The Last Case of John Morley is a story-heavy, first-person adventure game full of intriguing puzzles and psychological twists. The story allows players to step into the shoes of famous detective, John Morley in a noir themed detective venture, solving a gruesome case in the 1940s.
Story
The story begins with John Morley waking up in a hospital, recovering from the injuries he sustained from his previous case. After some brief introduction of his character and his past dramatic yet successful cases, he is immediately commissioned to take on another one by the perplexing Lady Margeret Fordside.
The mystery that the players are tasked to solve is a 20-year-old violent murder case, the victim being Margeret Fordside’s daughter. Players will then go through different stages of the game, gathering pieces of evidence from the crime scene, and inevitably unwrapping the true story of this astonishing case.
In essence, the story does have quite an unpredictable ending, though it is also a cliché one. At first, the game seems to be full of nonsensical actions, which may have players questioning the real motive of Margeret Fordside, as well as the full competence of John Morley. However, these loose ends will only be tied up if players successfully go through the whole game. Overall, the entire plot is a well written one, and it is satisfying to see through to the end.
Gameplay
One thing worth noting is that this game is as much as a horror game as it is a detective game. I feel that the game’s store page should have let players know this beforehand, as the horror aspect may frustrate players who are only looking for a puzzle-filled detective game.
The puzzles are fun and not straightforward; however, they are not directly used towards solving the mystery. Rather, the puzzles are used to unlock doors for players to watch small scenes, limiting the player’s experience of actually doing detective work. The puzzles also lack variety, with most of them being combination codes that are quite random, and can simply be found in rooms and notes.
Other than that, the game’s immersion and story telling is still very well done. The mission areas are quite dynamic too, with the locations not being too big or too small.
Sound and Design
The music and atmosphere of the game manages to get players immersed into the world, story and the detective theme. The voice acting is great with little issues, and the performances made the story comprehensible enough to enjoy. On top of that, the sound design really adds to the tense and mysterious atmosphere that the game is aiming for.
However, at points, the game seems to do this a little too well. In some parts of the game, I found it hard to focus on the task at hand, as I was kept on edge by some unexpected jumpscare elements – perhaps due to the game hiding the fact that it has horror elements to begin with.
Additionally, the interactive prompts to trigger scenes could be a little bit brighter and bigger as they are very inconsistent, making them easy to miss. Missing one prompt could halt the whole game and story progression, and make players think that they are unable to solve a puzzle; when in reality, the puzzle has already been already solved, and the players just missed the prompt to watch a scene that is mandatory to progress.
Verdict
To conclude, The Last Case of John Morley is a story-driven game that prioritises atmosphere, psychological tension, and a final narrative payoff. While the puzzles may lack variety are is not really involved in the actual investigative process, the game still makes up for it with decent immersion and a compelling noir-horror atmosphere.
Players that are expecting a pure detective puzzle game may find the horror elements and guided storytelling a bit frustrating. Despite that, The Last Case of John Morley succeeds as an atmospheric narrative experience and is recommended for players who enjoy psychological stories, rather than those who are seeking deep, hands-on detective work.
This article was conjured up by Seth Foo, your overly passionate writer with a deep fondness for overly passionate poems. Check him out on Instagram @seth_youngers to get to know more about him, or to enquire about any entertainment-focused writing.
