The Last Door - Chapter 3 Walkthrough

The Last Door, Chapter 3,The Four Witnesses is a point and click horror game from The Game Kitchen, an indie company who managed to publish this game using Kickstarter. Following on from Chapter 2 we follow Devitt as he awakens in a strange place with no hope of getting home anytime soon. 

If you're interested you can also check out my full review of The Last Door here.

If you've come too far then you can find your way back to Chapter 2 here, or Chapter 1 here.

Housekeeping aside, let's get on with the game!

Chapter 3, The Four Witnesses

Hints without spoilers:

I need some way of seeing in the dark: Finding a working lightsource in this chapter requires a lot more steps. Start by finding an empty lamp then head to places where it's wet to find traces of oil. You'll need to seperate the oil before using it though.

I don't know how to navigate the fog: Unless you have the parchment you're not at the correct point in the story yet. The puzzle is heavily audio based so make sure to turn your sound all the way up and listen out for the correct sound, listed in order in the parchment, whilst searching for hidden exits.

How do I enter the green door behind the mausoleum: If it's still locked try walking a few steps and wait for a noise. Check the door and if nothing still happens try checking it again.

I have a feather but I don't know what it's for: Is there something in the house or garden that you have yet to collect? You don't need to use it outside of the house/garden so keep looking around and seeing what you can use it with.

I don't know what to do with the violin: You need to find her final resting place, are there any places where she seems close by? Try turning up your speakers and following the sound of her voice.

 

Full walkthrough for Chapter 3

Prologue:

After each line of dialogue click into the darkness.
After freeing yourself you'll experience a dream and a flashback.
During the dream in the snow covered forest keep walking to the right.

Chapter 3:

When you awaken examine the ticket in your inventory.
Exit the room to the left.
Keep walking to the right through the screens, including the market, until you see a man leave through an iron gate.
Walk through the doorway beside the woman then examine and use the water dripping from the pipe.
After drinking, walk back towards the exit.
When you awaken, leave the area and head back to the market.
Exit the street using the upper exit where the cart originally was.
Click through the dialogue.
Head up the stairs then talk to the gypsy lady by the fire if you want your fortune read.
Afterwards, pick up the lamp beside her to receive an empty lamp.
Follow the man through the various screens until reaching an area too dark to continue through.
Return to where you first were after the cutscene ended, where the stairs are.
Leave via the upper-left exit where you'll see a dead end and a street lamp.
Go through the door into the butcher's shop.
At the far right of the screen you'll see four bars on the wall that make up a puzzle, hit them in this order: 2, 1, 4, to open a passage.
Enter through the secret passage and pick up the empty bottle on the floor.
Exit the butcher's shop and the dead end to return to the street. Go up the stairs again.
Go through the large archway then into the sewer enterance at the right-hand side of the screen.
Use the empty bottle with the puddle of water to receive oily water.
Exit the sewer and backtrack to the butcher's shop before going back into the secret room again.
Use the bottle of oily water with the device beneath the small window.
After the water has been removed from the oil, use the empty lamp with the device to receive a lamp.
Return to the gypsy woman by going up the stairs in the street and light the lamp using the fire in front of her.
Return to the dark house where the man entered earlier.
Examine the coat on the back wall and take the gloves from the coat's pocket.
Go upstairs and enter the first room you encounter.
Examine the fireplace then use the gloves with the hot embers to retrieve a doorknob.
Talk to the old woman sat on the bed and go through all the dialogue options.
Stand by the fireplace and click through the game.
Afterwards, examine the heap of items in front of the fireplace to receive a broken porcelain mask.
Exit the bedroom and carry on down the corridor to the left. 
When you reach a ladder, climb it and play the piano.
Examine the stuck key then use it to receive a small key.
Leave the attic and walk to the left until you reach a door with a missing handle. 
Use the doorknob with it then enter the room.
Inside, draw back the curtain to the bathtub.
Examine what's inside it then take the wig.
Click on the record player to stop the laughter, then click on it again to notice a difference.
Leave the bathroom and carry on to the left before reaching a final door.
Enter it then talk to the violinist inside.
Go through all dialogue options then pick up the musical score on the table nearby.
Leave the room and return to the attic.
Use the score with the feather inside the large cage to grab the feather.
Return to the first bedroom and use the small key with the wardrobe.
Take the red dress from inside it.
Go back downstairs only this time go through the door on the right to enter the garden.
Move to the right and examine the tree stump before using the feather with it to collect some resin.
Use the resin with the broken porcelain mask to fix it.
Return to the violinist and put the dress, fixed mask, and wig on the mannequin by the window to receive a violin from the violinst.
Talk to the violinist and exhaust all dialogue to be given a black key also, this opens the mausoleum. 
Leave, and go back outside into the garden.
Continue to the far right and use the black key with the door at the end to enter the mausoleum.
Walk to the far right, following the dirt, and enter the hole in the wall.
Try to open the green door then walk away a little, you'll hear a noise.
Try to open it again, then when that fails, try once more.
Enter the door to find yourself in a bookshop.
Carry on through the store until you encounter a man reading in the next room.
Talk to him and go through all the dialogue, noting the name of the book he mentions.
Walk through the doorway to the left and keep going until you see a white page on the floor; read it then carry on to the left.
Note the missing book page stuck in the tree branch then read the book on the floor.
Walk back a little then go down the hole beside the tree.
Carry on through the next area and leave via the lefthand exit.
In this area you're in a deeper part of the sewers, walk to the right until coming across the bottom of the tree.
Use the violin with the huge crack in the tree trunk.
After the scene, walk all the way to the left, ignoring the way you came in, and exiting out onto the streets.
Leave via the upper-left exit then go down the stairs to see that the street has changed.
Pick up the parchment from the tree root and read it.
Afterwards, follow the man into the fog.
Examine the parchment again, the puzzle will require you to follow the sounds listed by leaving through hidden doors in the fog. Don't exit through any doors until the noises next to it matches the one in the note starting with wind, then birds, then sea, then silence. 
Walk along to the left until you hear wind, search for a door nearby and enter it. Do the same for birds and sea until finally you have to search for 'silence' which is a little trickier. Make sure you listen carefully and wait a moment before going through the door.
If you do accidentally pick the wrong door you'll end up at the beginning of the fog and will have to start over again.
When you solve the puzzle, click through to the right and enter the final room.
Walk down the middle of the aisle towards the stage before talking to the man.
Click through the dialogue and pick 'True Philosophy' when the option appears.
Take the mask from his hand and watch the ending scene.

End of Chapter 3.

So, everything's starting to come together... Hmm... Interesting... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this walkthrough and Chapter 3 of The Last Door, the walkthrough for Chapter 4 can be found here so you can get right on with completing Season 1 of this awesome game. If you enjoyed this guide please comment or +1 or something so I know you didn’t hate it and so on and so forth :)

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Monkey Island 2 LeChuck's Revenge - Walkthrough and Achievement guide

This is not just a walkthrough, this is an achievement grabbing speed run walkthrough for the Special Edition version of Monkey Island 2, LeChuck's revenge. Of course it can be entirely used as a regular walkthrough where I've cut out paragraphs of text and just given you clear cut instructions on what to do and when to do it. This is written with a speed run in mind that will unlock the 'Speed Demon' Achievement which is worth 25G. To get this, you must complete the game in under three hours.

For a speed run it’s advised to skip through all dialogue by holding down ‘Y’ on the controller. You can finish the game in just over an hour by doing this, the achievement requires you to finish it in under 3 hours so it’s likely you can read the dialogue and still get the achievement, provided you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. Still, if you’ve played this game before I recommend skipping all dialogue and cutscenes to speed things up.

If you’re trying to get all the achievements you should not at any point during the game press ‘X’ or ‘LB’ as this will use object highlighting and hints which will void 'Monkey Master', 'Free Thinker' and 'Turning the Lights Out' worth 40G collectively.

If you’ve never played this game before then you should probably do a speed run on your second playthrough as the dialogue is fantastic and you won’t want to miss out on it. During a speed run, save frequently so if you take too long on something (i.e. you go idle for a bit) you can just reload and try it again, but faster. Please note all items are highlighted in typical fox-coloured orange so you can easily see where things are, so anyway, let's get to it.

 

Part  I: Largo Embargo

Scabb Island:
As the game loads up, press 'back' to get the 'Old School' achievement.

After talking to the pirates walk all the way to the left and onto the bridge.

After the cutscene, pick up the shovel from the sign.

Walk back to the right and go to the beach, pick up the stick by the entrance.

Go back to Woodtick and walk through the town then all the way North to Mad Marty’s Laundromat.

Pick up the bucket, say ‘Sorry is this your bucket?’ then take it after dialogue.

Enter the building directly right after exiting the Laundromat (Wally’s House) and take the paper .

Wait until Wally puts down his monocle then quickly pick it up.

Walk South towards the bar, locate the open window then use it.

Pick up knife and exit through the window.

Enter the bar through the hatch and talk to the bartender, ask him ‘How’s Business?’

Use the paper on Largo’s spit before leaving.

Go West and enter the Hotel, use the knife on the Alligator’s rope.

Pick up the contents of the food bowl to receive cheese squigglies.

Exit Woodtick by going back over the bridge to the main map.

Enter the swamp, use the bucket with the swamp to get a bucket o' mud.

Exit the swamp and walk to the cemetery.

Go to the back of the cemetery to the graves on the top of the hill.

Use the shovel on the western-most grave to get Marco Largo LaGrande's bone .

Go back to Woodtick and enter the Hotel, enter the room at the back.

Very quickly (otherwise Largo will catch you) close the door and put the bucket o' mud  at the top of the door.
Wait for Largo to arrive.

Pick up the toupee then leave.

Go to Mad Marty’s, Largo will be giving his dirty laundry to Marty.

After the cutscene go back to Largo’s room, close the door and take the laundry claim ticket.

Go back to Mad Marty and give him the laundry claim ticket to receive the pearly-white bra.

Exit Woodtick and return to the swamp, use the coffin

Paddle the coffin to the East and into the voodoo head.

Pick up the string and try to pick up the thin bottle on the bottom shelf, in the middle (Ash-2-Life).

Talk to the Voodoo lady, ask her: 'How is business', 'tell me about Largo', 'why don't you put a curse on largo' then finally 'what kind of ingredients do you need' before giving her all the Largo related items to receive the voodoo doll and pins.

Return to Mad Marty’s and use the stick with the box, then the string with the stick, then the cheese squigglies with the box.

Stand by the string and pull it when the rat starts eating the cheese squigglies to capture it

Open the box, pick up the captured rat.

Enter the restaurant via the window and put the rat in the soup pot.

Exit through the window and enter the restaurant through the hatch.

Ask the bartender 'how's the stew tonight', then after the dramatic scene accept his job offer to receive 420 pieces of eight. Exit through the window.

Enter Largo’s room and quickly use the pins with the voodoo doll.

Leave the voodoo hut and swamp.

Walk to the peninsula and give Captain Dread the monocle .

Don’t skip his dialogue as it will reset itself, give him 20 pieces of eight.

Watch or skip cutscene with Largo and LeChuck.

End of Part 1.

Current time: Between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on dialogue. 

Part 2: Four Map Pieces

Dread’s Boat:

Pick up the parrot chow.

Talk to captain dread, skip dialogue if you want until you get to the map then select Phatt Island.  

Phatt Island:

After the cutscene, it doesn’t matter what you say, pick up the rock hard mattress.

Use the stick with the bone without picking it up.

Pick up the bone and give it to the dog.

Use the small key on the cell door without picking it up.

Open both the gorilla envelopes and the manilla envelope without picking them up

Exit the prison and walk to the north then enter the first alleyway.

After the scene in the casino follow the winning man into another alleyway.

Watch what he does, then when he leaves, knock on the door.

Ask what the next winning number will be then give him the password 3 times.

To do this, watch the number of his fingers he gives on the first show, ‘If this is…’ then just say what that number was when he asks again. I.e,: He holds up 2 fingers saying this is 4, holds up 5 fingers asking what it is, it is 2 because that is what he showed you first.
Say ‘What!  You don’t remember me?’ And remember what the winning number will be.
Return to the casino, bet on the winning number you were told and ask for the Invitation as your prize.

Enter the Library

Open the model lighthouse and take the lens.

Use the card catalogue and open ‘C-D’ and look for ‘Great Shipwrecks of our Century’ (card on the left at the back), then the P-Q-R drawer for ‘The Joy of Hex’(2^ndcolumn, 3^rd card from the front). Don't forget to memorize them both by clicking 'I'll have to remember that'

Talk to the Librarian and ask for a book, you have to get a library card.

After getting one, withdraw the two books you memorized earlier.
Go back onto the ship and go to Booty Island

Booty Island:
Buy the well-polished saw, then the ship’s horn from the Antique's shop directly on the left. 
Return to the ship and go to Scabb Island.

Scabb Island:
Enter the restaurant, buy a blue drink then a yellow drink using your new library card as ID.
Mix the two drinks together to make a green drink.
Put the banana on the metronome then pick up the distracted monkey.
Go to Mad Marty’s, use the saw on the pirate’s peg leg.
Go to the building beside Wally’s and pick up the hammer and nails.
Go back to the ship and head to Booty Island.

Booty Island: 

Enter the costume shop and give the invitation to the owner.

Pick up the dress. 

Enter Stan’s and talk to him until he gets in the coffin.

Use the hammer with the nails and Stan will give you a clean white hankie.

Quickly use the hammer with the nails again to lock Stan in the coffin. 

Take the crypt key from the back of the room then leave. 

Walk to the right until you get to a spitting tournament. 

Blow the ship’s horn then quickly pick up the flags to move them. 

Use the crazy straw with the green drink to drink some. 

Read '‘Great Shipwrecks of our Century’, memorize the co-ordinates he reads out. 

Save your game to lock the co-ordinates and so you can reload in case you fail at the competition.

Talk to the guy in charge and spit when the woman’s red sash flies to the right.
If timed correctly, you’ll win the competition and receive a spit plaque.
Leave and return to the Antique’s shop, buy the ‘Beware of Parrot’ sign.
Talk to the Antique’s dealer and sell him the spit plaque, skipping dialogue until he gives you 6000 pieces of eight.
Hang the parrot chow on the exposed hook where the sign was. 

Buy the mirror. 

Leave and talk to Kate (woman selling fliers).

Hire a boat ‘Could I have…’ ‘I’m interested…’ ‘Ok I’ll pay’ then ‘Yeah, let’s…’ 

Pick the co-ordinates from the ‘Great Shipwrecks of our Century’ book. 

Tell Kate you’ll jump in. 

Pick up the Mad Monkey Head then use the anchor. 

Sell the Mad Monkey Head to the Antique’s Dealer. 
Buy the first map piece.

Leave the town to the left and head to the main map. 

Talk to the guard until you’re let into the party. 

Go back out to the map then click on Governor’s mansion (saves time walking). 

Walk around the back of the mansion and push the trash can. 

The chef will come out and chase you, walk around the mansion to the left, all the way around, and enter the back area from the right. 

Enter the kitchen, pick up the fish and then return to the front of the mansion. 

Enter the mansion, pick up the map piece from the wall.

Leave, and then compliment and be nice to Elaine four times.

After the scene, go back into Elaine’s room and pick up the oar

Go outside, pick up the dog then keep trying to pick up the map piece.

Return to the map and head to the Big Tree.

Step onto the plank and put the oar in the hole next to it.

Step onto the oar to trigger a cutscene.

Pick up the broken oar and leave the area.

Go to Scabb Island.

Scabb Island:

Go to the woodsmith and give him the broken oar to receive a reinforced oar.

Leave and go to Phatt Island.

Phatt Island:

Use Kate’s leaflet with the wanted poster then head to the pier where the fisherman is.

Challenge the fisherman to a fishing contest by boasting, accept the wager.

Give the fish to the fisherman, skip his dialogue to get his fishing pole.

Leave and go to Booty Island.

Booty Island:

Go to the main map and head to the cliff.

Look down the cliff face and use the fishing pole on the map piece.

Go back to the Big Tree and climb up the tree using the plank and reinforced oar.

Inside the hut, use the dog on the pile of maps to retrieve the second map piece.

Outside the hut, pick up the telescope at the Northern end of the area.

Leave and go to Phatt Island, skipping cutscene of LeChuck’s fortress.

Phatt Island:
Go into the prison and open the vanilla envelope to receive a bottle of near grog.
Leave the prison and exit the map (right side is faster) then go to the mansion.
Go inside and talk to the guard, tell him there's a fire in the kitchen.
Go upstairs, swap the book on Govenor Phatt with the 'Big Whoop' book. Do not use 'The Joy of Hex'. 
Leave the mansion and go back onto the map, go to the waterfall.
Head to the top of the waterfall then use Jojo the monkey on the pump.
Go back down and enter the newly revealed cave.
Leave back the way you came as soon as you enter then, on the map, click on the cottage. 
Open the shutters of the cottage then head inside. 
Put the mirror on the wall after accepting the drinking contest.
When Rogers gets your grog, use it with the plant (no need to pick it up).
Use the near grog with the empty mug.
After the drinking contest go outside and use the telescope with the statue.
Read the 'Pirate Quotes' book and remember which quote is Rapp's.
The quote and the chosen brick will be randomized and you should save the game to lock the quote and brick to stop it from changing.
Reload the save then press the correct brick.

Pick up the third map piece then leave the area.

Go back to Scabb island.

Scabb Island:

Go to the map then to the cemetery.
Use the crypt key on the crypt to your right.
Find the casket that has the quote matching Rapp's from earlier, you can only open it after looking at it.
Pick up the ashes inside then leave.
Go to the swamp and talk to the Voodoo Lady (only after looking at the Ash-2-Life earlier)
Go back to Rapp's crypt and use the Ash-2-Life directly on the casket.
Select options "You WERE killed, Rapp." then anything until, "I'll check the gas for you, Rapp." to get the key to the Steamin' Weenie'.
Leave and go to the beach then use the key on the Steamin' Weenie hut in the background.
Once inside, turn the knob to turn the gas stove off.
Go back to Rapp and tell him he was right to receive the fourth map piece. 
Leave the cemetary and go to Wally's house. 
Give Wally the model lighthouse lens then any map piece.
After talking to him, go to the swamp then to the Voodoo Lady's hut.Tell her that Wally sent you to receive the Juju bag.
Open the Juju bag then leave.
Row back to shore then use the crate.
Hold Y to skip all the dialogue and scenes if you'd like.

End of Part 2.

Current time: 50 - 65 minutes.

Part 3: LeChuck's Fortress

Look at the spit encrusted paper for the randomized bone combinations.
Go to the right, up the stairs, through the passageway then to the back tunnel that is to the right of the wall signs, middle of the screen.
Push the bone combination that matches the first line of the verse on the paper, you may have to keep walking to find the right one. When you go through, find the ugly bone thing that matches the second line of the verse and so on until all four are done.
Use the huge door then walk to the doggie door.
Pick up the voodoo key hanging beside the throne.
Pick any responses until LeChuck leaves
Save your game, wait five minutes until the achievement 'Five minutes later...' unlocks.
Reload your game.  
Use the crazy straw with the green drink. 
Spit the shield to the right of Guybrush four times.
Use the matches.

End of Part 3.

Current time: 60 - 75 minutes.

Part 4: Dinky Island

Beach:  
Click anywhere to wake Guybrush.
Pick up the bottle then use it with the nearby rock.
Pick up the martini glass and use it with the ocean then the still.
Pick up the crowbar.
Walk to the left and into the jungle.

Jungle:
Go west and use the broken bottle with the bag.
Use the distilled water with the cracker box that falls to receive 2 crackers.
Go east to the dynamite box, pick up the rope.
Use the crowbar with the box and pick up the dynamite.
Save your game.
Walk through the jungle randomly until coming to a call box, use it, and say they've been helpful to unlock the 'Call 9-1-1 1/1' achievement.
If takes forever, reload your game.
Walk back to the beach where the parrot is.

Beach:
Open the barrel under the parrot to receive a cracker.
Give the parrot all 3 crackers.
Walk back to the jungle.

Jungle:
Go through the top right path, then middle right path, then top right path, then upper middle path (dinosaur topiary), then upper middle path again (dolphin topiary), then middle right path (pile of rocks left of the area). 
Use your shovel on the big X sign. 
Use the matches with the dynamite.
Use lit dynamiate with the hole in the ground.
Use the crowbar with the rope.
Use the crowbar n' rope with the twisted metal rods.
Save your game (this next bit is randomized so may take a very long time if you're unlucky.)

Tunnels: 
Use the lightswitch (middle-right of the screen)
Pick any responses until you are teleported to a random room.
This is where things are going to get awkward as where you'll turn up is completely random, LeChuck will also periodically turn up and teleport you somewhere else so you'll want to do things as quickly as possible. If you find yourself in a particular room, check the guide for that room below. In order of importance here'o what you need to do:

Infirmary: (Room all the way to the right)
Open the bin and take out the latex gloves.
Open the drawer behind the desk and take the hypodermic syringe.
Take the skull from the right hand skeleton.

Storage room: (Has a 'First Aid >>>' sign next to it)
Open the leftmost and take out a balloon.
Open the rightmost box for a voodoo kewpie doll.

Vending room machine:
Use the coin release on the machine to release a coin onto the floor.
Use the gloves and balloon on the helium tank.
Wait patiently for LeChuck to turn up.
Quickly! When he bends over pull his underwear.
If you have time, give him the clean white hankie, you can do this anywhere you meet him.

Elevator:
Push the call button and step inside.
Wait for LeChuck and when he appears use the lever quickly to trap his beard then pick up the crispy beard bits. This may take several attempts.
Push the lever. 
Use the helium balloon for the achievement 'Helium Inhaler'. 

Combine the following in the Juju bag: Crispy beard bits, used hankie, skull, underwear and voodoo kewpie doll.
Wait for LeChuck, when he appears, use the hypodermic syringe with the voodoo doll
Follow him then tear the leg off the doll.
Say 'Oh all right I'm coming over'.
Continue picking responses until the game ends to unlock:

A True Pirate, Speed Demon, Monkey Master, Free Thinker and Turning The Lights Out.

Time to complete: Approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

And there you have it! Well done for completing Monkey Island 2, LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition and for using this guide. I hope you enjoyed yourself and found this useful, if you did don't forget to +1 and comment so I know whether I should continue writing these or not :)

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The Last Door: Collector's Edition - Full Review (Free game/Collector's Edition PC game)

‘The Last Door’ is a door worth opening as what you’ll find on the other side is a solid, spooky and extremely well crafted game that manages to be both horribly unsettling and wonderfully enthralling. 

Developer: The Game Kitchen
Genre: Horror adventure 
Release date: May 20th 2014
Platforms: PC, Mac and Linux
ESRB: Rating pending

Created by the indie company, The Game Kitchen, ‘The Last Door’ is a point and click horror game that borders somewhere between quietly creepy and in your face horrifying. This compelling game will have you intrigued from the start as the beautifully orchestrated music plays and the sharp graphics drop down into a pixelated art style that makes you wonder why the developers have opted for this low resolution feel. Discard any initial reservations you had about its appearances as this is an extremely well made, well-polished game that is more than worthy of worldwide recognition.

Story and gameplay

The game is set in Victorian England and, after an incredibly morbid prologue, your character receives a letter from an old friend with a rather cryptic message on it. Prompted by the potentially serious implications from the letter you set out to Sussex to the lavish manor house that your friend owns but upon arrival it appears empty and abandoned. As you search the estate for clues you’ll uncover dark secrets, skeletons in the closets and a mystery that will only be explained by travelling across the country in subsequent chapters. The four chapters of this game were initially released separately and they still feel like very short standalone games that all follow on from one another, though that’s not a bad thing. If anything the use of cliff-hangers is very appealing as it builds up your anticipation to continue playing and makes the game feel even more riveting. 

The use of episodes splits the game into nicely manageable segments as it will take several hours to complete the entire thing though the quality of the chapters does vary and, whilst each episode has its own strengths and weaknesses, the inconsistency makes the problems glaringly apparent. The first chapter for instance excels in atmosphere and emotion whilst being the shortest and easiest of all the chapters. In the second episode there is a greater depth of experience but some of the descriptions of items have been watered down to either simple statements or overly explanatory ones which, compared to those of the first chapter, hinders the feel of the environment. That said, these are very minor issues and as a whole  the game plays fantastically with a strong focus on suspense and anticipation rather than gore and violence. 

As is standard in point and click games your advancement is dependent on solving puzzles and, in this case, the puzzles are inventory based. This means that you’ll be frequently be searching for things you can pick up before using them on objects in the environment or combining them into something new. Often, things can be difficult to locate as the pixelated surroundings conceal things wonderfully but by scrolling over objects that can be examined a magnifying glass does appear so you’re not left helplessly confused at what something is. Overall the game gets harder as you progress which eases you very nicely into the game though there’s nothing agonizingly difficult about any of the puzzles. Though you’ll likely get stuck now and then the puzzles are all fairly logical and not in the least bit obscure so, once you figure it out, it becomes painfully clear what you had to do all along. That said, the puzzles are varied and interesting and usually revolve around trying to access some place or another as you’re generally being led on a journey to constantly discover a secret that is hidden. 

Something that is particularly appealing is the game’s tendency to change the perspective that you’re playing through by quick insights into other characters or, most importantly, dreams and flashbacks that Devitt experiences himself. This continual shifting results in a richer and deeper understanding of the storyline and also the chance to do something a little different. I imagine that a constant focus on Devitt in the present time could have easily become restrictive and monotonous so it’s a welcomed addition to an already captivating game. Breaking up the gameplay experience through the employment of these dreams, flashbacks and briefly controlling other characters is not the only trick that the developers have up their sleeve as each chapter brings something new to the table. Whilst the first game is just you on your own subsequent chapters add in other character to talk to and the introduction of conversations is surprisingly powerful. Every chapter beginning starts with something shocking or disturbing that’s entirely different to the start of the last chapter so, whilst the game is short, you do cover a lot of ground and are treated to some intimately haunting scenes. The characters are well introduced, have interesting dialogue and talk in a manner fitting of the era. There are a lot of letters and diaries present in the game that you read for backstory and they’re very manageable in length and not in the least bit dull. Often, letters contain clues for puzzles and I enjoy how they not only had an atmospheric purpose but a practical one too.

A final critic I have is to do with the controls as in order to pick up items you must first examine them using the magnifying glass. I’m still somewhat undecided about this but the constant need to examine an object with one click then pick it up with another does become fairly irksome and, at the start of the game, it tended to result in me skipping over items thinking I had already obtained them. Of course this error went away as I adjusted but I prefer the option to both examine and immediately pick up things to not necessarily make the game simpler but rather make it less irritating. Other than this the controls are very easy to operate, the camera is perfect and the inclusion of skipping to areas you have already visited by double clicking on the exit saves a few long and boring walks. In a game where you may be stomping up and down the same corridor numerous times, this can only be a good thing.

Graphics and environments

The most important aspect of a horror game is its ability to scare you, or at least make you feel uneasy and apprehensive, and ‘The Last Door’ manages this fantastically partially due to how well the environments are portrayed. Walking through a pitch black corridor with nothing but a tiny light is as terrifying as it would be in any well-made horror game and whilst it could have been easy for it to lag behind its competition it is far from doing so. The environments are extremely detailed, spooky in some places and quite lovely in others. There’s plenty to look at and interact with and great care has been taken to flesh each individual room or area with enough decorational items that simply exist to add to the overall feel of the place.

Though you are initially restricted to the manor and its grounds you’ll travel to different places throughout the subsequent episodes and not once will you feel boxed in by limiting environments. Despite the low res quality of the game there are some truly beautiful scenes that are perfectly detailed and perfectly executed. The views of distant rolling landscapes and the layered, overcast skies remind me in turn of an obscure Van Gogh painting in that there’s such little information but the balance of hues and shades still results in a near perfect representation of what it is depicting. History buffs will also appreciate the many nods to the typical Victorian lifestyle and everything from Devitt’s travelling gear to the adornments of the interiors is perfectly in tune with the era it is illustrating. 

Low resolution pixelated art styles are definitely taking more precedence in games and it goes to show that graphics simply aren’t everything. If anything I found the retro graphics to enhance the experience of this game as it played on the notion that there was something there, in the dark, something that you couldn’t quite see. The game manages to limit how much you can see, not only through actual darkness but by also removing that customary clearness and crispness of graphics that we’ve come to rely on so much. What this results in is your imagination running a little wild and the game is fully aware of this with as it applies very delicate, subtle graphical shifts that impact the atmosphere in huge ways. For a game to be able to produce a constant unsettling unease whilst not falling back on gore and high definition monsters is, for me, very impressive.

Music and audio

In a game that provides no spoken dialogue it was imperative that all remaining audio was done to perfection, and it has been. The music is strong and intense and, especially during the opening credits, it has this inexplicable ability to instil the feeling that you’re embarking on some dangerous and mysterious journey. During gameplay there are periods of complete and utter silence that may occur when entering a room or between music tracks and, when the music stops, a great sense of danger instantly washes over you. I remember one occasion where, standing in the back of an old school room the music stopped entirely leaving me alone in a silent, dead room. Then came a noise; a noise I’d not heard before in that room despite having visited there several times, it was muffled and distant but sounded distinctly like some trapped animal or cry for help. Without the ability to explore further I left immediately, even after returning to the same spot, never heard that noise again. It’s moments like this that build you up and make you feel like there’s something waiting for you in the dark, behind a corner, something that may jump out at you. It’s extremely atmospheric and these odd little sounds that come out of nowhere, like the tapping on a window, are profoundly powerful.

Overall

This is one of my favourite modern point and click game’s and I thoroughly enjoyed the care and attention that has been poured into it. The variety of environments and perspectives that the game gives you adds an additional layer of detail and stops the game from being repetitive and boring. The story itself is curious with a mixture of themes bordering strongly on the occult but mingled in with the subjects of insanity and madness which is very nineteenth century. You can tell the game is strongly inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s works not only from the presence of crows who consistently feature in his works but of little details like the bird tapping on the glass in a home owned by a man who’s descended into madness whereas, in ‘The Raven’ the tapping of the raven sent the narrator into insanity. Likewise, the presence of blind black cat in one part of the story is a direct reference to another of Poe’s work; the Black Cat and there are plenty of other bits and pieces in there too, considering Poe was active during the same century the game was set it feels even more appropriate. History aside, this is an indie game with a difference and is well worth a play as it is beautifully orchestrated, wonderfully written and very well designed. You may or may not find it easy and I imagine it depends entirely on how much of the genre you play and how intuitive you are. The Game Kitchen is currently fundraising so they can complete Season 2 of ‘The Last Door’ so there’s plenty more in the pipeline if you enjoyed this fantastic game. 

The Good:

• Very atmospheric with lots of suspense. 
• Beautiful music, flawless audio.
• Decent, logical puzzles.
• Appealing graphical style.
• Nice range of environments.
• Layered, interesting storyline.

The Bad:

• A little too easy in places.
• Some chapters are weaker than others.
• Controls can be annoying.

The Score: 9/10 

Last thoughts: I love, love love love, this game and cannot wait for the next season. It would be better had it been longer but they're bringing more out so it's all good.

‘The Last Door’ is currently available to be played free. If you want the game with additional scenes and achievements you should pick up the Collector’s Edition of the game instead for just £7 from Steam, here. More details, including where to play it, can be found on their website here.

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