Death's Door

Assuming the notion of taking on the role of a reaper of souls doesn't unsettle you too much, this little action role-playing game (RPG) spiced with just a tinge of dark whimsy is bound to please. Death's Door has an oddly welcoming aesthetic, thanks to its gently cartoonish presentation, easy-to-grasp controls, and quirky sense of humor (have you played another game with a character whose head is a pot of soup from which he eagerly offers servings?). Its tale, filled with light intrigue and occasional twists, may lack a chatty hero, but what our "crow"tagonist lacks in speech it makes up for in visual panache -- love those yellow glowing eyes -- and calm assuredness as it goes about its business confidently and without complaint, even when the going gets weird, which is often.

And it's a pleasure to play. Combat isn't too challenging, but it does demand an element of strategy as you choose whether to attack at close or long range, use weapons to deflect incoming orbs of energy back at enemies, and patiently dodge attacks to tire the baddies and wait for openings. The puzzles, meanwhile, are just tricky enough to stump players for a minute or two before they work things out. If it takes longer than that, then you know you probably don't have the right ability yet -- like, say, a fire spell to light flammable objects when no other sources of fire are near. A map would've been handy to help find the way in some of the game's more twisty environments, and backtracking can be a bit tedious since there's no "run" ability, but at least one of the crow's upgradable attributes is speed. Death's Door is a deftly made delight full of flamboyance and surprises. Fans of eccentric indie RPGs won't be disappointed.