While Last Dream may be the first title from indie developers White Giant RPG Studios, it feels surprisingly familiar – almost as if it could have been an early addition to the Final Fantasy franchise. Combining many of the genre’s best known staples, this nostalgic nod to the early classics serves asan homage to the strategic, turn-based battles and long, immersive narratives of the Role-Playing Games that populated the NES and SNES. With traditional 2-Dimensional graphics, a massive world map to explore, and dozens of hours of gameplay, Last Dreamprovides an experience reminiscent of the best JRPGs of the late 80s and early 90s.
Following the tradition of the first three Final Fantasy games, Last Dream begins without much of a backstory. After choosing four party members, our male or female protagonist is seen enjoying a simple day at the beach with their children. Suddenly, a hooded figure tricks the hero into entering a portal to another world, where they are rescued by a passerby and brought to the nearest town. Now, stranded on this strange world called Terra, the hero and their three new companions begin searching for a way back to Earth. By the time you gain control of your character, you realize that you are just as lost and confused as they are. Being thrown into the game like this certainly helps you to identify with the disoriented protagonist, but it doesn’t explain what this game is really about. The backstory does get revealed through a series of cutscenes, however, which appear in the form of flashbacks.
Slowly, we learn that the protagonist’s arrival on Terra is anything but random, and is the culmination of events a thousand years in the making. This millennium-long story spans the fall of the Elven empire, the rise of human rule, and the last Elf’s quest for immortality. For players who would prefer to have this backstory before they start, White Giant RPG Studios have made these cutscenes available to watch on their Youtube channel.
While the RPG Maker franchise has been around for many years, and spawned hundreds of other incredible titles, Last Dream provides a radiant example of what an indie-developed RPG can be.
Despite its slow start, Last Dream features a fairly robust narrative, exploring the themes of life, alienation and morality. In some ways, these themes describe the game’s own struggle to survive in the modern world. Unlike most of the recent RPGs being released, this game does not feature high definition 3D graphics, online multiplayer, animated facial expressions or voice-acting. Last Dream looks and feels like it was made twenty years ago for the Super Nintendo – a game that would seem to have no business in the era of high-end PCs, PS4s and Wii Us.
While Last Dream may have been designed to give long-time fans of the genre a chance to relive the simplicity of the NES and SNES, I think that their nostalgia would be better satisfied by re-playing the games that they miss in the first place. That being said, what is the point of this game? Does it add anything new to the Role-Playing experience? Truthfully, not very much.
While Last Dream may have been designed to give long-time fans of the genre a chance to relive the simplicity of the NES and SNES, I think that their nostalgia would be better satisfied by re-playing the games that they miss in the first place. That being said, what is the point of this game? Does it add anything new to the Role-Playing experience? Truthfully, not very much.
In fact, in many ways, it’s a significant step back from the most recent games in the genre – and not just in terms of its 2-Dimensional graphics, but in its gameplay mechanics as well. It lacks the Active-Time Battle (ATB) system that has been around since Final Fantasy IV, and the job system is less than stellar. Players choose their characters from eight available jobs at the start, and are stuck with them for the rest of the game. The ability to switch between jobs was available all the way back in Final Fantasy III, and has evolved tremendously to the robust system now featured in Bravely Default.
In an era when gamers have the opportunity to buy games like The Last of Us and Broken Age, and are seeing breathtaking trailers for upcoming games like Final Fantasy XV or Xenoblade Chronicles X, why would we need a game like Last Dream? Why would we shell out $10 for a game that looks and feels as if it were released over a decade ago?
In an era when gamers have the opportunity to buy games like The Last of Us and Broken Age, and are seeing breathtaking trailers for upcoming games like Final Fantasy XV or Xenoblade Chronicles X, why would we need a game like Last Dream? Why would we shell out $10 for a game that looks and feels as if it were released over a decade ago?
Last Dream features roughly 40 hours of non-linear gameplay, with over 500 unique paths, providing exceptional re-playability value.
As I’ve stated before, this game does not offer much that is new for the genre. However, while Last Dream may not be revolutionary, I want to stress that it is evolutionary. What makes this game so special is that it was not created by Square Enix, Namco, Level 5 or Konami. It was created by a group of gamers in RPG Maker – a program designed to allow the average player to create their own game.What Last Dream brings to the table is not a revolution in the way RPGs are played, but one very important strain in this genre’s evolution.
JRPGs have evolved to incorporate massively multiplayer online(MMO) gameplay in Final Fantasy XI and XIV, grand and sublime worlds in Final Fantasy XV, and the ease of mobility in the recent iOS port of Dragon Quest VIII. While these innovations are all very important for the genre’s future, Last Dream represents an equally – if not more – important evolutionary step: by handing over the creative reigns to the players themselves.
While the RPG Maker franchise has been around for many years, and spawned hundreds of other incredible titles, Last Dream provides a radiant example of what an indie-developed RPG can be. According to the developers, Last Dream features roughly 40 hours of non-linear gameplay, with over 500 unique paths, providing exceptional re-playability value. It boasts a massive world map to explore, hours of additional side-quests, an elaborate stat and skill levelling system, an incredible soundtrack, and 50 (often very challenging) puzzles. While players may find the random encounters repetitive, the developers have graciously included five different difficulty settings and the ability to pre-set battle commands in order to make grinding feel much less tedious.
The ability to play on easier modes is terrific for gamers who are new to the genre, or for players who are more interested in the story than the challenges. Alternatively, the harder difficulty options are perfect for the experienced player who wants to re-live the experience of their first 8 or 16-bit RPGs, with a whole new world and story to explore – and Terra is a world worth exploring.
JRPGs have evolved to incorporate massively multiplayer online(MMO) gameplay in Final Fantasy XI and XIV, grand and sublime worlds in Final Fantasy XV, and the ease of mobility in the recent iOS port of Dragon Quest VIII. While these innovations are all very important for the genre’s future, Last Dream represents an equally – if not more – important evolutionary step: by handing over the creative reigns to the players themselves.
While the RPG Maker franchise has been around for many years, and spawned hundreds of other incredible titles, Last Dream provides a radiant example of what an indie-developed RPG can be. According to the developers, Last Dream features roughly 40 hours of non-linear gameplay, with over 500 unique paths, providing exceptional re-playability value. It boasts a massive world map to explore, hours of additional side-quests, an elaborate stat and skill levelling system, an incredible soundtrack, and 50 (often very challenging) puzzles. While players may find the random encounters repetitive, the developers have graciously included five different difficulty settings and the ability to pre-set battle commands in order to make grinding feel much less tedious.
The ability to play on easier modes is terrific for gamers who are new to the genre, or for players who are more interested in the story than the challenges. Alternatively, the harder difficulty options are perfect for the experienced player who wants to re-live the experience of their first 8 or 16-bit RPGs, with a whole new world and story to explore – and Terra is a world worth exploring.
Verdict:
While Last Dream doesn’t offer anything new to the genre, it’s a must have for beginners and experts alike. Last Dream is everything a Role-Playing Game should be, and is a reminder of why traditional-style RPGs still deserve a place in your Steam library.
Score: 78/100
Score: 78/100
by Chris Milando
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