Doorways: Old Prototype

Some platformers aim too high when it comes to gameplay mechanics and story, forgetting all about the core concept when it comes to the genre: jumping. Hence, while there are plenty of platformers out there that managed to impress, it’s great to see simple games as well every now and again, sporting only the necessary elements for a challenging and fun experience.

Doorways: Old Prototype is a free-to-play game that’s more of an early demo than an actual full release, although it can still provide you with quite a good time. In essence, this aims to show the fans of the Doorways series how it all began, as well as let new players get acquainted with the franchise in its simplest form. Thus, there’s no story and no wild gameplay mechanics to take you by surprise.

The only thing that serves as some sort of story are the developer notes you can read along the way, although they are more like a short history of how the series came to be. However, the game world is pretty fascinating, not to mention creepy. There are no characters to meet and no dialog, so don’t expect to form any kind of connection with the world along the way.

As for the gameplay, the only thing you need to worry about is avoiding the gaps and making it to the next platform, which is achieved by jumping. Some of the platforms move around, while others are fragile and drop if you stay on them for too long. Thankfully, the mechanics are smooth enough to let you play as quickly as you desire, depending of course on your skill level.

The graphics are not bad either, although you shouldn’t expect anything too great. Even so, the world is quite beautiful, albeit slightly repetitive when it comes to level design. Some sections look very similar, so it’s difficult to take the exploration bit seriously. Thankfully, at least the controls are accurate and snappy, which is the most important element in a platformer.

In the end, Doorways: Old Prototype may not feature any story and there’s not a lot to see in regards to level design either, but at least you can get familiar with the controls and the mechanics without buying the actual games. Hence, it’s a great way to see whether the game is for you or not.