Free Game Of The Moment: The Last Door

A man stands in a disheveled attic, littered with old furniture and a painting of a woman. He picks up a long rope, pulls a chair beneath a beam, ties the rope to the beam, creates a noose and ends his life. All of these actions are controlled by the player. This is how The Last Door starts. 

The game is developed by The Game Kitchen, an indie studio located in Spain. Nearly a year ago, the studio turned to Kickstarter to fund their project, a browser-based point-and-click adventure game set in a world inspired by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Best of all, it’s free.

The Game Kitchen easily reached its funding goals and released the first chapter of The Last Door in March. Chapter 2 was released in June and Chapter 3 in September.

The Last Door follows the old school point-and-click formula. Players must navigate a creepy area, pick up objects, and solve puzzles in order to progress. The game uses 8-bit graphics, but don’t think that that makes it any less scary. There were a couple moments in the first two chapters that made me shake in my chair and the sound design creates a constant feeling of unease. This game absolutely needs to be experienced with the sound on, preferably using headphones. 

In the game, players control Jeremiah Devitt, a man who receives a cryptic letter from his old boarding school friend. That friend is Anthony Beechworth, the man who hangs himself at the beginning. Confused and worried, Devitt decides to visit his friend to find out what’s going on. However, he arrives to find Beechworth’s mansion completely abandoned. While solving the mystery of what happened in the home, Devitt must confront his past and the memories that he has repressed.

Chapter 2, which is also free to play, follows Devitt as he returns to his old boarding school to try to remember his childhood. The school has been turned into a clinic that cares for the sick. Although the Devitt is not alone in this chapter, it feels just as unsettling because many of the other characters are on the edge of insanity. Maybe Devitt isn't so well himself.

Most of the puzzles in the game are intuitive, though some are a bit random. There is also a lot of backtracking, moments when an item found at one end of the map has to be used at the other end.

These minor negatives don’t take away much from the overall experience. I highly suggest playing the first two chapters at The Last Door website. They are free and run in the browser. Chapter 3, which makes many noticeable improvements, will become free to play in January. Those who donate at least $0.70 (0.50 euros) to the developer can access it right now. That money will go towards making the final two chapters.