Games worth discovering

Death’s Door is the Zelda-like dungeon-crawler that might be the reason to get a Netflix account

12K View2023-12-12

SHOULD I PLAY DEATH’S DOOR?

Play it — especially if you like dungeon crawlers like Zelda, Skeletal Avenger, or Dark Souls. Although Death’s Door was initially released on console and PC in 2021, playing the 2023 mobile version on my iPhone 13 felt natural and seamless. Fighting, exploring, and puzzle-solving were all simple to do, and I was pulled in by the captivating narrative on top of all of that.

TIME PLAYED

I’m around four hours into Death’s Door, and given the fact I’m almost at thirty percent completion, I estimate it can be completed in ten to fifteen hours. That means I’ve got plenty of time to continue collecting souls and upgrading my reaper.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT DEATH’S DOOR?

• Those slick controls. Nothing is worse than a game being forced onto mobile when it clearly wasn’t designed for it. Luckily, with Death’s Door that was far from the case. The controls were responsive, and whether I was fighting a demonic forest spirit or ghoul, I always felt in control of my character.

• The unique narrative. Death’s Door presented interesting characters and a unique perspective on life and death. To be clear, the perspective is clearly meant to be humorous—I played as a crow who controls entry to the underworld, after all. But Death's Door succeeds in making that usually somber topic much more lighthearted.

• The satisfying combat. Combat was engaging and varied throughout my playtime. Not only did I have the ability to wield weapons as strange as an umbrella, but I could also use magic abilities to solve puzzles and take on opponents. The enemies were unique too. They offered a challenge by changing up combat patterns, which meant that keeping my reaper’s skills up to snuff was essential when progressing.

• The forgotten lands and puzzles. Death’s Door had some great locations to explore that were on brand—places I’d expect a reaper to haunt, like cemeteries and old mansions. These locales are fairly large too, so exploring them to find keys or switches needed to solve puzzles was a treat.

• The beautiful artistry. I completely dig the look of Death’s Door. Even on my iPhone 13, the graphics were crisp, and the game ran smoothly. I especially love the color palette used for the game; the muted tones made everything feel dead in a way that added to my experience.

WHAT’S SUCKS ABOUT DEATH’S DOOR?

• Netflix members only. The only way to play this bad boy on mobile is to bite the bullet and get a Netflix membership, which sucks. But if you were looking for another reason to check out this subscription service, Death’s Door is one helluva point for Netflix’s ever-expanding video game offerings.