Death's Door is another video game everyone should add to their favorite indie titles list. This charming video game only takes a few hours to beat, but the experience the player will get is memorable and enjoyable. The game plays well, it has a lot of humorous moments, and the enemy encounters are engaging.
The difficulty of Death's Door doesn't exactly reach the levels of the average Metroidvania game or a Souls-like title, but it can definitely punish those who will simply hack and slash their way through the game. Certain enemies and bosses require timing to beat and there are also various mechanics the player should keep in mind. Here are mistakes any player should avoid while playing Death's Door to beat its challenges.
10 Not Finding Shortcuts
One of the strengths of Death's Door the player should take advantage of is the opportunity for interconnectivity. Each time a player dies, they will be sent back to the last door they used.
They may not lose anything in the process, but picking up from where they left off may become tedious. This is why the player should take the time to explore every level to look for shortcuts, and the game has no shortage of them.
9 Using A Hack-And-Slash Strategy
The game may not be difficult, but it isn't a hack-and-slash title either. If the player heads through the game hack and slashing everything in their path, they won't make it past the first boss.
A lot of enemies in the game have attack windows where dodging away becomes more implausible. To make the game easier, the player should move around, know when to dodge, and know when to attack instead of simply spamming the attack button.
8 Not Taking Care Of Ranged Enemies First
In Death's Door, the player will need to deal with two types of enemies: those that will close in on them, and those that will attack them from afar. As with other games similar to this one, a good tip to follow is to get rid of the ranged opponents first.
This way, the player won't need to worry about the projectiles of the ranged enemies while fighting melee opponents. Once the ranged opponents are taken care of, they can then proceed to take down melee enemies one by one.
7 Not Finding The Other Weapons
The Crow's starting weapon is the Reaper's Sword. This weapon has fairly balanced stats and it is more than enough to deal with most enemies in the game. However, since the game offers other weapons that have different stats, the player should explore their option.
There are four other weapons in the game the player can find and collect. Two of the weapons have better damage while one has better speed. The player should find a weapon that fits their playstyle to make their playthrough much smoother.
6 Not Upgrading Their Magic Spells
As useful as the magic spells are, the game actually offers an option to make them even more powerful. All of the upgrades are located in the Lost Cemetary, but certain upgrades require spells to pass through.
It is advisable to start going after the upgrades after the player obtains every single spell. These upgrades will give each spell a new ability, like making the Hookshot an offensive attack the player can swing on opponents. Not taking advantage of this is ill-advised.
5 Not Finding Crystal Shards
At the start of the game, the player has four Vitality Crystal and the same amount of Magic Crystals. The former is the player's health pool and the other is their mana. The player can increase these by collecting Crystal Shards.
This is almost necessary given the game's gradual increase in difficulty as the player reaches the final stages. These shards are hidden behind Crystal Shrines, which are scattered around the game.
4 Running Away
Running away may seem like a good idea when the player is being surrounded, but more often than not, this will just cause the player to have to deal with more and more opponents as they progress through a level.
A lot of the areas in the game are hindered by puzzles. Occasionally, these puzzles are tough to complete with enemies around. Running away will cause most enemies to follow the player, spawning more and more opponents until they are ultimately outnumbered. It is much better to deal with opponents as they spawn before moving forward.
3 Not Using The Seed Pots
Seed Pots are very useful tools in the game that allows the player to replenish their health to the maximum. These Seed Pots require Life Seeds to work. Whenever the player collects Life Seeds, be sure to use them on Seed Pots.
The player shouldn't worry about running out of Life Seeds as the game has no shortage of them. A Seed Pot will also continue replenishing Life Seeds each time the player dies, allowing for unlimited usage.
2 Not Returning To The Hub Every Once In A While
The Hall of Doors level acts as the game's main hub. It is where the player can upgrade their stats and fast travel to various points in the game. As it happens, traveling back to the hub from time to time also has an added benefit.
When the player returns to the hub, their health will be replenished. This is useful when the player only has one Vitality Crystal left and there is no Seed Pot nearby. Be careful, though, as returning to the hub will respawn all the enemies on the level.
1 Putting The Game Down After Beating The Final Boss
It's easy to put a game down after its final boss has been beaten. It's how most games work, after all. Unless the player is a completionist, a player will most likely move on to the next game on their backlogs once they beat one game's final boss.
For Death's Door, however, there is another reason why the player must stick around after beating the final boss and the credits roll for the first time, and that reason is the game's secret ending. There are collectibles that become available after the player beats the final boss, and collecting all of them will unlock the secret ending. Fans of the developer's previous work will surely find the reveal exciting.