Undoubtedly, action-adventure games have transformed vastly over the years, from the kooky world of Banjo-Kazooie to the beautiful island of Tsushima from Ghost of Tsushima. But, some of the more recent indie action-adventure have blended certain gameplay elements that turn a simple game into an intense, fun adventure.
One such game is Death's Door, made by Devolver Digital, a small indie development team. Death's Door mixes aspects found in The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls, making it a fun but challenging game to play. Players that want to tackle Death's Door would do well in preparing themselves before diving into the dark world of Death — here are a few key tips.
8 Melee Attacks Refill Magic Attacks
Magic plays a vital role in Death's Door, especially since some of the best ranged attacks in the game are magic-based. Interestingly enough though, players can only recover their Magic meter by melee-hitting enemies, unlike traditional action-adventure games where players use Mana potions.
The good news is that players don't need to hit enemies to regain a Magic Point, which is a common misconception with the combat system. In reality, players can break items like Jars or Flowers to recover a Magic Point without needlessly endangering their lives.
7 Learn to Memorize Areas
One of the main reasons Death's Door draws similarities with the Dark Souls series is the lack of map orientation. That means players will often get lost while exploring, leading to missing essential items that will help progress the game.
So, a critical beginner's tip is memorizing certain key areas, so players can backtrack whenever they're ready to take on that area's boss. Of course, players can also use videos to guide them, as there are dozens of places to memorize.
6 Carefully Consume Life Seeds
The only way players can recover health in Death's Door is by consuming Life Seeds. But there are only 50 Life Seeds per life, and these seeds are placed in specific areas on the map, which is another reason players should strive to memorize the map layout (other than the fact that Life Seeds are needed to get the True Ending).
Players should carefully consider if they want to waste a Life Seed to recover a single HP bar, or wait until they need it. If they end up using the Life Seed prematurely, they'll be forced to backtrack to find one.
5 Invest in Dexterity Regardless of Build
Even though magic-type builds are considered the most powerful in Death's Door, that doesn't mean players should pour all of their stats into Magic. That's because the Dexterity stat that increases attack speed, and with faster attack speed, players can recharge their Magic Meter a lot quicker.
Moreover, by having a balance of Magic and Dexterity, players can also rely on their melee attacks as a source of damage, especially when there are plenty of powerful melee weapons. But, of course, that means players will need to farm thousands of Souls before having a decently balanced build.
4 Adjust the Screen Shake
Even though Death's Door has only a few visual options, there's one setting players should either turn off or tune down as it may distract from the gameplay, and that is the screen shake. The main issue with this setting is that every hit the player makes or takes from enemies will make the screen shake, making it difficult to defeat enemies.
Of course, leaving this setting on doesn't affect the gameplay. Still, reducing or turning screen shake off allows players to focus better, making for more efficient gameplay.
3 Explore Each Area Thoroughly
Death's Door wouldn't be an action-adventure game if it didn't have secret passages and areas, and it has plenty of them. But, as with games like Elden Ring, players will need to hit every wall they come across, as some of them may hold a secret room.
Furthermore, some secret locations may lead to Magic Crystal Shrines, which will increase a player's Magic Meter. There are some clues that players can look out for that can indicate a hidden path or room, so players should keep their eyes peeled while exploring.
2 Every Destructible Object is Worth Breaking
Most veteran gamers will undoubtedly have the instinct to destroy every object, since some of them may contain useful (most of the time useless) items. Death's Door takes a page from The Legend of Zelda's handbook, since destructible objects may have goodies.
Players shouldn't expect too much from destroying these objects, since they usually contain just a couple of Souls or the rare minor healing seed. Most objects like Jars will reconstruct themselves, letting players "farm" them, but players should only do this in a pinch.
1 Don't Forget It's A Souls-Like
It's easy to forget that Death's Door shares a lot of elements found in Soulbourne games, since its beautiful characters and scenery offers such a different aesthetic. But at its core, Death's Door is a challenging game. Players should expect to die repeatedly against certain bosses or even common enemies.
Players should take their time when they fight enemies to learn their attack patterns, since it's the only way of beating them. As players will notice, death is part of the experience in Death's Door, so they should take each death as an opportunity to improve their playstyle.
Death’s Door is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.