Soulslike That Isn't Frustrating - Death's Door Gave Me More Joy Than Pain
Short and sweet – that's exactly what Death's Door is. An inconspicuous, pretty indie game (about a crow) is really uplifting. At the same time, it's a real workout. Even though is partly inspired by Dark Souls, it isn't nearly as frustrating.
It's not always a good time for soulslike. I fell in love with this genre after completing Dark Souls 3but whenever I decide to spend time with any of the FromSoftware behemoths, I have to reckon with how much time I will have to invest in this adventure. I will not regret it, despite the occasional anger and the risk that the dual shock will fly out the window irretrievably, but then, I do not always have these 50-70 hours to spare. Recently, I didn't, but Elden Ring lured me anyway - "come on, buy me, you will only play for an hour a day." Yeah right, I can already see myself sitting down for an hour and getting up at three or four in the morning. Fortunately, the wonderful, beautiful Death's Door came to my rescue. It is a little big game that's addictive and fun, but at the same time it is much friendlier and we do not stumble over such a high entry threshold.
Soulslite
The isometric arcade game may not be a "pure" soulslike at first glance, because it contains many elements of the exploratory zeldoid, but in fact it's closer to Dark Souls than we think. Death's Door implements all the philosophies and assumptions of FromSoftware's games, only in its own way, in a smaller scale and in a more fairy-tale setting. Crazy bosses are here. Wandering through mysterious, magical lands whose prime time has been long gone? Included in the price. Challenging combat? Definitely.
But the fighting isn't that frustrating. Sure, some stages and battles with bosses and mini bosses will require numerous approaches, like, maybe a dozen times, because they are tough (even if one of them is a grandmother with a pot on her head...), but defeat does not hurt that much here. You have to learn both the locations and their traps, as well as the enemy monsters' reflexes - all this is necessary here, because both the surroundings and the opponents can do us very specific damage. And yet, it's a friendlier version of soulslike. The clashes are similarly rewarding, despite the fact that we're moving as a small bird armed with a glowing gladiolus, rather than an undead mage, an armored bastard or a naked man with a great sword. The fluency and dynamics of the fights have been appropriately polished, and the player must skillfully juggle ranged attacks and melee hits. We also need to keep an eye on what the enemies are doing, because they can brush our feathers, and painfully - that's why we even enjoy the victory over regular mobs. You should also be careful around them. Just like in Souls.
Death's Door discards the highest risk mechanic. After death, which happens more than once or twice, we do not lose currency needed to level up. So one of the frustrating factors from Souls is gone (along with the possible pitfalls to screw up our day). The challenge worthy of the genre has been redirected elsewhere. We earn souls slowly (unless we look for additional containers), and we can only count on replenishing HP at certain points, where we sow the seeds obtained along the way. No funny potion business here. Mana is renewed by destroying objects with a sword and killing enemies.
It's an interesting variation that makes it more difficult, but the game doesn't bring us to the ground floor so often and painfully. And you know what? I felt awesome with it. I got the challenge - after Souls, you are a little reluctant to see titles that "finish themselves" - but it didn't require spending so many hours learning like it was a second job. At the same time, all the mechanical solutions, although simple, are intriguing, encouraging to continue playing and giving the vibes of an extraordinary production in the spirit of Souls. Even this "zeldishness" fits here - FromSoftware games also reward looking for hidden paths and shortcuts.
Ravens will peck us to pieces, full stop
Death's Door has one more thing in common with Souls - it's a game strongly focused on the story and setting. Philosophy, the structure of the raven universe, mechanics, heroes, souls that we collect - all these add up to a coherent image. At the same time, it doesn't just copy Souls.
The game only makes a similar impression - one of entering a unique path in a unique world. An impression of setting off on a bitter, but beautiful journey, this time seasoned with fairy-tale lightness and some dark humor. Our raven is faced with a difficult task and, from the story point of view, it's almost immediately doomed to fail, but like the undead in the following Souls and Elden Ring - it's embarking on the crusade and doesn't intend to stop before reaching the destination. Towards whatever awaits in the final, but, of course, I will not reveal that to you.
Already the beginnings clearly show what issues we are going to deal with here - it is a story about passing, a sick world, about coming to terms with the inevitable. And about the fact that fighting certain things sometimes does more harm than good. Whether it resonates with you or not is a personal matter, but this story is just worth learning.
It was presented in a minimalistic, yet beautiful way. During the journey, we're accompanied by charming, romantic and melancholic music, which can speed up to make us realize something is about to happen. The artists squeezed everything out of the location and heroes - we meet extraordinary individuals here, and each of them has a touching story background (my favorite is the raven, an avid bureaucrat who loves paperwork, forms and the need to find new system solutions).
It's supposed to be a simpler game, another pretty indie, but it's as addictive as any Souls. This journey, although shorter, leaves us with a certain sediment, a bit of joy and satisfaction, a bit of sadness and reflection. That's why it's worth looking at the world from a raven's perspective, grabbing this amusing red swordie and cleaning up the mess in the afterlife. For some, it may be one of THE virtual journeys in life, an unforgettable experience.
