Death's Door is ALMOST a Masterpiece
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2022
- Death's Door is almost a masterpiece. It hits all the right notes in the first half of the story, with wonderfully written characters and a competent plotline. But somewhere down the road, Developer Acid Nerve's focus begins to falter, and we see the cracks begin to show in what is otherwise a perfect game. Take a moment with me as I explain why an otherwise flawless game perhaps needs a second look over, as we detail some of the inconsistencies in one of the 2021's most beloved indies.
Edited by Sam Fronsman
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While I do agree with a few of your points, like how the after-game content is rather boring, I think the summit and last boss fights are actually very fun. I found the history of the Lords intriguing and worth pursuing more. I also did find the grey crow fight sad, as I could see the reaper in him. The grey crow tried to get back his soul and join the commission again, (just like how our reaper lost his soul) but it was all for naught. I could imagine how this could happen to our character and felt sorrow for the grey crow. and while I do agree that I wish we saw more of the last lord( like maybe seeing him after every large soul collected?), I believe that the interactions were still enough to wish to take him down. and yes, the last few boss fights were very close together, but combat was one of my favorite aspects of the game so I didn’t see it as very problematic. But I do think your viewpoints are well thought out and I’m glad to see a TH-camr cover this game :)
The reveal of his soul becoming a demon was also very well done in my opinion, his exclamation of "I searched for years, decades.... CENTURIES!" was a fantastic buildup that gave me a true sense of 'uh oh.'
Although I can agree with a number of points on this review, I shared your perspective. I have to comment that my perspective on the old, gray crow was similar. These crows who have been unwittingly, and perhaps forcibly, regimented into the work of what you may consider Death's military arm, act in many ways like soldiers. They are given tasks and missions and see them through with their sweat and blood. However, with the old, gray crow, his cameo is more akin to that of a veteran. It is heartbreaking, then, to see that one who has given his life in loyal service has witnessed the thorough and whimsical subversion of his life's meaning and effort to the point of madness. As one who shares his pain and path, you (the reaper crow) must be the one to put your brother in arms down and take on the mantle of setting things right. This is a burden for which the last lord may have apologized. They gave their lives, the last lord and old crow, in a way, so that you might understand the value and current delusion of your own. It is a potent message.
Let us also not forget about another important element here... balance. One of the lords of doors (can't remember which) spoke of how the universe seeks balance. The selfless efforts of these crows shifts from mindlessly serving a cause greater than their own to realizing that balance means understanding when to serve oneself (cue the free crows)... in the case of the old crow, however, it was too late. Death sees this and had only just finished telling a story of how they, in their own selfishness, relinquished their responsibility to another (Lord of Doors Lockstone, serving their respective selfish desire). This marks how excessive service to oneself is equally corruptive. If life serves oneself, then death serves all life... yet the opposite is also true.
Balance.
I feel like the in world lore like the old journals added to my empathy of the old crow and created a pathway to vilify the current lord of doors
Death’s Door reignited my will to play video games during the Zelda drought. It even expanded my taste beyond Zelda-like stuff. Literally this game changed my life and its music is just chef’s kiss.
Try Hyper Light Drifter and Tunic!
The most satisfying platinum I’ve ever gotten and Umbrella run was fun surprisingly, channeled my inner Hat Kid 🎩
Hat in Time is another game I gotta add to the backlog.
Maybe it's because I was reading all the item descriptions and would stop by the Grey Crow pretty often, especially after every gaint soul I collected, but when it got to the third act I was already hooked. Finding out more about the Lord of Doors and what led to the current one was fascinating to me. Even the third boss fight felt like it added a bit more tragicness to the undying world you've been exploring. The first two bosses had at least seemed to have struck a deal with the Lord of Doors but the beast was just someone who went mad from living too long, something they has no control over but was an inevitability in the current situation of the world. It also did leave an impact on me when the Grey Crow turned, I had to pause the game and gather myself to kill a character I had grown to like. Between his words of encouragement and the hope I was beginning to bring to him, it was a punch to the gut to have to put him to rest but only after he had lost himself to madness.
While I do think your criticisms are valid and that the game could have done more with the third act, I do find it interesting how we had different reactions to the same parts of the game.
I think I might need to revisit the game because you're not the first one to mention lore in item descriptions and memos littered around.
While I don't think it would change my opinion too much, I think that confirming the level of detail missed on my part would vindicate Death's Door in that regard.
A bit late to the game but I totally agree with you. I feel so bad when I have to kill the Grey Crow, especially after we had just opening the Death’s door for him. I can totally see that, for him, all hope had been lost.
@@AntiChris hey, no hate, but how are you going to make critiques about the lore when you didn't fully explore it??
SPOILERS:
I think the cathartic emotional fight goes to the battle with the gravedigger.
I'll give you that one. Of all the boss fights, that was the one that upset me the most.
I think you hit the progression of deaths door almost perfectly. I loved the worl building athad for the first 60% of the game and I sought out as much dialog it had. It had a specific charm that's hard to explain but that charm faded as the game progressed. Amazing vid! you sir have landed yourself a new subscriber.
And good luck with school you got this 👍
The game was amazing, the only thing I missed was battle mode, like the "colosseum of fouls" in hollow knight. I genuinely enjoy the battling a lot it the game.
TL;DR: I think the buildup to the Lord of Doors as the antagonist is well handled, it just requires paying attention throughout the whole of the first and second parts of the game, which actually lay the groundwork for it piecemeal on the side of their own strong subplots. The third part is just the turning point where that stuff is actually coming to a head.
The third stretch of Death's door I wouldn't call aimless, but rather, the crescendo of distrust for the Lords of Doors, Betty is the boss, sure, but the story has been building up the dysfunction of the reaper commission under the current Lord of Doors, as well as his untrustworthiness. The first and second leg plant the seeds with various details, the third is the turning point, and the 4th is the final hunt, (and the 5th is just mysterious and meant more for people who have played all of Acid Nerve's stuff.
I really enjoyed most of the game but felt an imense sense of emptyness after i was done... there was just nothing to do really. i expected to unlock a secret area or some sort of boss rush with the tablets of knowledge but ended up with a really weird and random "true ending" lol
while I do think the third act was lacking a bit, I did still enjoy it. I liked learning about the past lords, and I liked how the current one seemed like this mysterious overlord- always looming over us, shrouded in mystery. he’s viewed as this all powerful ruler by the commission, working in the shadows. and as we continue our journey- we uncover his true intent. the journal logs from past reapers hooked me further into wanting to know the truth and create more fear around the lore. the one interaction we did have with him made me scared for my reaper.
with the beast, I did like the bard. although I wasn’t as connected to her as pothead, she was still enjoyable. I don’t think we even had a companion in the overgrown ruins- only the mother, who had even less of an impact on me.
I think one thing they could’ve done, is shown more backstory for betty. we learn only after killing her from barb that she was the lost love of the old drunk crow- who you wouldn’t even know if you don’t talk to him. I even forgot him for a minute.
I would’ve loved it more had they played into that. maybe brought the crow to the fight, or had a run-in with him where he told us about betty, how he lost her. maybe have him guide us to her, ask us to put her to rest after coming to accept it was her time. I felt a little sad after finding out she was his love, but it would’ve been so much more impactful that way. it honestly felt like the entire lead up to betty’s fight, was more of a lead up to the lord of doors. if we had seen him once more, and perhaps he had warned us not to continue- or heck, even tried to ‘fire’ us after beating betty, but we make a narrow escape to the old crow, it could have been more impactful
and, as for the fight with the old grey crow, I did feel sorrow for him. honestly, at first I felt more afraid- who is this mysterious, creepy looking creature who ruined our mission?
then he apologised and explained, I warmed up to him more. I could see he was struggling, understood why he took our soul, and I wanted to help him recover his soul. in the aether, I felt upset and defeated that our souls were lost. it felt like an anticlimactic ending- until he started to corrupt. death just casually disappearing made me laugh a little and go “hey screw you” but I was still reluctant to kill the crow. I had wanted to help him find the last soul and regain his peace at the commission- until learning of the full truth from death, anyway
and oh my god, the postgame.. I had to look up a few things because I was struggling so much, but only did so as a last resort. the fight with the gravedigger almost made me cry ngl. I knew he wanted to die, but it still felt so.. bittersweet. like I didn’t want to be the one to kill him. he was there near the start, and at every major death.
what upset me the most, however, was the true ending. although I do like the story of it, I kind of just,, wish there was one last fight, yknow? we went through all that, gathering all those tablets, taking the lives of those who were dear, only to get a little bedtime story. I was expecting another fight, or something- even another area? just to bring it all together. one last battle to finish it off. I know the world is at peace now, but it would’ve been cool to uncover more
i think the developers should have opened up the ability to switch between night and day earlier on in the game like after you speak to the grey crow the 1st time. it would have had a huge impact on the gameplay and made the post game less of a collectathon and more integral to the overall experience. there is so much that could have been done with the story if you had to switch between night and day to complete puzzles/get a buff against a boss etc. overall i think the game is great but agree the story is lacking in details that really pull you in and needs more explanation to really get me invested in the plight of the world.
I love this video, but disagree with the point about the last boss and Grey Crow.
The Lord of the Doors I could see that point.
This is a sequel to Titan Souls and there’s some more lore related to Last Boss in that game.
Is it considered a true sequel? I heard the references were more Easter eggs than true connection. If that's the case, I need to check it out.
@@AntiChris it is! It’s made by the same company, references the main character of Titan Souls in a past tense with the secret ending, has the secret final boss in this game and has the same loop of having to obtain giant souls (called Titan souls in the previous game).
Additionally, Avarice was one of the bosses in the previous game but here it’s the chest dungeons. It’s an amazing game, similar gameplay loop to Shadow of the Colossus.
I think we played two different games 🐤👻 🚪
I guess I have to say 'hey man, this ain't it'
To me, the lore and emotions were apparent after spending enough time in the beautiful landscapes with the absolutely killer soundtrack, and slowing down to keep up with the notes, collectibles, and npc dialogue as I progressed (not just absorbing it all after the last boss to 100% the game)
As for the Grey Crow, I can agree that we didn't get a lot of 'bonding time' with him, but the sadness and horror of fighting him came from the idea of something living, being unable to die and slowly corrupting over time. The realization that someone who seemed more or less normal has actually been festering for Death knows how long
Ultimately though, you're entitled to your opinion, I'm mostly just sad for you that it didn't hit the range and level of emotion it did for me. Peace ✌️
Inspires me to make my own video game essay. Good vid 👍
Death's Door as is is really good and is probably a really good option for anyone looking to get into Soulslike games. The game left me wanting more even when getting the true ending. I was expecting something else for the true ending than what we got. I'm hoping we get a direct sequel that expands upon the true ending and lore. Overall a very fun game tho, enjoyed every second of it at face value.
Absolutely. The game is mechanically sound and a lot of fun. Would not mind a sequel or a spiritual successor.
It *is* a masterpiece. Best game I've played in years
Have you played Titan Souls? A master piece as well and I think deaths door is enjoyed even more after playing Titan Souls first since you have certain references to that game as well.
I recomment you also play Titan Souls you are going to encounter several death's door references because titan souls is before. Death's door is like titan souls 2 in a way. Beautiful videogames...
4:42 so this mf takes our soul to do his failed job bruh
the 'c' bomb for the frog king seemed so out of place
It just rolls off the tongue sometimes
I just started this a few days ago off of a recommendation.
I just started this game but I'm having a hard time getting into it.
I didn't lack empathy for the gray crow. Not sure what the disconnect is. I wonder if its because I'm probably older than you.
A few oarts of the game are infuriating. So hard . All in all it's a fantastic game.
The lack of a map was the biggest problem with this game....so frustrating trying to progress
Death's Door = 4/5
Death's Door + Map = 5/5
Even without the map, it is one of the best games I've ever played. David Fenn's score alone more than justifies a playthrough. The OST is wonderful on its own, but contextualized within the world of Death's Door it is elevated to sit alongside other greats, e.g. any score by Disasterpeace or Jim Guthrie.
I just played this 100%. Interested to hear what is said here. The connection to titan souls was a surprise to me and while interesting to discover, ultimately disappointing and gave more questions than answers we probably won't get, which I hate. Yeah it's def too easy. A strong start, and gets weaker, before kinda becoming mundane, especially when you see real Death. I sorta enjoyed the lock people castle because they seemed to give lore or story that actually mattered and not the pointless filler of other areas. Yeah I didn't care for grey crow other than, yeah it sucks to have wasted your life. But ultimately he was just another boss. What's funny, in most games, beating your friend who goes mad usually just snaps them to their senses, but nope, you kill that guy. I disagree with bringing up Zelda and souls though. Those stories were always really bad with very weak characters or really stupid ones. Although I guess I give that onion knight and his giant a small pass but very very small. Never heard of Minit but I'll check it out.
It was amazing until Tunic
I wasn't amazed with this game at all... The world was alright but very empty, puzzles were very easy but enjoyable... fights... eh. Some boss fights were good, the rest was very basic... dodge, hit a few times, dodge. Only a few move sets. I enjoyed just sort of rushing through it, but I find it very mediocre.
The game is a walking sim. There are about 5 whole bosses in the entire 12 hours of gameplay. 90% of the game is you walking around, getting lost, and running around the same place 50 times looking for a button. The game makes u spend atleast 3 hours before you get to the actual boss fight and it lasts barley 10 minutes, not to mention they try to artifically extend your playtime if you die while fighting it by making you tediously walk back to the boss fight. The music is extremely forgettable theres nothing interesting or notable about it; it gets very repetative. And the story is simply just lazy. Its like it was written by a 12 year old trying to be deep, its just cringey theres no substance to it and not really and answer to anything. The only thing I can commend about this game is the visuals and some of the sound effects. You'd think I'd include the gameplay mechanics but they are some of the most overused gameplay mechanics there are. They get stale real fast as the creators couldnt find any interesting or fun ways to utilize them. To sap even more fun out of the game, they only allowed 4 abilities out of the entire game, and they are all almost the same thing. Not only that, but they put massive delays on the casting of these tedious abilities.
Theres like 3 weapons out of the whole game and you have to spend hours just to get a single one of them other than the umbrella and daggers. This game is the furthest thing from a masterpeice. What it needs is a greater variety of weapons, maybe even just a weapon shop, better modes of transportation, more powerful abilities and greater variey, as well as a MAP! If anything from this list a map! Wouldn't reccomend buying this game, its a chore. If you want a game with a bird in it buy A Short Hike. Everything about that game is simply phenomenal from the mechanics, to the visuals and artstyle. The crazy part is, is that it was made in less than a month by a single dev for a game jam yet it turned out an actual masterpiece. It rewards exploration and makes it actually fun unlike Death's Door which makes it a chore. Check out the rest for yourself, its 5 bucks and worth every penny.
I really enjoyed the game but I agree with you. I didn't feel like it made a noticeable difference between weapons. You had to choose between mid, more swings, and one of the weapons literally handicaps you. I don't know if you upgraded your abilities but those added a few more difficult battles and was an upgrade that didn't involve killing 1000 more bad guys.
One of my complaints is that even getting all the orbs and battling bad guys to collect souls, i still didn't have enough to max upgrade my abilities and I beat the game already so there was no point in doing it after that. Not having a map made things more difficult but I told myself that was to make it more challenging.
I like games that involve walking around and solving puzzles and exploring and I am not good at boss battles lol I think making both of them crucial to the story was not ideal for the people who prefer fighting games or prefer walking around. I almost quit the game multiple times because I found some of the battles so hard. I also could NOT have beat this game, found all the upgrades, got the true ending, etc without using online guides. And I think that's a problem because the people who don't look it up won't realize how much hidden content there is and the only way to figure it out on your own is to walk around aimlessly on the huge map....if youre like me, going the wrong way over and over.
The story drew me in and I was so happy when I finally beat the Lord of doors. I figured there would be another boss but it was just collecting A LOT of objects and then the true ending was....unsatisfying. Anything would have been better than the confusing explanation that was given.
Ultimately, this game would be better if you could replay battles for fun, jump around easier, and not have so many menial tasks in between. Also more story in the middle and more guidance about what you're even supposed to do. I didn't know how to get in the sewer, that you had to plant all the seeds, that you had to come back to parts later until I missed so much.
@@makeitbetterx33 yeah a map, a better checkpoint quick travel system, as well as more bosses and location variety would have definetly made this game better. I mainly bought it because you play as a crow and its a combat game. I also liked the artstyle, its a shame it was really boring half the time, game had a ton of potential. I wish there were more of those mini bosses like the ones where you get the true ending, those were actually fun and just challening enough to keep me interested.
I enjoyed both the game and your video. Its not Tunic or Hyper Light Drifter. But it is really special. Hopefully Acid Nerve comes back to this world flr a Deaths door 2.