An Indie Backlog curated overview. We round up the best indie games on PS5 and how professional critics and players received each one — the scores below are theirs, linked to the source.
You’re a crow who reaps souls for a living — until a job goes wrong. A gorgeous, razor-sharp action-adventure in the Zelda mould.
At a Glance
| Developer | Acid Nerve |
| Release year | 2021 |
| Platforms | PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch |
| Subgenre | Action-adventure |
| Length | ~10 hours (main story) |
| Metacritic | 85 / 100 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (~93%, 21,000+ reviews) |
| Steam Deck | Verified |
| Languages | 10 |
About the Game
Death’s Door, from UK two-person studio Acid Nerve (published by Devolver Digital), casts you as a small crow employed by a bureaucratic Reaping Commission to collect the souls of the dead. When the soul you’re assigned is stolen, you’re pulled into an adventure across a melancholy, beautifully designed world to set things right.
It plays like a tightly built isometric Zelda: methodical melee combat with dodges and a handful of magic abilities, satisfying boss fights, and a world full of shortcuts and secrets that unfold as you gain new tools. The combat is weighty and demands timing without ever becoming punishing for its own sake.
What elevates it is tone and craft — a wry, melancholy script, a gorgeous art style, and a stunning orchestral score, all delivered with remarkable polish for such a tiny team. It’s compact, confident, and endlessly charming. A standout of the modern action-adventure scene.
Screenshots
Screenshots: official Steam media for Death’s Door.
Why It Made the List
Death’s Door makes the list as a near-perfect compact adventure — Zelda-like combat with real bite, wrapped in melancholy beauty and a brilliant score. It’s proof that a two-person team can deliver a triple-A feel.
What the Critics Say
Death’s Door holds a Metacritic score of 85. Critics praised its combat, art, music, and tone; the main caveat is that its melee can feel a touch stiff early on.
What Players Say
On Steam it’s rated Very Positive across more than 21,000 reviews — about 93% positive. Players highlight the combat feel, the bosses, and the soundtrack.
Praise & Criticism
Praise
- Satisfying, weighty combat
- Gorgeous art and orchestral score
- Clever, secret-filled world
- Remarkable polish for a tiny team
Criticism
- Melee can feel stiff at first
- Some bosses spike in difficulty
- Fairly short
Games Like This
- Hyper Light Drifter — sharp top-down action
- Tunic — a secret-rich Zelda-like
- Hollow Knight — tough, beautiful exploration
Where to Buy
Plain store links for now — swap in your affiliate-tagged URLs once you’ve joined Amazon Associates and the eBay Partner Network. (Steam and the PlayStation Store have no consumer affiliate program; those links are for convenience.)
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