History VideoGame / TheLastDoor

** Episode 4 - "Ancient Shadows", released February 18, 2014

* DaylightHorror: Though the entirety of Chapter 6 takes place during the day, it does nothing to deaden the fear of the manor's basement, the cave, or [[spoiler:the bizarre manner of Professor Wright’s death.]]

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: [[spoiler:Dr. Wakefield]]'s dream about [[spoiler:meeting the man on crutches in an alley at the beginning of Chapter 5]] eventually comes true.

* GuideDangIt: The one and only use for the rolled-up music score in Chapter 3 isn't easily discerned: [[spoiler:you have to make Devitt blow through it at the feather in the cage]].

* IdiotBall: Devitt and Wakefield continually walk into situations that most sane people would run screaming away from. While they have their reasons to push on, there's often the feeling that continuing on into that creepy, dark cave is a really bad idea, ButThouMust.

* INeverGotAnyLetters: In Chapter 2, Matthew Vinge didn't receive letters from his fiancé, because his sister intercepts them. When the Devitt gives the letter, Mary "reads" it instead, cliaming that it's from his mother and that she's worried about him. When Matthew finds out the truth about the letters, Mary claims it is to keep the parasite out of the family - but is then sent away by Matthew.

* OpiumDen: One shows up near the end of chapter 5.

** The best example is in Anna's room in Chapter 1, where you find graffiti scribbled in blood at the top of the walls and the Lady of the house lying on her bed, dead from dehydration. [[FridgeHorror Then you remember she was paralyzed and needed a servant to get her out of bed, let alone write on the walls.]]

* ScoobyDooHoax: Devitt uses one in Chapter 2 to get to talk to one of the patients, who is being closely guarded by a nun. [[spoiler:He places a teardrop-shaped piece of crystal on the face of a statue of the Virgin Mary and uses a mirror to flash light onto it, making it look like the statue is weeping. The nun sees this as an omen and leaves to pray about it, giving Devitt access to the patient.]]

** Devitt meets Alexandre and his cult in a theatre. The cult are all [[Literature/TheKingInYellow wearing yellow robes and masks.]]

** Chapter 7 is a massive shout-out to the classic version of ''[[Film/TheWickerMan1973 The Wicker Man]]''. Which makes it all the more creepy if you've actually seen the film, but have no choice but to press on.
** The cat being blinded by Anthony and walled up in the basement could be a mash-up of two of Poe's works: "The Cask of Amontillado" and "The Black Cat."

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted; Devitt visits a therapist in Episode 2 in an attempt to get over seeing Anthony's dead body and all of the terrifying visions since. And this is in 1890, when psychological therapy was still a somewhat obscure treatment.

* BoardingSchoolOfHorrors: The setting of Chapter 2. [[spoiler: Mainly due to the ritual performed by the Four Witnesses]]

* BuriedAlive: This is what happened to [[spoiler: Baldwin’s victims.]]

* DownTheRabbitHole: The climax of [[spoiler: Chapter 2]] invokes this motif heavily.
* DreamingOfThingsToCome: [[spoiler:Dr. Wakefield]]'s dream about [[spoiler: meeting the man on crutches in an alley at the beginning of Chapter 5]] eventually comes true.

** There's another, far creepier example [[spoiler: in chapter 5, where you find a yellow robe and a cultist mask. What makes it creepy is that, until you remove the mask, it looks like someone ''is'' wearing them.]]

** The first, and most memorable so far, is when [[spoiler: Devitt breaks open a weak wall of fresh concrete in Anthony's basement and discovers a live cat trapped behind it. Its eyes have been torn out, presumably by Anthony]], as there is a note written by him that suggests that [[spoiler: he blinded the cat himself in his madness as a form of "punishing him for his mockery"]].

** We find out near the end of Chapter 2 that [[spoiler: Father Ernest ''burned out his own eyes'']].

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler: The ending to the final chapter regrettably makes little to no sense. Many issues regarding the nature of the Veil, the King of Birds, and the characters are all left unresolved, with no guarantee of a sequel.]]

* GuideDangIt: The one and only use for the rolled-up music score in Chapter 3 isn't easily discerned: [[spoiler:you have to make Devitt blow through it at the feather in the cage.]]

* MalevolentMaskedMen: [[spoiler: As-yet-unidentified people in yellow robes and white masks appear at the end of Chapter 3. They're apparently part of some cabal that worships the Bird/Eye of the Bird/King of Birds. They also offer Jeremiah a mask of his own, which he apparently accepts.]]
** Season 2 further elaborates on it. [[spoiler:They're members of the organization known as Playwright, led by The Playwright.]]

* PosthumousCharacter: Anthony Beechworth. While he does show up alive in the first game [[StartsWithASuicide long enough to kill himself]], we mostly learn of him and how he drives the plot after he dies. [[spoiler: Especially since The Five Arches short story prologue is from his point of view.]]

* ScareChord: There are many of these throughout the game. A notable example occurs when [[spoiler: Devitt finds the note saying 'Baldwin lies' in the missing patient's bed.]]
* ScoobyDooHoax: Devitt uses one in Chapter 2 to get to talk to one of the patients, who is being closely guarded by a nun. [[spoiler: He places a teardrop-shaped piece of crystal on the face of a statue of the Virgin Mary and uses a mirror to flash light onto it, making it look like the statue is weeping. The nun sees this as an omen and leaves to pray about it, giving Devitt access to the patient.]]
* SecretCircleOfSecrets: Shows up [[spoiler:at the end of Chapter 3]], but there's hints of it in Chapter 4[[spoiler: and may be related to the bunny scene in Chapter 2]]. It doesn't help that this overlaps with the MindScrew stuff that's going on.
* SelfImmolation: [[spoiler: Father Ernest sets himself on fire with a dropped lantern in the end of Chapter 2.]]

** While wandering the sewers in London, you can hear the pleasant hummed tune of "Hush Little Baby." It's creepy in context, but it still sounds nice. [[spoiler: The singing is the spirit of a singer named Daphne, whose body grew into the tree found in the sewers.]]

* SurrealHorror: There are numerous scenes that don't seem related to the main plot and feel like something out of a Film/DavidLynch film. [[spoiler:Particularly the Rabbit Scene]]. This and the fact that they don't have any explanation makes them even more haunting and disturbing.
* StageMom: Seems to have been the case with the delusional Cattie's father, who forced her to endlessly rehearse and repeat her songs and dances, and became violent and abusive when she asked to play outside after an 8-hour day of practice. [[spoiler: It's implied [[TheDogBitesBack she murdered him to put an end to it]].]]

* WasOnceAMan:[[spoiler:It's implied Hugo Ashdown became the hand-like monster seen in Chapter 6]].

** The first, and most memorable so far, is when [[spoiler: Devitt breaks open a weak wall of fresh concrete in Anthony's basement and discovers a live cat trapped behind it. Its eyes have been torn out, presumably by Anthony]],as there is a note written by him that suggests that [[spoiler: he blinded the cat himself in his madness as a form of "punishing him for his mockery"]].

** We find out near the end of Chapter 2 that [[spoiler:And Father Ernest ''burned out his own eyes'']].

* ParentalAbandonment: A flashback shows that Devitt's father shipped him off to boarding school after his mother died, with the excuse that "a man of his stature can't be bothered to raise a little boy", and tells him to not bother writing home.

** While wandering the sewers in London, you can hear the pleasant hummed tune of "Hush Little Baby." It's creepy in context, but it still sounds nice. [[spoiler: The singing is the spirit of a singer named Daphne, whose body grew into the tree found in the sewers]]

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Father Ernest and Mother Elizabeth are two prominent examples. It also appears that Jeremiah and Anthony's school was run by the Catholic church.

* DaylightHorror: Though the entirety of Chapter 6 takes place during the day, it does nothing to deaden the fear of the manor’s basement, the cave, or [[spoiler:the bizarre manner of Professor Wright’s death.]]

* [[spoiler: RiverOfInsanity: Downplayed in The Five Arches, as they don't spend much time on the river; most of the story deals with them confronting [[ReligionOfEvil far]], [[VisionQuest far]] worse things.]]

* [[StageMom Stage Dad]]: Seems to have been the case with the delusional Cattie's father, who forced her to endlessly rehearse and repeat her songs and dances, and became violent and abusive when she asked to play outside after an 8-hour day of practice. [[spoiler: It's implied [[TheDogBitesBack she murdered him to put an end to it]].]]

* [[spoiler:TomatoInTheMirror: The founder of the Playwright organization is Jeremiah Devitt.]]

''The Last Door'' is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series by the Seville based indie-developer Creator/TheGameKitchen. Set in [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]], it puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school friend, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds things in a strange state: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in an enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

* TheScream: Chapter 4. Shows back up in Chapter 8 as well.

''The Last Door'' is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series by the Seville based indie-developer The Game Kitchen set in [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]] that puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school pal, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds everything in a very weird way: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in a very enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

The game can be bought through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} or be played on its official website [[https://thelastdoor.com/index.php/episodes here.]] The complete game consists of two "seasons" of content. In addition, several "minisodes" has been produced for the "Collector's Edition" version of the game. The two seasons consist of the following episodes:

* AlwaysNight: Most notable Episode 3 and 4. Chapter 1 and Chapter 7 both begin at sunset, however.

* ArcWords: Several and each repetition piles unease on top of unease.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: [[spoiler:Dr. Wakefield]]'s dream about [[spoiler: meeting the man on crutches in an alley in the beginning of Chapter 5]] eventually comes true.

* DrivenToSuicide: Anthony at the start of Chapter One, [[spoiler:Monsignor Father Ernest at the end of chapter two.]]

** There's also the recurring allusions to the Eye of the Bird in both Devitt's nightmares and in Father Ernest's ravings. [[spoiler:And Father Ernest ''burned out his own eyes'']].

** To obtain a replacement red light bulb in Chapter 4 [[spoiler:you have to go back to the starting area, find a dead deer that wasn't there when you started, and smear the light bulb in its blood. The fact this deer is present to do this is never hinted at, nor would you expect to go back to an otherwise empty starting area for any reason.]]

* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Devitt is a university teacher in Classic Philosophy and has dedicated much of his life to his studies and as a result he leads a lonely life.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Devitt was a victim of this entirely forgetting the experiment at the old boarding school. [[spoiler:Turns out though he was much more involved in the Playwright society, and it was a second attempt to cross the Veil that erased his memories of the experiments.]]

* MadDoctor: Subverted, mostly, as the two ''real'' doctors in this game, Kaufmann and Wakefield, act as the two main protagonists of Season 2 and if they are mad at all it's due to the circumstances thrust upon them. Played straight however with [[spoiler:Father Ernest Glynn, as while he is still technically a [[SinisterMinister "holy man"]] he runs the hospice out of Jeremiah's old boarding school and has been conducting horrible experiments by trying to get his patients to see into the Veil leading to them all dying or going mad, on top of [[EyeScream certain self-inflicted horrors]].]]

* MindScrew: Plenty, and there's little explanation for any of it so far. Particularly near the end of chapter 3.

* {{My God What Have I Done}}: Anthony’s reason for suicide. [[spoiler:Explored in more detail in Chapter 8: the guilt of losing his wife and dragging Devitt back into the Playwright.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: A flashback shows that Devitt's father shipped him off to boarding school after his mother died, with the excuse that "a man of his stature cant be bothered to raise a little boy", and tells him to not bother writing home.

* PlotBasedPhotographObfuscation: An ''unintentional'' example caused by the graphics/pixel art-style limitations. You can't see any of the photos you pick up in your inventory bar, which can either take away from the plot, or add mysticism to it.

** The graphics are chunky and heavily pixelated, on par with the early to mid 90s.

* [[spoiler: RiverOfInsanity: Downplayed in The Five Arches, as they don't spend much time on the river; most of the story deals with them confronting [[ReligionOfEvil Far]], [[VisionQuest Far]] worse things.]]

** The best example is where you find graffiti scribbled in blood at the top of the walls. And the Lady of the house is still on her bed dead from dehydration.... [[FridgeHorror Then you remember she was paralyzed and needed a servant to get her out of bed let alone scribble something.]]

* SecretCircleOfSecrets: Shows up [[spoiler:at the end of chapter 3]], but there's hints of it in chapter 4[[spoiler: And may be related to the bunny scene in chapter 2]]. It doesn't help that this overlaps with the MindScrew stuff that's going on.

** Devitt meets Alexandre and his cult in a theatre. The cult are all [[Literature/TheKingInYellow wearing yellow robes and masks]].
** The Angel statues that moves on their own accord in Episode 4 whenever someone aren't watching them. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E10Blink Now, were has something like that been seen before?]]
** Chapter 7 is a massive shout out to the classic version of ''[[Film/TheWickerMan1973 The Wicker Man]]''. Which makes it all the more creepy if you've actually seen the film, but have no choice but to press on.
** The cat being blind and walled up in the basement could be a mash-up of two of Poe's works: The Cask of Amontillado and The Black Cat.

* SoundtrackDissonance: While the music's generally on-tone with lots of dramatic strings and eerie laments, there are three instances of dissonance that deserve mention:

* [[StageMom Stage Dad]]: Seems to have been the case with the delusional Cattie's father, who forced her to endlessly rehearse and repeat her songs and dances, and became violent and abusive when she asked to play outside after an 8 hour day of practice. [[spoiler: Its implied she murdered him to put an end to it]]

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted; Devitt visits a therapist in Episode 2 in an attempt to get over seeing Anthony's dead body and all of the terrifying visions since. And this in 1890 where psychological therapy was still kind of an obscure treatment.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Father Ernest in chapter 2 after Jeremiah discovers the ritual room, the culmination of the growing realization that all the people he experimented on were driven mad and killed in vain because only The Four Witnesses could pierce the Veil.]]

''The Last Door'' is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series set in [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]] that puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school pal, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds everything in a very weird way: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in a very enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

The game can be bought through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} or be played on its official website [[https://thelastdoor.com/index.php/episodes here.]] The complete game consists of two "seasons" of content. In addition, several "minisodes" has been produced for the "Collector's Edition" version of the game.

The Last Door is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series set in [[UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]] that puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school pal, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds everything in a very weird way: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in a very enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

* WasOnceAMan:[[spoiler:Implied with the monster in chapter 6]].

The game can be bought through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} or be played on its official website [[https://thelastdoor.com/index.php/episodes here.]] Currently, the first season, consisting of four episodes has been completed, while a second season of another four episodes is currently in the works. In addition, several "minisodes" has been produced for the "Collector's Edition" version of the game.

** A couple to the ''Literature/TheRaven''

** Chapter 7 is a massive shout out to the classic version of [[Film/TheWickerMan The Wicker Man]]. Which makes it all the more creepy if you've actually seen the film, but have no choice but to press on.

The Last Door is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series set in [[VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]] that puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school pal, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds everything in a very weird way: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in a very enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given Creator/LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

->''Malum in se'' [[note]]A Latin phrase meaning "evil in itself."[[/note]]

The Last Door is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] horror AdventureGame series set in [[VictorianBritain 1890s Great Britain]] that puts the player in the shoes of Jeremiah Devitt, a man who's just received a strange and urgent letter from his old school pal, Anthony. When he reaches his friend's house, he finds everything in a very weird way: the house is seemingly deserted, spooky notes are scattered on the floor, and there's a murder of crows devouring... something in a very enthusiastically bloody way in the backyard. Obviously, Jeremiah has some questions and sets out to get to the bottom of this mystery. Using a traditional PointAndClickGame layout very much akin to any given LucasArts AdventureGame, you'll guide Jeremiah as he unravels the mystery of what's occurred and why.

** The PointAndClick AdventureGame system evokes classic LucasArts.

** Also worth noting is one of Anthony's servants: the only religious object you can find in the mansion is a rosary.

** "Videte ne quis sciat" which is, apparently, the motto of the witnesses' "philosophy club" and translates roughly to "let no one know."

* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Season 2 has the player take control of Devitt's therapist, Dr. Wakefield.

** There's also the parable about a rabbit tricking its predators that alludes to something not quite explained yet.
* AmnesiacDissonance: [[spoiler:According to Alexandre, Devitt was the one most devoted to crossing the Veil before he lost his memories. When Alexandre tries to bring him back, Devitt is so horrified at what the efforts of crossing the Veil have wrought upon Anthony and Father Ernest that he sets out to completely erase the Playwright from existence.]]

The game is played in chapters and takes Jeremiah from Anthony's estate to their old school and deep into the frightening past they shared. A great deal of attention is paid to the thoroughly unsettling atmosphere of the game, particularly in regards to the music and the basic quality of the graphics. The game's developer, Creator/TheGameKitchen, has indicated that two of their leading inspirations were HPLovecraft and EdgarAllanPoe. It shows.

* BlondGuysAreEvil: [[spoiler:As noted below, Alexandre was the fairest-haired amongst the Four Witnesses, and he also is the only one of them who wasn't horrified by what happened when they pierced the Veil but rather amazed by it to the point where he is trying to replicate the result.]]