The ongoing development of this game is unique, even when compared to other crowdfunded point-and-clicks. The episodic adventure began with a Kickstarter campaign that raised about $7,400 from 285 backers. This funded the first episode of the game which can be enjoyed free of charge on the game’s official website. The second episode then began its crowdfunding initiative, this time straight from the game’s web page as opposed to somewhere like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Once an episode is fully funded, developed, and becomes playable, the episode before it transitions to free to play. Assuming this intriguing model continues to find success for The Game Kitchen, the process will repeat until at least four episodes complete development.

But enough talk of funding and development, what about the game itself? We start with a simple and very disturbing prologue that instantly draws you in and forces you to wonder what in the hell is going on. Without ruining too much, I will say that things begin masterfully. I knew immediately that The Last Door would be a cut above the average web browser-based game and closer to the type of storytelling found in horror adventures like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The unnerving tone is heightened by an impressive fully orchestrated soundtrack, something I did not expect from such a low budget title. Like Amnesia, the strange story unfolds slowly by exploring and finding letters and clues left in the mysterious house you find yourself in.

The mechanics of the game don’t break any new ground for the genre, but they do their job. Just as you might expect, the player uses the mouse to click around and explore the game’s surroundings. When the cursor hovers over something of interest, it turns into a magnifying glass. Whenever an item can be picked up for use later, the cursor turns into a hand. To use these items, simply click on the one from the inventory you want to use, and then click on the part of the game world you wish to use it on. Again, no surprises here, not that everything in the game needs to surprise its audience. One point of minor annoyance, though, is that whenever an item can be picked up you must first examine it (magnifying glass), and then pick it up (hand). When I first began playing I quickly got stuck because I had examined everything I could find, but didn’t know that I could click certain items again to pick them up. Since there doesn’t appear to be a reason to not nab anything you can, examining and picking up collectable items could be completed in one click, but they aren’t. Again, a very minor problem, but it did cause some headaches for me early on.

The game sports a low-res style that some will find endearing and others off-putting. Personally, I enjoy the sharp contrast of the spooky tone, haunting music, and flat, blurry, blocky visuals. It feels endearingly nostalgic while not feeling overly retro. I imagine the simple look of the game was a necessary choice given the limited budget and small number of developers, but the game does a wonderful job of flourishing within the confines of the style. At first glance things seem primitive, but after spending just a few minutes with the game it becomes apparent that the game’s sensibilities are much more modern than one might expect. I suppose the look of the game might detract from the creepiness for some, but it didn’t for me. I enjoyed more than my fair share of genuinely chilling moments while playing through the released episodes.

In some ways, the appeal of The Last Door is incredibly niche. After all, it’s an old school style point-and-click adventure horror game that you play in a web browser. However, if you hear that string of descriptive words and aren’t immediately turned off, I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s a brilliantly-crafted, disturbing mystery that deserves to be experienced. The first chapter is free to play, so why not try it out? You won’t regret it.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Chapters one and two of The Last Door are available from the game’s official website, and chapter three is currently in development. That’s something you can help along, if you’re interested in that kind of thing.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Rubberkid includes a series of nine mini-games split into three different game types. Ultimately though they all play like variations of Super Breakout, repelling the insults thrown by the bullies back at them. In some versions the bullies upon being hit will turn into good school children, and other modes play more like tower-defense games - holding off the insults until the timer runs out. Whether any of this teaches the child on the subject of bullying is up for debate. Regardless, it’s a simple gameplay mechanic that works for its audience in mind.

Visually and technically there is no reason it would struggle to find its way onto touchscreen devices. It’s not groundbreaking  but it works solidly enough. With that said, the gameplay is only part of the purpose here; it’s the message that needs to be discussed.

Each of the nine mini-games have a different scenario involving a child or children. You receive an explanation beforehand as to the reasoning behind why the child is being bullied. If you’re successful in preventing the taunting reaching the child, you are given two scenarios explaining what would happen to the child’s life; one scenario is a ‘happy ending’ and alternatively one is a ‘sad ending’.

Here is where the main issue with the game lies: It’s the inherent problem with tackling a subject like this to an audience of a young age with such a minimalistic approach of bullying = bad! Compliments = good! For example, Alan is bullied for being the chess club champion at school. If you are successful, Alan will become a great inventor and remove bullying from schools completely. If you fail, Alan will commit suicide. It’s completely black or white as you’re either Christ reborn or the reincarnation of Satan. Here the child will do some great thing for humanity as a whole, or will spend the rest of their life not fulfilling their potential – or much worse. There is no ‘absolute’ outcome in real life, and anyone who has been affected by bullying might feel that entire subject comes across as cartoonish, which I’m sure was not the intent of the developer.

Overall it is hard to recommend Rubberkid. As a light-hearted casual game for a child to play, there are better games out there. As a tool to educate your child on bullying, you’re probably better off talking to the child yourself. While I would say that video games have the potential to educate kids on weighty topics like bullying, that discussion – along with topics like racism and sexism – have a long way to go.

Overall Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

The game is free to play on browser with the option to pay what you like. 

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.