Le Bastion de la Porte

This is one of the bigger complete games in the French Comp this year (2024).

You play in a fantasy world with two main races, one of which is white and in power and the other dark skinned and with less power. You are part of the latter group, and you have been called to be the guardian of a mysterious Door.

No one who goes through the door ever returns. As the guardian, you are given seven rules, including that you should try to dissuade anyone from entering, but can't physically prevent them.

The game has two main modes of interaction. One is recurring visits where you talk to a person and make decisions, some substantial. The other is exploration, which seems to stay roughly the same. There is a part where you need to solve a code; I made a guess based on my weak french and got it right on my first try (Spoiler - click to show)I thought 'ice, flower, sun, leaf' and put in 'hfsf'. I either got it right or it accepts anything.

I did get engaged over time seeing the evolution of the kingdom and the strange people entering the door. In the end, I chose to go through.

It said I only found 2 of 15 objects, and I only saw 300 or so of the 900 passages, so I assume it is very replayable.

Dans cette fiction interactive, nous incarnons la nouvelle gardienne d'une porte mystérieuse dont personne ne revient. Le but de notre garde n'est pas d'empêcher les gens de passer, mais seulement d'essayer de les en dissuader - une manière de tester leur résolution a traverser une porte sans retour sur l'inconnu.

Au fil du temps, quelques personnes viennent, pour découvrir l'inconnu ou pour échapper a un sort moins agréable en restant de ce côté de la porte.

Le jeu est très bien réalisé et possède un contenu impressionnant. Et ce sans compter sur les mises à jours prévues.

Le Bastion de la Porte is a fantasy game made in Moiki, where you play as Salma, a Trimolienne in the land of Sargh, as the newly appointed lonely guardian of the Door up high in the mountain. Your task is to guard the door, and try (but not pressure) any passers-by not to cross it. What is behind the door? No one knows, as no one has ever come back from it. How will you handle that task? Will you let everyone through or force them to turn back? Will you go through the door yourself as your predecessor has?

The job, however, is a lonely one. Aside from your monthly delivery (with the best boi Ernest!), few climb up the mountain, wanting to reach the mysterious landmark. But when they do, you get to listen to their stories, ask some questions (and maybe answer theirs), maybe share some wine, and potentially change their fate. There is never a right or wrong answer, though maybe some will make you question your ethics and morals. It is touching and emotional, and makes you reflect on what is important.

Throughout the story you get may be able to ponder on the meaning of the door and what it could represent. One character might make you think it is simply an allegory for moving on to the next plane, another as a escape from danger and difficulties, a final one as a celebration to dive into the unknown. It is quite interesting how one single thing can represent widely different concepts.

While it is already pretty entertaining (and with an impressive count of over 900 screens), I wished we could have had more during the downtime. You are able to interact with elements around the house, though it is sparse and does not change much between periods. You can always take the same shower, reel in some water from the well, pick up some dried meat, and look yourself in the mirror or at you sparse house décor. And when you do, the text seems to be the same (or fairly similar).
It would have been interesting to maybe do some activities to spruce up the hut, like gardening or fixing the roof, remark upgrades done by the Fédération after you complain about things, picking up a hobby…
And, being able to wait for time to pass in other spots than your bed, like at the desk doing some writing or doodling, or sitting by the fire, and when during the spring/summer, maybe waiting outside on a log enjoying the nice weather.

The game page indicates further updates, which would include missing chapters and other types of gameplay, are to be expected. I’m looking forward to those.