At some point, Anthony Beechworth, an old colleague of Jeremiah Devitt from a secluded boarding school in Scotland, who currently lives in Beechworth Manor in Sussex, starts behaving strangely. On 5 March 1891, Anthony wants his service, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer, to remove religious objects from the house. As of 18 May 1891, Anthony complains about Alphie the cat. He wants the cat to be kept out of the house. The Brewers care for the cat and feed it. At some point, Anthony blinds the cat because he thinks that it knows his secrets and persecutes him. As of 15 September 1891, Anthony spends days locked in his office. He barely eats anything. At this point or earlier
he probably conducts chemistry experiments. Some time later, Anthony's behavior becomes disturbing enough that the Brewers leave his service. A few days later, Anthony’s wife, Anna, writes a letter to her friend, Margaret. Not long thereafter, she dies in her bed. Bereft of all hope, Anthony writes Devitt a letter before hanging himself.
Full Summary[]
The pilot episode of The Last Door. This chapter takes place in Anthony Beechworth's estate. Jeremiah decides it's time to check upon his old friend after receiving a very disturbing letter. After reading the letter Jeremiah takes the first train toward Sussex, where his old boarding school friend currently resides.
When he arrives at his friend's mansion, he notices that the building is completely abandoned. The staff hasleft because of recent events and Anthony is nowhere to be found. Another strange thing is that on the first floor one of the doors are barricaded.
In the backyard, Devitt finds a group of crows feasting upon an unidentified object. He can't go near the object because the crows are very aggressive..
After investigating the house, Devitt finds some tools to open the barricaded door and finds the corpse of Anna in a bed. She appears to be the late wife of Anthony. Devitt also finds some clues in scattered notes
around the mansion. The notes tell him that Anthony was behaving very odd lately. He locked himself in his room, forbid all religious items and rituals inside his estate and didn't eat properly. His wife also seemed to be having some issues herself. She became obsessed with the portraits of Anthony's relatives. She figured they didn't think she was worthy of Anthony or was is another entity that was silently judging her?? When Devitt finds himself a way to get to the attic he finds the corpse of his beloved friend Anthony. He hang himself in the attic. Right after Devitt finds Anthony, the corpse gets attacked and devoured by a very vicious and ferocious flock of crows.
Other notes (by kpr007)[]
Ok, the great question for this episode events, and in the context of next ones, is: why now? Why things are happening now? Why not right after events revealed in Episode 2? At this point some may blame it on some mental illness. Sudden madness. Notes may suggesting it. We know that for at least seven, eight months Anthony was behaving strangely and his condition was getting worse and worse. He felt pursued. We know now that some unnatural forces are involved. So we left madness on the side track (at least a madness considered as a reason of everything that happens). Anthony was afraid. I believe he had a feeling something is coming for him. And perhaps something was. That is why he had a map in his office with markings of events described in press articles. Chemical remainings suggest that he was working on something. I don't think that he or his wife were possessed by some entity and brought to death. That were they own actions. I like it that way that his wife died of her despair and hopelessness.Last, but not least. Moreover, the thing I think loved the most about episode 1. The lynx figure. There is no coincidence that lynx was used, not some other cat. You may think that course of actions needed to finish first episode is simply collection of riddles, and what matters for whole story in episode 1 is only beginning, crows and ending. In fact, all this cat and lynx fragments are cute story background. Wikipedia states that lynx:
"is considered an elusive and mysterious creature, known in some American Indian traditions as a 'keeper of secrets'. It is also believed to have supernatural eyesight, capable of seeing even through solid objects. As a result, it often symbolises the unravelling of hidden truths, and the psychic power of clairvoyance."
I think that Anthony considered lynx as some kind of "guardian spirit", a symbol of his quest for knowledge and truth. He even had stuff lynxed. When he became disturbed, he started to perceive his cat Alfie as threat. He gave it mythological powers of a lynx. The lynx stopped to be a symbol of unearthing the truth, it became a reminder of what Anthony did, a remorse, a guilt. The cat knew. And didn't want to stop talking about it. That is why Anthony blinded the cat, changed the painting closing lynx mouth and (perhaps) cut off tongue of stuffed lynx. In the last glimpse of sanity, Anthony decided to stop fighting and killed himself. Like in the wife case. I prefer it that way that supernatural powers had nothing to do with it. Cat wasn't possessed. It was only Anthony madness and guilt that affected his perception of reality.
The Last Door proves that a game doesn’t need high-resolution visuals to pull players into a truly disturbing atmosphere.Read full review
80% AppFolder
Demio-8 November 25, 2013 (Japanese)
Even in recent years as games have progressively higher definition displays and realizations, the game is a dot picture. I feel that it's sublimely charming and one of the game's strengths.*Read full review
favorable Bit Rebels
Sida Li April 16, 2013
My experience with this game has been extremely positive. The quality of a point and click adventure game ultimately depends on the plot and the puzzles, and The Last Door nails both.Read full review
See All 31 Critic Reviews
80% Capsule Computers
Zac Elawar July 7, 2013
These introductory chapters may be short and somewhat simple in regards to the puzzles, but they establish the world extremely well.Read full review
70% Digitally Downloaded
Max. S July 15, 2013
The Last Door is a unique game because of its brilliant soundtrack, intriguing mystery, and painstaking attention to detail, all of which coalesce beautifully into a haunting experience that eventually erases any sense of familiarity.Read full review
70% The Disconsolate (Desconsolados)
Vladimir Sahornil July 16, 2013 (Spanish)
A game with a very attractive plot, gameplay, music and price. The pixilation gives a “romantic” touch to the game, but it causes some things to be overlooked due to the lack of detail of the important objects.*Read full review
favorable Engadget
Richard Mitchell April 19, 2013
Some adventurers may decry The Last Door's easy puzzles, but I found them just interesting enough to keep the story moving along.Read full review
favorable Ergohacks
Lily Ellis April 26, 2013
The Last Door: The Letter is a charming introduction to an interactive web series that holds a lot of promise. It is easy to play and even easier to enjoy and I really look forward to the next instalment.Read full review(dead link)
70% Eurogamer Spain
Jaime San Simón July 15, 2013 (Spanish)
Although it has the usual failings of the genre, it knows how to exploit its narrative and it lovingly transforms sound effects into a gloomy atmosphere.*Read full review
favorable Game Side Story
Mwarf August 25, 2013 (French)
The atmosphere of the game is simply intoxicating, masterfully distilling physical and psychological horror within a universe that is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. The number of clickable elements is not very large, so the game is not very difficult. This is a judicious choice that supports the atmosphere by not bogging down gameplay.*Read full review
60% GameCritics
Sparky Clarkson August 25, 2013
I've enjoyed the Lovecraft-tinged horror and Victorian mystery of the game's first two chapters and look forward to experiencing more of its world. The prospect of dealing with its obtuse puzzle design, however, fills me with the wrong kind of dread.Read full review
70% GameSpot
Carolyn Petit July 11, 2013
It's unfortunate that the puzzles you encounter aren't always more believably grounded in the game's haunting narrative.Read full review
90% Gamezebo
Jillian Werner Apr 5, 2013
While every detail of The Letter is perfectly arranged to immerse players in this tragic story, the music and sound effects create the strongest pull.Read full review
80% Game Industry News
Billy White August 10, 2013
The Last Door is a game that is fueled by its story and atmosphere. It has great music, subpar graphics and is the type of game that kept me on the edge of my seat.Read full review
"Great" GamingCity (MiastoGier.pl)
Materdea July 13, 2013 (Polish)
The Game Kitchen has done sensationally well! We are waiting with flushed cheeks for the remaining two episodes of The Last Door!*Read full review
80% HeyPoorPlayer
Jay Petrequin May 20, 2014
It’s predictable as a singular story, but works fine as an opening act of a greater story.Read full review
favorable Horrible Night
Ethan Moses July 18, 2013
While I’ve reviewed some pretty good games, very few of them have gotten into my head in the way that The Last Door: Chapter 1 has.Read full review
92% Jay Is Games
Dora July 19, 2013
It's not exactly what you'd call challenging, and its pixelated art style might not be for everyone, but The Last Door: Chapter One is a profoundly creepy start to what's shaping up to be a compelling horror story clothed in an adventure game.Read full review
favorable LeChuck's Fortress (La Fortaleza de LeChuck)
Arashi January 27, 2014 (Spanish)
I can only recommend The Last Door, an adventure that consists of episodes of around 30 minutes, and which flow naturally among the inexplicable events that pull you into the mystery.*Read full review
72% Mash Those Buttons
Joel Couture July 19, 2013
Despite bearing a similar look to some really old adventure games, the first two chapters of The Last Door were still quite capable of scaring their players, and it really doesn’t hurt that they’re pretty fluid adventure games with some logical puzzles.Read full review
90% New Gamer Nation
August 5, 2013
Whilst arguably derivative in places, the story told is fascinating and features some genuinely disturbing moments.Read full review
favorable Le Nius
Francesco Falcone October 27, 2014 (Italian)
Probably the best casual game of 2013, The Last Door deserves to be played and enjoyed by all who love a healthy chill down the spine.*Read full review
90% Outcast
Andrea Maderna May 21, 2014 (Italian)
The Last Door is both a show and a game that any lover of classic horror and adventure games should not miss.*Read full review
100% Playitlive
Le_crim July 14, 2013 (French)
Sometimes, like that, we come across games out of nowhere. At first glance, they have nothing going for them: not sexy, too classical, too much already seen. And yet we still press the play button. And we end up getting a huge slap in 5 minutes. This is a bit of what happened in my case with The Last Door.*Read full review
80% Red ADN
Andreu Presa Rodríguez July 15, 2013 (Spanish)
The Last Door is committed to the classic style of the genre, well-polished in all respects and worthy of the time investment.*Read full review
mixed The Shelter
Aurelio Maglione August 2, 2013 (Italian)
The game excels with respect to storytelling and atmosphere, but the mechanics are weak and not very inspiring.*Read full review
80% Survival Horror Reviews
Florencia Orsetti (Lunatika) July 15, 2013 (Spanish)
While the events in The Letter were intriguing enough to make me want to keep playing, I must admit that Memories had much more narrative strength and a more bearable pace.*Read full review
70% Thunderbolt
Matt Sawrey August 6, 2013
It’s a half hour jaunt through Beechworth’s eerily quiet mansion as his old school friend, Jeremiah Devitt, slowly unravels a tightly constructed, suspenseful slice of storytelling.Read full review
favorable True PC Gaming
Armaan Khan Jul 1, 2013
Because of the game’s lack of difficulty, hardcore fans of the genre might not enjoy what The Last Door Chapter 1 has to offer. I, however, found the simplicity made things more immersive, and it really let me settle in and absorb the story, style, and setting.Read full review
80% VGNetwork.it
Federico Giacobino July 10, 2013 (Italian)
The Last Door will probably always remain a niche game, but I sincerely hope it continues with the help of the fans. As a lover of horror and a long-time player of adventure games, I cannot help but love every aspect of this title.*Read full review
favorable Wraithkal
Peter Christiansen May 1, 2013
After wrapping up this first first part of the trilogy, I was knee-deep in a thrilling mystery, one that I felt a strong desire to solve.Read full review
Personal blog reviews[]
90% Focker Blog
November 24, 2013 (Hungarian)
A superb tailor-made adventure game that has been blessed with a brilliant atmosphere that is unparalleled among today's adventure games.*Read full review
favorable Mouse at Home (עכבר בבית)
Tamara July 21, 2013 (Hebrew)
You have to look at each screen as you look at Impressionist painting - from close up it looks like simple patches of color, and only from a distance can you see their meaning.*Read full review
favorable Party Loaded
Luke August 8, 2016 (podcast)
For a point and click puzzle game to make me actually jump out of my skin, two thumbs up.Read full review
favorable pixelpunsch
Markus Grundmann July 2, 2013 (German)
An homage to the literary and film genre of classic horror, in which true horror is not on the screen but inside the viewer's head.*Read full review