Just so anyone out there knows this is going to have some level of spoilers in it so if you want to play this game and I highly recommend that you do, just know that this is one of the best $10 or less games I have played ever in my life. It is a new release and I've come to the conclusion that it is so cheap because the game is quite short. After only 5 hours or so I am more than 75% of the way through the game according to the stats, so if you want an even better bargain you could wait a few months before picking this one up.
One of the places that this game truly excels and will appeal to old school gamers is the boss battles. They are tough, you are probably going to die a few time before you figure it out, but it doesn't require pinpoint accuracy such as in some of the other Souls-like games that exist out there. I don't actually like that this game is categorized as a "Souls-like" game because I've played Dark Souls and this game is nothing like that.
Today I want to talk about a boss battle with the Grey Crow and how this battle isn't just a battle, it is a work of art.
You encounter this guy relatively early on in the game and he is actually the creature that gives you the information about the 3 lessor bosses and their locations. You need to defeat these creatures in order to open Death's Door and the old giant crow claims he is too weak and old to pursue it himself.
It didn't really surprise me a great deal when after returning with the 3 boss orbs that he tells you about that he turns on you once you get inside. Just the look of him was enough for me to see that coming from a mile away.
The difference between this fight and the 4 boss battles you have been in up to this point is pretty immense because the battlefield is limitless and this kind of makes it a lot easier. No matter how far you run in any direction this void that you are in never ends.
The fact that you can run as far and wide as you want to makes this battle a bit easier than at least 2 of the boss battles you've had up to now but to be fair none of those were particularly difficult either. The thing that sets this one apart is that the fight is a work of art and the calm yet ominous piano music just adds the the overall ambiance even moreso.
Every time that you strike the Grey Crow bits of crow fall off of him and will trail you. These are really slow and for some people can actually be used as missile to hit your enemy with. However, I found this to be ineffective because you are always moving, he is always moving, and the heat-seeking mini crows are always moving as well. Therefore, you are going to miss a lot more than you hit. Therefore i just smack em with my sword to replenish my magic and chuck fireballs as him.
Later, little mini-crows that some people online refer to as "feast of crows" will chase you as well but do no damage. You should still kill them because if enough of them get on you, they slow you down and eventually make you incapable of movement at all. I'm not sure if you can get them off of ya once they land so do your best to make sure that they don't.
I wouldn't say that The Grey Crow is particularly difficult once you have him all figured out. The only thing you really need to do here is be patient. If you go all Gung-Ho into the battle thinking you are going to mad button mash your way to victory you are going to be disappointed. It is best to stay at a distance, wait for your opportunity to strike and just keep him at range if possible.
All of the boss battles in Death's Door have been pretty amazing but this one is certainly on a whole different level. This boss battle is just beautiful and actually a bit tragic if you know the story. I think that many people will find this one a bit easier than some of the others and I know that I count myself as one of those people.
If you haven't picked up this gem of a short game yet I highly suggest that you do so. It is less than $10 right now and of course there are hacked versions out there that you can get for free via torrents. I feel bad doing that when a game is this well done and made by a small studio though - so I just paid for it.
All pics without credits are my own screenshots