Last Vanguard

About

Last Vanguard is a single player shooter game. It was developed by Cool Tapir Studios and was released on May 15, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Last Vanguard is a Metroidvania shooter-platformer featuring hand-drawn animations and RPG elements. Explore nine unique biomes, battle 28 distinct bosses, and customize your combat style with 15 weapon types and a variety of abilities. Form alliances and adapt your strategy to survive in a war-torn world ruled by a tyrant.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The platforming and level design are exceptional, providing a satisfying and enjoyable experience with a variety of challenging sections.
Combat is engaging with a diverse range of weapons and well-designed enemies, making battles feel rewarding and fun.
The game's art style and visuals are impressive, creating a unique atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

Boss fights can feel overly drawn out and frustrating due to their excessive health pools, which may test player patience.
The controls for certain mechanics, like the reconnaissance drone, are poorly implemented and can detract from the gameplay experience.
The map system lacks clarity and usability, making navigation cumbersome and leading to potential confusion during exploration.

gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
67%
11%
The gameplay in *Last Vanguard* is a blend of metroidvania exploration and shooter-platformer mechanics, featuring a simple yet effective moveset that includes double jumps, air dashes, and grappling hooks. Players can engage in strategic combat with a variety of weapons and abilities, although some mechanics can be frustratingly uncommunicated, and certain gameplay elements may feel repetitive over time. Overall, the game offers a solid experience with diverse biomes and enemies, but it may present a steep learning curve for newcomers.
- “Despite a relatively simple core moveset you start the game with, including a double jump, air dash, wall climb, and grapple hook, the game pushes these mechanics to their limits.”
- “This is an excellent metroidvania, a cool combination of gameplay like Cuphead but with open-ended progression.”
- “The gameplay itself is solid, works well on keyboard and mouse, and has rebindable controls.”
- “Other frustrations include poorly communicated mechanics—like melee switches hidden in the environment that I only discovered by accident—and oddly picky NPC interactions that require standing in the exact right spot to press up.”
- “Solid if slightly odd platforming, combat mechanics have a limitation that you can only swap gear at specific weapon stations, which means rather than optimizing for the area you are in, you tend to stick with a weapon that is an all-rounder most of the time then switch if there is a save point right before a boss that is giving you trouble.”
- “However, at the time of playing, the tediousness and unpolished mechanics outweighed how much fun I was having.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique retro-futuristic art style, featuring hand-drawn visuals and a grain filter that evokes a vintage feel. Players appreciate the vibrant lighting and distinct environments, although some report technical issues like graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered top-notch, enhancing the game's atmosphere and complementing its engaging gameplay.
- “The visuals do a great job, especially the grain filter that gives everything a vintage look.”
- “The lighting especially pops in this game with some surprisingly pretty areas, which was unexpected given the game's relatively simple art style.”
- “The art style is pretty unique for the genre; I had not played a metroidvania set in a retro-futuristic war-ravaged landscape before this one.”
- “• [u]technical issues[/u]: players have reported bugs, including graphical glitches and unexpected crashes, which can disrupt the gaming experience.”
- “Visuals are almost devoid of color and locations can be pretty sad, but the style is maintained throughout the game.”
- “- while I love the visuals, which remind me of 80s cartoons, I was a bit torn when it came to a filter they have that occasionally distorts parts of the screen faintly (to give the idea of an old monitor?), but I decided I liked it since it kind of reminded me of certain visual effects from the Fallout series.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The game's story, while straightforward and occasionally lacking depth, effectively conveys themes of war and personal growth through a training journey and tournament structure. Players appreciate the engaging narrative despite some localization issues and the fragmented presentation, with many finding it enjoyable and thematically relevant, though some desire more lore and depth. Overall, the story complements the gameplay well, enhancing the metroidvania experience.
- “Despite this major gameplay element lacking a bit, it's still an incredible little A-tier metroidvania that does platforming, level design, and combat exceptionally well while doing a great job with the visuals, music, and story.”
- “Last Vanguard is a 2D hand-drawn war-themed metroidvania with an amazing story about the last remaining vanguard soldier recruit on a mission to take down the absolute leader and his armies to bring back peace and end the war.”
- “I love the story angle of having to win a tournament to get what you want; it sort of sets a clear goal and structures the rest of the game around it, which truly fosters engagement.”
- “There is not much story or lore, but it goes hand in hand with the themes of the game, which has a message about the self-destructing nature of war.”
- “Worse, it can’t be skipped cleanly—pauses in the text force you to sit through it, making the weak story even harder to ignore.”
- “While I did enjoy the setting, at times it felt a bit bland (though, to be fair, we are talking about a land plagued by war, so I guess you can attribute the blandness to the game's story theme to an extent).”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as nostalgic and calming, which enhances the overall atmosphere despite the war theme. While some players noted that the music can be too subtle or occasionally stops playing, it remains a highlight alongside the game's strong visuals and engaging gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the experience, even if sound design isn't the game's strongest aspect.
- “The music was so nostalgic and calming even though it's a war-themed game, which I found very interesting; it still allowed for amazing gaming sessions.”
- “The battles are engaging, and the artwork, music, and atmosphere are absolutely top-notch.”
- “Despite this major element lacking a bit, it's still an incredible little A-tier metroidvania that does platforming, level design, and combat exceptionally well while doing a great job with the visuals, music, and story.”
- “The music is too subtle, and it could be a glitch, but sometimes stops playing entirely.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have reported various technical issues related to stability, including graphical glitches and unexpected crashes, which can significantly disrupt the gaming experience.
- “Players have reported numerous technical issues, including bugs, graphical glitches, and unexpected crashes, which can significantly disrupt the gaming experience.”
- “The game suffers from frequent stability problems, leading to frustrating interruptions during gameplay.”
- “Many users have experienced persistent crashes and performance issues that detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect to be tedious and marred by unpolished mechanics, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “However, at the time of playing, the tediousness and unpolished mechanics outweighed how much fun I was having.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which quickly became boring and frustrating.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the exceptional artwork and music that enhance the engaging battles, creating an immersive experience.
- “The battles are engaging, and the artwork, music, and atmosphere are absolutely top-notch.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praised the character development for its clean animations and cohesive aesthetic, highlighting the appealing character designs that blend cuteness with toughness. The engaging combat, particularly the challenging final boss, further enhances the overall character experience.
- “The animations were clean, the aesthetic was cohesive, and the character designs were both cute and badass. I really loved the hard but fair combat, especially the boss at the end.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express that the emotional impact of the game has diminished, particularly noting that the sound design, which once evoked feelings of empowerment akin to an anime main character, is now less impactful.