Spoiler warning – this piece goes into how Death’s Door’s end-game works. It’s intentionally light on specifics, but it’s highly recommended you experience the moments after the credits yourself first, of course – it’s one of the best games of the year, after all, as our Death’s Door review explains.
We’ve all played enough Metroidvanias and Zelda-likes to know what to expect by now. Upon reaching a new area, you’ll come across things you can’t unlock, reach, or simply fathom there and then – so you continue on your way and put it into the recesses of your mind, safe in the knowledge you’ll figure it out later.
This happens over and over, teeing up my favourite part of these games – an excuse to run through each area again with a fine tooth comb, sweeping up everything you missed. It’s a victory lap of sorts; breezing through adversaries which easily bested you first time round, using your new abilities to uncover more secrets, all to mop up all those final upgrades and make yourself before you take on the final encounter.
Let’s Play Death’s Door – REAPING WHAT YOU CROW Death’s Door PC Gameplay Watch on YouTube
Death’s Door has the same delightful trappings, but with a twist. It starts with a key, dropped after the credits roll, and it’s used on one of those observations you likely stored away for later – a bell tower, tucked in the corner of the world but almost impossible to miss, overlooking the titular Death’s Door. So you unlock the gate, climb the ladder to the top, and strike the bell – and as it rings out, everything goes dark. Literally – day has now turned to night.