Four Last Things Is Discounted On Steam And You Should Buy It

Four Last Things has been on my radar for a while.  The game has some amazing visuals based on Renaissance art, particularly the very distinct, fantastic artwork by Hieronymus Bosch (check this stuff out).  The in-game animation looks like the cartoons from Monty Python and the game’s sense of humor is very reminiscent of some of the old Monty Python movies (with plenty of references to more modern adventure games).  On top of all of that, the game is a classic-style point-and-click adventure with smart puzzles that are fun without ever getting terribly frustrating.  I knew the game was brief and that adventure games are not terribly replayable.  However, when I saw the price drop on Steam I bought it right away and I’ve been loving it since.  If you’re a fan of art, or point-and-click adventures, or just novel and innovative gameplay, you should pick it up right now.

Are there really only seven deadly sins? What about when you write a mean review on Yelp for a restaurant you haven’t actually been to?

The game gives you a pretty simple task: commit the seven deadly sins so that you can repent and get to heaven.  And, to be clear, the game is pretty brief, but it’s beautiful.  The settings are all inspired by Renaissance art (particularly Hieronymus Bosch) and the music is all classical as well.  There are about a dozen screens you’ll move through and it doesn’t take terribly long to identify where your sins need to be committed (heck there’s not much more than seven areas you can interact with).  Gameplay is traditional point-and-click with some fun dialogue with different characters. If you see an item you can grab, grab it.  If there’s someone you can talk to, speak with them (it’ll be funny if not that helpful).  If there’s a window you can peep into….well, remember, you are trying to commit sins, after all.

I’ve read that his art may have been inspired by his use of hallucinogens. I dunno about that, but for god’s sake never look at his art if you’re on hallucinogens.

The game is definitely designed for casual gamers to enjoy.  As you play, you’ll notice your inventory never gets terribly full and there’s never much difficulty figuring out where your puzzle areas are.  Puzzle games are at their best, in my opinion, when they don’t overwhelm you with tasks, inventory, or locations.  That’s definitely the case here.  The biggest limitation with any puzzle game is the lack of replayability.  I may not play through this adventure again, but I definitely will show it to others.  It’s a great game for people who don’t usually play games (but love the artwork of Bosch).

One down, seven to go.

I wish there were more games like Four Last Things.  The game is an easy puzzler but the art is not only beautiful but also historical.  I enjoyed the puzzles but I really enjoyed learning to appreciate the little details in the artwork by Hieronymus Bosch and his students.  The music, too, is lovingly rendered and memorable.  There’s a lot done here with public domain work; I’d love to see more games do the same thing.  While I love to see original game art inspired by classics, it’s refreshing to see a game showing so much devotion to truly amazing art.  Particularly art like this that has inspired so many contemporary works.

Ugh. And I thought those stacks of mutilated bodies in The Evil Within were gross.

THE GOOD PARTS

The art and music are astoundingly good.  The puzzles are also pretty well designed (yeah, one or two may be a little simplistic, but committing the sin of lust is surprisingly complicated!).  I want to see a lot more games like this.

THE BAD PARTS

The adventure is pretty short (maybe 2-3 hours) but you will want to show your friends and any of those haters who say you can’t learn anything from a video game.

OVERALL: BUY IT

For $2, this is a terrific adventure that’s cleverly made using public-domain art and music.  I actually learned to appreciate art playing this game.  All that I learned playing Evil Within 2 was that zombies like to play dead.  Go buy it and enjoy feeling smarter as you play it.