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The Last Door Season 2 could be regarded by some as a “blast from the past”.  By that I do not mean the game’s storyline is based on historical events, although it is set two centuries ago.  No, the reference to the past is due to the style of graphics and other elements used in this game.  Not only has The Game Kitchen, the game’s developers, taken the same approach to its graphics as Wadjet Eye with the blocky graphics so beloved by titles of the last century but the game opens with a dialogue box allowing the player to select from various resolutions and a choice of input controls used throughout the game.  Oh how those memories, of times past playing games, came flooding back.

Just in case the last part of the game’s title has not given the clue, this game is the follow up to the first Last Door offering which described itself as a low-res horror title.  Maybe the developers though horror in high-res would be too much for some players to stand.  As I missed the opportunity to play the original title, all I can report regarding that title is that it dealt with something ancient and evil in Victorian England.

You do get a pre-amble in text format that helps link this follow up title to the original offering by mentioning characters that include Jeremiah Devitt, Anthony Beechworth, Alexandre Du Pré, Dr. John Wakefield and Johan Kaufmann.  You also get to hear about “Veil”, which provides a link between reality and a world of horror and madness under the watch of the Eye of the Bird, and a drug that allows users to pass through the Veil.

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Spread over four chapters, The Last Door Season 2 opens as you embark on a journey to the East Hill Lunatic Asylum based in London.  Fortunately getting there is made easy by clicking on a map with the result you are taken there by a horse and carriage ride.  This method of transport is used when moving between other locations.

As you move around various scenes, your cursor will be represented by cross-hairs until you encounter on object, item or character of interest.  When you encounter such an object or character then the cursor will change shape accordingly.  A pointing finger, magnifying glass or hand will indicate that you can proceed in a certain direction, examine an item or making use of a particular object.  If any description appears as a result of the cursor interaction then a mouse click will be required before you can move on to the next action.

The appearance of a speech bubble cursor means a conversation can take place between yourself and another character.  Each conversation, which is always in text format appearing in an area at the bottom of the screen, will require a number of mouse clicks in order to run their course.  After each section, or part section, of dialogue a mouse click will be necessary in order to continue with the conversation.  While you will be given a choice of responses, the other party will not have this option.  The longer the conversation, the more clicks of the mouse will be required.

When not being used to display conversations or descriptions, then the area across the bottom of the screen acts as the inventory.  Items that are collected will be automatically added to the inventory from where they can be used when required.  I found that the blocky graphics made it harder to identify items that could be valuable to collect.

Although this game is meant to be played from beginning to end, you do have the option to tackle chapters individually in whatever order appeals.  You simply select the Chapters options from the title screen and scroll through to your chosen playing field.  This is not an approach I recommend but it might appeal to some.

The Last Door Season 2 can be purchased from the Phoenix Online Store priced at $9.99.  The game is available for PC, Mac or Linux.  I have been using the Windows version of the software which requires a Pentium 4 processor with 2GB of RAM and 300MB of hard disk space running Windows XP and later.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/402530/