Written by Caterina 2022 Cohort
Good game graphics will naturally attract a large number of players. After all, if the graphics are only gray, white and black, will you still be interested? “The White Door” is such a minimalist game. I enjoy playing this game for various reasons, and I’ll go through several of them in this article. First, The White Door is a point-and-click puzzle game with a mystery storyline. The player assumes the role of Robert, a patient attempting to flee from a strange mental hospital. The White Door uses a split-screen presentation of scenes, with the left side of the screen mainly from a third-person perspective, while the right side is Robert’s perspective. Robert’s daily treatment was based on a flow with corresponding actions. The “nighttime memories” were based on monologues. The black and white lines become increasingly colourful as Robert retrieves the memories.
The story takes a sharp turn when Sarah, a supporting character, betrays the Rusty Lake organization and erases Robert’s memory of Laura. Its gameplay is unique. At first glance, it looks like a puzzle game. However, later on, the narrative component of the game progressively replaces the puzzle component, and the players will feel more like they are participating in a story than just completing puzzles. Every click attempts to learn more about the story’s truth. This should be related to the game’s design since, in the “daytime,” the player controls the character in the third person, significantly reducing their sense of involvement.
In the “night,” the player controls the character in first-person to finish the plot, diminishing the puzzle’s purpose and improving the narrative. Two different points of view will surely add a feeling of originality to the unique experience of other games.
The White Door has excellent graphics and sound design. The game perfectly captures the mood and atmosphere of the mental hospital. Simple line art makes up the game’s aesthetics, but with the colour changes and unexpected horrors, it’s still that Rusty Lake style that makes you want to play. The sound design is also noteworthy, with a soundtrack that adds to the game’s tension and unease. The visuals and sound effects work together to create an immersive experience.
White Door is a game that I genuinely enjoy playing. Its compelling storyline, challenging gameplay, excellent graphics and sound design make it a captivating and engaging game. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and thought-provoking game.