The DOOR
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5.00
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“Don’t open the doors!” is a claymation action adventure in an odd world of talking pumpkins, blue trees and stuff like that.
The city is in danger! The doors came out of nowhere. Everything near them began to talk and almost everything tried to eat you. Solving this problem is no sweat: you only have to find the Main super door and blast it with a super megabomb. As a real hero, you’ll have to handle it yourself. However, everything is sure to go haywire!
Game features:
- An open clayworld: explore it and face different challenges;
- Odd, talking characters: conversations with mushrooms, bugs, pumpkins etc. will be your common practice;
- A destructible environment: with a huge hammer in hand, you’ll have no chance to be bored;
- Traps, secrets, bosses. There are no tedious places behind the doors;
- Out of pop corn gun ammo? Search for cornfields. Looking for a healing compote? Pick some berries!
- Everything is made from plasticine. Over 8000 photos and an enormous number of editing hours. The game is entirely hand made!
Steam User 114
Well... It was nice.
10 hours and I had beaten this game 100% (not all achivements though).
You know, nowadays it is rare to me, to actually finish the game.
Usually it is too long, with not so engaging story, and lots of fetch quests.
This game on the other hand, was fun, was fresh, and, dare i say, was "handcrafted" (see, what I did here? ^_^)
Closest analogy, that I can think of this game - is mix between Bastion and Neverhood.
Creator of this game do not shame themselfs from this comparisson, proudly wearing "badge of honor", on their sleeve.
Hell - they even made one of the optional "door" levels - full reference to Bastion.
Lets now talk about pros and cons. (+ and -), as I see them.
- Probably poor control scheme on keybord. I used controller, and had lots of fun, but some fights and "dodge puzzles" will be probably be hard without fluid movement.
- Story ends abruptly, and lacks "impact", in comparison to whole "crazy journey", that is leading to it. It's not because it is bad, but because game world is bright, colourful and funny. If I would give any advise to developers - I'd said to make like several minutes long animation film, and give it as an "end prize". (I know, that this requires work and time, but without it, I cant think of any possibility to make ending of this game feel "good", or like an actual end.)
- There is no "full completion" bonus, and some side quest reward just appear in game later down the line. I got at least several of armors/helmets/weapons, in quantity higher then 1. I suppose it's fine, but I just wanted even more content, I gues.
- Some in-level passes closes behind you. Not a generally bad thing, because it allows "different routs" for beating levels, but still annoyed me from time to time (cause I tried to look at all available to me nooks and crannies)
+ Fixed camera angle. This is actually wery good, because not only whole game looks super nice, but also there are a lots of "secrets", that use this camera angle thing.
+ Difficulty. It is well balanced (for controller at least). At no point in game was I frustrated, overwhelmed, or needed to "grind" anything. I died several times on bosses and some "puzzles", but was not mad at game of control sheme at any time. Nicely done.
+ Visuals - 10/10 (and some warm fluffy thing on top of the score)
+ Humor. Game doesn't take itself too seriously, or too unseriously, creating fun "living" world, that you can totally belive in.
+ Music. As I am gettig things - it was specialy made to this game, enlarging game experience even more.
+ No need to "open all doors", to beat game - so around of 70% of the game is optional. Also, there are several ways to complete like hath of the quests, which is super nice, and allows you to play "your way".
All in all - I do recoment this game, to buy and play. It is not "the new" Bastion, or Undertale, but a good game non the less.
Steam User 42
Overall, the story is generic and lacks anything resembling a cast of characters, but the gameplay and graphics more than makeup for other shortcomings. It has exactly what your average person might look for in a game in that it's incredibly simple to learn and doesn't take up a lot of time, but isn't so easy that it won't offer a challenge. It's a fun experience that would make a fine addition to anyone's gaming collection.
This game likely appeals to a younger demographic, perhaps late teens to early twenties, but should be enjoyable for any age. The only reason I hesitate to recommend it for an even younger audience is due to the liberal use of profanity by pretty much everything in the game that has dialogue.
Don't Open the Doors! is a unique experience that I believe is well worth the price of admission.
Pros
+ Unique and captivating graphics
+ Simple and easy to learn gameplay
+ Progress and difficulty are scaled well
Cons
- The story leaves a little to be desired
- Lackluster characters and interactions
You can find the full review at
Steam User 50
This game reminds me of a great series as a kid called ‘The Trap Door’ that was also made with clay, and I swear this game was inspired by it.
So ignore any hate on this game it's wonderful, the art direction the animation its amazing and you can tell straight away the amount of effort gone into creating this.
Story
So the story is straight forward to understand, it's not complicated or confusing it just gets straight to the point and is pretty basic, the doors have taken over the land and your job is to get rid of them its a simple as that.
But it will make you laugh, the dialogue and characters are great and all fit in well with the game, nothing or nobody feels out of place and merge in well with the story.
Gameplay
It's a single player RPG adventure and it plays out like most RPGs, you follow the storyline, go explore and pick up sidequests along the way etc etc
But there isn't a massive amount of content so you won't be playing this for hours on end but there's plenty to do for a good 10+hours.
As for resources, collectables that kinda stuff, well it falls a bit short here because aside from ammo and health, the rest of the resources are usually used once for a single quest and then rendered useless after that and the armor isn't much different, you can pick up the best armor pretty fast and in turn the rest become useless, and the problem is you can't sell anything so, in the end, you just have a big inventory full of junk.
Weapons are pretty cool tho, only a few different types to choose from but each work well for specific situations, I definitely enjoyed using them all.
Graphics and Controls
Easy to use controls, simple buttons for kb/m or control pad but there are no keybind options (not that you really need it).
Movement and combat can be a little clunky sure but hardly game breaking and nothing to stop you enjoying the game at all, just have fun splatting things with your hammer as I did.
Graphics are superb, the animated clay just gives it that unique look and feel to the game with no complaints.
Overall
A fantastic game if you're looking for something fun for a short time, even great for your kids to play.
It's not a ‘pro’ players game and not as sophisticated or in-depth as some RPGs but really enjoyable, worth a thumbs up all day long, so go check this one out!
Steam User 35
Talking about this game I can't but look back to the Neverhood, as it has been the symbol of using clay in gamedev so far. But not anymore! Meet a new claymotion leader - Don't open the doors!
This game has been made by a single person! Really, just think about that, guys! Such a huge, colourful and funny world was made by one single man! Isn't that freaking awesome?! Well, even is it had been made by a bloody army of developers, it's great anyway.
Ok, emotions aside, what I like about this game most of all:
+ Tasty clay world;
+ Living environment: everything is moving, talking and can be smashed;
+ Good humour;
+ Exciting quests and hardcore challenges.
What I don't like:
- It's not easy to move diagonally using keyboard, but I guess it's an inevitable problem is case of wasd controls;
SUMMING UP: Don't you even dare to doubt - just buy the game, try it and fall in love with it! Besides, the price is very attractive!
Steam User 13
Amazing hand-made game. A lot of humor, action, puzzles and real plasticine. This game can be called a plasticine bastion if you look on gameplay. So yes, I like it and recommend for all.
Steam User 20
Something about Don't Open the Doors speaks to my inner child. I guess you could just call me a sucker for claymation. It all goes back to when I was much younger. That playdoh just seemed like a world of infinite possibilities. To be fair, I made infinite snakes, so many snakes. I wasn't very talented. That never changed the fact I was impressed with people who could create worlds with paper and clay, so I find these types of games alluring. Combining two mediums is always a fun idea and usually rife with imagination and expressions of art. From Kirby's Epic yarn to Armikrog, and Tearaway, these games are full of wonderful art and look completely different when compared to most games.
As you can imagine, when I saw Don't Open the Doors, I was very excited. Now unlike Armikrog, this title was an action/adventure title. It has more in common with games like Bastion, where the action is intense, and hordes of enemies and bosses await.
So much so that there is a tiny little cameo from The Kid in the game. There are some key differences between the two, but they share a strange universe, RPG elements, and a top down view of the action.
Upon loading up the game you immediately feel like you've lost your footing. While a reference to Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole feels cliche, it really does fit the universe of Don't Open the Doors. Sarcastic talking vegetation, and merchants who won't barter until you learn their name; the universe is quite strange and it takes some time to get familiar with things.
The basic gist is that Doors have appeared all over the place, giving people the creeps and making wildlife become dangerous and hostile. You are given the Megabomb to detonate the biggest door and hopefully stop this plague of spreading doors.
Of course, you lose the Megabomb and your wacky adventure begins.
That is about as straight forward a story as you're going to get from this game, because Doors' story is nonsensical. One second you're joining a bug hating tribe, the next you are using red apples to smash red porcupines so you can paint yourself.
It's a weird game, but weird in a good way. Just try and relax, enjoy the journey and don't worry about details.
The games main selling point is obviously the unique art style. Your quest takes place on this huge over world map that is filled to the brim with dungeons, shops, doors, and more cactus than you can shake a stick at. The claymation is so well done that you almost forget that it's there. Especially during combat. Then suddenly you'll focus on something and see all the shapes and moulds. There are dozens of different designs and all the environments are blended beautifully with the action on screen. There is a bit of palette swapping for certain plants/trees, but you will find more unique designs more then not.
The only gripe I have, is I would've liked a bit more cut scenes or more voice work in the game. Just to give the characters more personality. Not that its lacking whimsical charm but I felt it would've been enhanced even more.
Despite the game being called Don't Open the Doors, you actually spend the entire game doing the exact opposite and opening them. This is where you find a bulk of the progression, power ups, and equipment you will use throughout the game. Each door is an isolated area that has a unique level design and varying degree of difficulty. Some doors are a straight forward smash/grab type of deal, others can have you going through a labyrinth. The level design is very impressive and it's one of the things I loved most about this title. You never knew what was going to be behind a door and it kept things fresh and exciting.
Progression is pretty simple and the game isn't exactly cutting edge. The way it works is the farther the door is away from where you started the harder it is to beat. You start the game off with a basic hammer, no armour, and no skills. As you complete more doors you get all of the above and more.
If you play the game smart and complete areas as you advance into them, the progression isn't hard to keep up. There are no difficulty spikes, but the game does ramp up the chaos quite efficiently.
By the end I was at 4000HP and I destroyed everything that crossed my path. The reason I mention this, is that if you do skip around doors, you can become easily overwhelmed. The game doesn't do much in the way of hand holding.
Fans of destruction and chaos can rejoice, as nearly everything in this game is destructible. You can squish and blow up everything and the game encourages you to for exploration purposes. One neat thing is that mostly everything you wreck drops something that has a use. While the inventory system is on the simple side, if you collect a bug antenna, someone needs it, corn seeds? Use it in a popcorn gun. Found a diamond? Upgrade your armour. You get the idea. The inventory screen is mostly there for informative purposes. I used it for the map on occasion but the game automatically equips the best gear. It's nice that it is there, even if slightly unnecessary.
Combat is something I feel might be divisive in this game. One of the key differences between this and something like Bastion, is that Doors combat can come off rather cumbersome. It takes a good full second to swing your hammer and the primary way the game makes combat difficult is through being stunned. You have to time each one of your shots perfectly or get hit and watch the animation reset. It's annoying at first, I will admit, but eventually you learn to master it. Ranged weapons help quite a bit when you finally get one, but limited ammo makes them a non-reliable method.
While the combat grew on me, there were moments I spent far too much time running from a bug that hit way faster than me, thus I couldn't kill it. I had to back off a good pace, time my shot and squish. This is a tactic you will become quite familiar with by playing this game. A simple solution, I felt, would've been a dodge button or maybe a faster primary weapon that does less damage. One thing I did find curiously lacking, was different types of primary weapons. There are four different ranged weapons, three bombs, but only the hammer and its upgraded versions. Maybe in the sequel? Thankfully, the game does feature full controller support so this helps alleviate quite a bit of heartache.
Doors is always is giving you something to do and the game is incredibly addictive/fun. I found myself playing for hours at a time and with the secrets hidden everywhere, doors everywhere, there is always something to collect, upgrade, or a quest to complete.
The game lasted much longer then I expected and the over-world is bigger then is let on. This was a pleasant surprise, but nearing the end it does become a bit of a rinse-repeat scenario with doors, and upgrades. I got a solid ten hours out of the game but I might have missed a couple of things here and there. There is some potential for replay, but I think that is for people who are looking to 100% the game. There are some different dialogue choices, but I doubt it leads to any other outcomes.
Speaking of outcomes, the games door bosses and final boss are all really fun. While you mostly just end up bombing the hell out of them, they all look really distinct and feel epic in scope. The ending of the game is on point with the rest of the game, weird. I won't give it away but the game sets up for a sequel and just ends. To be fair, it's not like the game is about saving a princess or anything.
Other areas of the game are just unique as the games art style. The music starts off as a soothing and harmonious instrumental music and then breaks out into rock suddenly. The soundtrack is an area you could tell that they spent quite a bit of time developing and it shows. It's fresh and weird, and I personally enjoyed it. You can purchase the soundtrack as part of a bundle or on the side, which is always great.
Readmore
bigbossbattle.com/review-dont-open-doors/
Steam User 22
This is definitely worth a try. But mostly a "buy when on sale" game. The main aspect that I like for this game is how unique and original the world looks.