The Last Exam is a beautiful, hand-painted point and click adventure game where you are playing as Ryan, who keeps having the same dream over and over again. At first, it seems like a very normal day. You wake up, do some tasks in your house, and get ready for the last exam you are taking. But, each time you re-visit the dream, things seem to change.
In between trying to solve your dream, you spend some time in the present world. You can jot your dream down in your dream diary – drawing pictures and using words to show what that dream means to you. But, the world seems to start changing within the dream – shaped by your memories over the years. You start to go beyond your room, trying to unpack something that seems to be hidden.
The Last Exam is a very interesting take at memories and trying to get over something, even if you yourself aren’t fully sure what that something is. You will get to meet different individuals in your town, who don’t all seem like strangers, and try to reflect on what is going on. There are a lot of different observation-based puzzles, encouraging you to explore around the world and see what different interactions will cause. None of these feel rushed or difficult, but instead add to the immersive nature of the game.
Eventually, the line between your dream world and the real world start to feel quite blurred, as you try to piece together both your past and your current life. There is something so relatable, yet odd, about the world within this game. It’s a narrative-driven game that feels like it pulls you in and then changes exactly what you are looking at.
I got the chance to play a demo of The Last Exam at Gamescom. There isn’t a set release day yet, but you can wishlist the game on Steam.
