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Death's Door is gritty, hilarious, and challenging. From the unforgiving combat to the puzzles that'll play with your brain, this dungeon-delver hits the spot for fans of Zelda or Titan Souls.

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You will die. A lot. Probably. This is a game about collecting souls, after all. The whole point of these tips is to help you get off the ground running (flying?) so you can whizz through the earlier parts of the game. There are bosses to fight, puzzles to solve, and secrets to find. Here's how to get started in Death's Door.

8 Xbox Controllers And PlayStation Controllers Currently Don't Work

Death Door boss fight

There are lots of reports coming in that controllers are currently not working. This is a problem for any PC version of the game, including whether you purchased it on Steam or GOG. It might be worth waiting for a fix from Acid Nerve if you wanted to play with a controller.

There are some temporary fixes, although nothing has turned out to work 100 percent yet:

  • Make sure you plug your controller in once the game has loaded. Some players are claiming that the game won't recognize the controller if it's plugged in when you start the game. Restart and give it a go.
  • Restarting the game might work.

7 Combat Is Unforgiving... But Choreographed

Death Door

You will likely die many times as you try to tackle some of the first serious enemies and bosses in Death's Door. The very first boss you fight, the Demonic Forest Spirit, is a good representation of many of the fights to come. There are a set number of moves - like its spinning attack and its slam attack - that will take a chunk off your health, but are easily recognizable and choreographed.

To make it through the various dungeons in Death's Door you'll need to start to memorize the move sets of various enemies. Different bosses have unique styles of attack. But the game will never punish you unfairly. If you die, it's really your fault, and that's what makes the game fun.

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6 Always Look For Secrets

shrine room in deaths door

Always, constantly, forever keep your eyes open for secret passageways and puzzles. Death's Door is full of them.

Whether it's a small, hidden passage leading to a secret room with treasure inside, or a more complicated puzzle once you unlock more advanced items (no spoilers here), this game is one that will constantly surprise you with its hidden areas.

5 Hitting Pots And Barrels Is Worth It

Death Door crow in a field

Look, there isn't quite as much treasure inside them as a Zelda game, but every now and then you might get a Life Fruit or some of the game's currency. As well as providing you with a small chance of getting resources, destroying pots and other destructible bits of terrain will refill your special bar.

That's located in the top left of your screen underneath the weapon wheel. With charges, you won't be able to use your special attack, like your Bow.

4 Turn Off Screen Shake In The Options Menu

Death Door

This is mostly up to you, but there are five different settings for screen shake. At level five it's a bit unbearable, but the option is there to change it if you want to. We'd recommend turning it down just a few notches as you might experience some motion sickness following the wobbly path of your Crow.

3 There Is No Map

Death Door (4)

There is no map in Death's Door. Not even something that closely resembles a map. This means you'll probably want to pay attention to your surroundings as you clear the different dungeons. It's not easy, mind, as there are ladders and pathways all over the place.

2 Save Your Life Seeds

Deaths Door Life Seeds

Life Seeds are small collectibles that can be planted in certain pots. Once planted they can be consumed to fully restore your health. These are fairly finite, but more of them do appear throughout the game by completing puzzles and navigating to hidden areas.

It's a good idea to hold on to them rather than use them at every point. Once planted, that plant will stay there, but by the time you've worked your way through half the dungeon, you might not have found another. Only plant them once your health is low, or before you think you're about to fight a boss.

1 Return Regularly To Upgrade Your Reaper Abilities

Death Door large chest

You'll collect points to upgrade your combat skills by defeating enemies and collecting hidden orbs. To spend the points, return to the main crow office (yep, where all those crows are typing about dead things) and talk to the large crow behind the desk.

There are a couple of different options here, like upgrading your melee ability, your magic and ranged ability and your overall movement speed. It's probably a good idea to pick up the movement speed buff, to begin with, just because you're going to do a lot of running backward and forwards across the map.

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