Death's Door is just oozing with atmosphere, its visuals, soundtrack, and storytelling all working in tandem to construct an experience that I enjoy so far. There's a distinctive melancholic stagnation to Death's Door and every piece of the game seemingly upholds that feeling, creating an experience that feels very complete. It reminds me a lot of last year's Hades (and not just because both games present death through the lens of a business office), in that everything in the game is working towards producing a specific vibe.

An isometric action game, Death's Door sees you play as a young crow whose job to collect the souls of the dead hits a bit of a snag when an elderly crow steals the giant soul you were charged with collecting. In order to complete your assignment, you'll need to find a way to get the giant soul back, sending you on an adventure across a world filled with folks seeking a means to avoid death.

Death's Door has an enjoyable combat loop of slashing, dodging, and firing off magical arrows. Despite its appearance, Death's Door is neither a roguelike nor Souls-like--when you die, you respawn at the last checkpoint with all your currency intact. So there's no frustrating reset of your progress or tense journey back to where you died. Instead I fought my way through Death's Door's opening levels at a pretty steady pace, ensuring each environment or enemy I encountered didn't become stale over time.