 hours of playtime but has high replayability because of its short playtime.

Review Disclosure Statement: Death’s Door was provided to us by Devolver Digital for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please go review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.

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