Death's Door is an indie darling that proves AAA budgets aren't necessary to make a game great

After receiving a PS5 for the holidays, Death's Door was the first games I decided to play on it. Not because I felt Death's Door could showcase the features and power of my new console, but because I wanted a break from big budget games.

Death's Door has beautiful visuals. Switching between the living world and after world, felt satisfactory. The colors and locations in the living world were bright and vibrant. The black and white after world had sharp contrast and shading. The OST is one of the best I've ever heard and I enjoyed all the music I heard. The sound effects were good, but there was nothing groundbreaking or unique about them.

The story is surprisingly deep and dark for game that looks like this. Without spoiling it, you play as a crow who is a reaper sent to collect souls from the world of the living. As you progress, you discover that the current arrangement is not ideal and that perhaps you can change things so that new life can happen once more. The game has a great sense of humor. It tastefully breaks the fourth wall at times and the jokes are a solid combination of being subtle and in your face.

Gameplay wise, the combat is a mix of melee and ranged attacks. Be prepared to die, quite a bit. The game isn't extremely difficult, but it has its challenges. It rewards you for your patience and studying enemy attack patterns. Once you've mastered enemy mechanics and their attacks, you should have no problem defeating them. The game is all about precision, timing, and calculated moves. One mistake will cost you.

If you're looking for an indie snack of a game that you can beat in a week, look no further than Death's Door. The game will be remembered for far more than just being the first game I played on my PS5 in my book.