Death's Door

Lore & Background

Death's Door is a 3D isometric action-adventure game. The player controls a small crow working as a reaper for the Reaping Commission Headquarters, an office-like bureaucratic afterlife. The player begins with a sword and bow; sword strikes combo, and bow ammo is replenished by the sword. Four other weapons and three magic projectiles become available as the game progresses. The player has four health points (six in the mobile version), recovered by planting seeds in pots that grow into health-restoring plants. Doors to the afterlife serve as checkpoints; death respawns the player at the nearest door without losing progress. Souls collected from enemies and secrets are used to upgrade abilities. New items and abilities unlock areas in previously explored levels, and puzzles must be solved to complete dungeons.

The story begins when the crow is sent to collect a monster's soul; an old crow intervenes, steals the soul, and hints at a conspiracy about missing crows. The player must collect three Giant Souls to open Death's Door. The bureaucracy was created when Death made a deal with the first Lord of Doors to process souls in exchange for extending the Lord's life until a successor is appointed. The current Lord imprisoned Death behind the door to gain immortality. The final boss is the Lord of Doors, after which the bureaucracy is dismantled. After the credits, a night mode allows players to collect Tablets of Knowledge for the true ending, revealing the crows acted on the will of an entity called Truth.

Reader's Guide

Death's Door was developed by Acid Nerve, a two-person studio in Manchester, UK, comprising Mark Foster (programmer, designer, writer, animator) and David Fenn (producer, designer, composer, sound designer), with two concept artists and a modeler. The developers drew on ideas from their previous game Titan Souls, aiming for a more advanced, polished experience, and cited inspiration from The Legend of Zelda, Dark Souls, and Studio Ghibli. The game was about halfway complete when the COVID-19 pandemic began, requiring a shift to remote work but otherwise not significantly impacting development.

Released in July 2021, Death's Door sold over 100,000 copies in its first week. Critics praised its mechanics, simplicity, and difficulty, noting a lighter tone and gentler learning curve than Dark Souls. Reviewers highlighted its tight combat, puzzle design, and short playtime. Some criticized backtracking in level design. The game won Best Game Feel at the INDIE Live Expo Winter 2021 Awards, Best Indie Game at the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards, and Narrative Innovation of the Year at the 2022 MCV/Develop Awards. It was nominated for Best Indie at The Game Awards 2021, and for several other awards including D.I.C.E. and BAFTA categories.

Did You Know?

• Death's Door is a sequel to Titan Souls.
• The game was developed by a two-person studio, Acid Nerve, based in Manchester, UK.
• It sold more than 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
• The mobile version grants the player six health points instead of four.