Since its first presentation last March at ID @ Xbox, Death’s Door has won over players with its fascinating universe. The title Acid Nerve published by Devolver Digital invites you to play as a little soul-eating raven. Does this new adventure at the crossroads of The Legend of Zelda and a Hollow Knight, now available on PCs and Microsoft machines, live up to his inspirations?
After working with Devolver Digital for the first time in 2015 to bring us the amazing Titan Souls (a full-difficulty game of facing an archer against fifteen colossi), Mark Foster and David Fenn, the two talents of the independent studio Acid, decide Nerve, repeat the operation to deliver the door of death. This production, even if it shares many points with Titan Souls, starting with its isometric view, differs greatly from its predecessor in that it puts you in the shoes of a young bird who does not work in anyone in the name of death.
AD and beyond
It all starts with the young bird laying his paws for the first time at the Reapers Commission headquarters to complete his first mission: to take the soul of a being who has foiled death for too long. A mission that turns out to be more difficult than expected and leads our winged hero to traverse different realms. Fortunately, this workplace is also and above all a gigantic hub (a main square connected to the rest of the world) that will make the work of our budding mower a lot easier. From this magical place he can get to the desired destination through any door. Once you’ve chosen your address, all that’s left to do is take up arms to slay the many enemies that are preventing you from achieving your goals and immerse yourself in a world that will fill your eyes.
From our first steps in the Reapers Commission offices, the atmosphere is set, reminiscent of Hollow Knight (Team Cherry’s successful Metroidvania) in many ways. With Death’s Door, Acid Nerve reveals a dreamlike world with monochrome tones (which suit our feathered hero so well) and small accents of different colors. This macrocosm is just as fascinating as it is seductive and makes you want to explore it irrevocably. That’s a good thing, because the player is led to discover landscapes that are sometimes dark and gloomy, sometimes shimmering and colorful, but always charming. The whole thing is also sublimated by the various decorative elements with rounded contours, which contrast strongly with the dark tone of the story and which, as you can imagine, keep coming back to the subject of death with all its fears. The scores, for their part, intoxicate and compose with the progress of our young fighter, playing to the rhythm with the various platforms that inhabit the decor, or by accelerating the pace during the phases of action.
To life, to death
Forget the minimalist gameplay of Titan Souls, with which you can now defeat gigantic colossi with a single arrow“With Death’s Door, Acid Nerve is more inspired by the mechanics of the early The Legend of Zelda. Our feathered hero must fend off monsters by performing melee strikes that can be skillfully punished by the enemy. It can also perform remote attacks for security. In order to use these, be sure to top up by going straight to the contact. The goal is to make these fights more dynamic by encouraging the player to take risks, even if it means leaving feathers … and it works very well!
These fun fights give this animal pose a place of honor and allow the players to perform pretty choreographies. (In addition to the various attacks mentioned above, our avatar can also perform throws to dodge enemy attacks, charge his blows, repel projectiles, or use his magic). But even if the whole thing works well thanks to some wonderful animations and opponents that force the player to be constantly on the move, This aspect fails to reinvent itself during the eight to ten hours of gameplay required to reach the end of the adventure.
Difficult title?
Often compared to a roguelite (which it isn’t) or Souls-like, Death’s Door would have been expected to be a particularly difficult title, but don’t worry, it isn’t. Even if the action / adventure game remains challenging and you have to do it several times for certain passages, everything remains accessible to the greatest number. The level of difficulty is particularly balanced and regular save points are hidden in the four corners of the map. To make your progression easier, certain objects can even be used in certain locations to regain all of your life points.
Death’s Door: The first 15 minutes of the final game stamped Devolver
Mazes and poetry
Death’s Door is not just an action game. Like the aforementioned Hollow Knight, Acid Nerve’s re-creation is a metroidvania. Understand that the title naturally encourages exploration by offering the curious to examine four biomes with labyrinthine level design. So do not hesitate to retrace your steps after regaining your abilities to solve certain puzzles with unfortunately too childish mechanisms, to open previously inaccessible passages and to discover priceless treasures. Also note that you will need to rely on your sense of direction to reach these areas as the game does not provide a map or clues. In any case, the whole thing is built well enough that we never (or almost) get lost. In addition to having the various main hub doors you can go anywhere you want, Death’s Door is constantly unlocking new shortcuts within these different levels to avoid miles of travel.
Along the way, the player meets remarkable characters, each with a turbulent past and full of regrets. In all fairness, this is one of the title’s greatest strengths. Hostile or friendly, these protagonists will keep you smiling and moving by telling you their stories. who often take up the wisdom, poetry and themes of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. The various stories and dialogues are so well written that we would have liked more meetings and the whole thing was much more talkative.
Points fortresses
- A great epic
- An enchanting universe sublimated by artistic direction and an intoxicating soundtrack
- Perfectly arranged labyrinth levels
- Dynamic collisions
- A well-measured level of difficulty
- Funny and touching dialogues for lovable characters
Weak points
- Fights and a formula that is seldom renewed
- Difficult to evade in a confined space
- Puzzles without ingenuity
- Too easy a character enhancement system
With Death’s Door, Acid Nerve hits the mark once more. The British studio unveils a great epic here, the content of which is not original, but its shape is captivating. In addition to spectacular clashes, the action / adventure game takes you on a journey by revealing an inspired universe. The world of Death’s Door is repeatedly highlighted in all nuances through its varied artistic direction, its rhythmic sound design and its characters torn between life and death. Sold at a bargain price, the title published by Devolver Digital is, in our opinion, the breath of fresh air not to be missed this summer.
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