As I’ve picked up The Last Door, I had no prior knowledge of the game, except that it was extremely pixelated. I had it on the wishlist on GOG, however it wasn’t on to-be-played-in-the-nearest-future list as my collection of games that I actually purchased is large enough to keep me entertained for at least a year (stuff was on sale).

However I had an 8 hour flight coming up that I had to endure all alone, so I needed something I didn’t yet have on GOG or Steam (don’t want to pay for the same game twice) and something that would work on Android.

I’m not sure why this was the game I’ve picked, but I’m glad I did. Not only it was perfect for the 8 hour flight: not too difficult (very important as I wouldn’t like to be stuck at the same place for the whole flight where internet and help is not available) and long enough to last the whole flight. It also has proven to be extremely good game too. As I’ve nearly finished Season 1 during the flight, I had already knew that Season 2 is the next game I’m going to play.

The first thing anyone would notice is how pixelated the graphics are, and probably it would put some people from playing the game, but for me it only added to the atmosphere. I’m not particularly nostalgic, but for some reason it reminded me of the times when we would gather as kids to play Castlevania and how scary it seamed at the time. At the same time low resolution graphics don’t take away from how the detailed world is, sure it’s sometimes (mostly) hard to say what exactly some items are until they’re picked up or described, but actually that works as an advantage: most objects are described in great detail, often with a very dark tone, thus adding even more to the unsettling atmosphere. Simply looking at the painting just wouldn’t be the same.

Visually Season 1 and Season 2 are the same in terms of the style, however Season 2 offers much more detailed world to explore, there are more angles and layers, making the world seem much more alive that in rather static Season 1. In terms of gameplay, Season 2 was also expanded: in the 1st Season, player is limited to one area per Episode, while in 2nd Season there are multiple areas to explore in every episode with exception of the last one.

The story is the main driving force behind both seasons, with very strong focus on the atmosphere. The 1st Season is straight up horror with very unsettling feeling throughout the game, that made my flight extremely uncomfortable… in the good sense. While Season 2 felt more like a dark mystery rather than horror. I think that had something to do with the fact that Season 1 felt more like dwelling into unknown, while the next installment was more of unwrapping of what was hidden in the first one. Nevertheless, both seasons are extremely atmospheric and unsettling, with a story that will keep you engaged even when you’re done with the game. I had replayed the game twice just to pick up all the bits and pieces and was reading online for anything that I might have missed, making this the first game that I’ve played more than once.

I will skip describing the story itself, as doing so would simply be spoiling the game for those readers who haven’t played it yet. The game designers did a really great job keeping player engaged and entertained. Each chapter gives some clues, but also raises even more new questions. There is always more secrets to unravel, and often they are not be answered directly. Many things will be left for the players to wonder about, you might assume, but you’ll never know for sure. I think this was done masterfully: the uncertainty is always more frightening than something right in front of you.

And sometimes, few episodes later, you’d be hit with the most horrible realization of what had happened to certain characters. Not giving answers instantly and subtly hinting on them later on, makes you really invested in the story and the game.

The puzzles are neatly tight into the game itself, you’ll rarely have to solve something that is completely random, so it never feels like game designers were lazy and just threw bunch of stuff towards you to prelong the game. Most of the puzzles are simple item puzzles and they are rather easy to solve, as long as you’ve picked all the necessary items. However, there were few puzzles that required me to scratch my head and left me feeling good about myself for cracking them completely on my own. They required observation of the surrounding environment, as well as listening to what NPCs were hinting.

Overall this visually primitive game has left a profound impact on me. As you’ll gather most of the story through object descriptions, diary and book excerpts, so the game feels more like a great book with mysteries, secrets and puzzles to solve on your own. Highly recommended.