The Last Friend
- September 30, 2021
- Ludus Games
The Last Friend is a likeable, charming little game with some funny dialogue, and a big pile of lovely fluffy doggoes to fall in love with.
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games StoreIn "The Last Friend," players foster a bond with a variety of creatures, training and caring for them while navigating a post-apocalyptic world. Battles take place in turn-based combat, where players strategically deploy their creatures' unique abilities. With its heartwarming story and engaging gameplay, "The Last Friend" offers a unique blend of nurturing and tactical combat.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game combines tower defense and beat 'em up mechanics in a fun and engaging way, reminiscent of Plants vs. Zombies.
- The art style is charming and colorful, with a variety of cute dog characters that add to the overall enjoyment.
- The gameplay is accessible and provides a casual experience, making it great for playing with friends or for those new to gaming.
- The game is often criticized for being too easy, lacking significant challenge or difficulty scaling throughout the levels.
- There are notable issues with controls, especially on keyboard and mouse, and some players have experienced bugs that affect gameplay, including save data loss.
- The variety of towers and abilities can feel underutilized, as many players gravitate towards a few overpowered strategies, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- story50 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a lighthearted quest to rescue dogs in a post-apocalyptic setting, featuring a campy narrative that doesn't take itself too seriously. Players engage in a mix of tower defense and brawler gameplay, with a variety of missions that are generally easy but enjoyable, complemented by charming art and humorous characters. While the story is entertaining and accessible, it may lack depth and can feel repetitive towards the end.
“The story has you going around rescuing dogs and is written well.”
“The art style is amazing, the story is really entertaining, and the characters are really funny.”
“It runs out of steam a bit towards the end, and even though it tries to add some mission variety every now and then, nothing really stands out as exceptional.”
“I don't need a mindblowing story or relatable characters.”
“It contains doggos, grid-based tower defense (a la PvZ), the ability to woop the crap out of enemies in a Streets of Rage kinda way, and a campy story that doesn't take itself too seriously.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Last Friend" combines elements of tower defense and brawling, reminiscent of "Plants vs. Zombies," featuring a cooperative two-player mode and a variety of towers and skills. While the game offers a fun and responsive experience with engaging mechanics, it risks becoming repetitive due to its simplistic fighting mechanics and limited strategic depth, which may not satisfy more seasoned gamers. Overall, it presents a charming blend of genres, but players might find the core loop lacking in long-term engagement.
“Game is responsive, has plenty of different towers and passive skills for different builds, and varied gameplay segments to break up the constant tower defense levels along with a simple story to follow.”
“The main gameplay loop was also rather well made, with a variety of options for being a turret master in the backlines or rushing in to break the enemy ranks while the turrets mop up after you.”
“Witty dialogues, adorable dogs, fun and nervous gameplay, it's a very good blend of beat 'em all and tower defense.”
“However, the gameplay will get repetitive and boring very soon.”
“The fighting mechanics are too simple without anything new and different between skills.”
“However, I feel like I wasn't given much reason to experiment outside of the side quests and again, the lack of creative star mechanics.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a unique and charming art style that resonates well with players, particularly in its whimsical portrayal of dogs and humorous character designs. While the visuals are generally enjoyable, some users noted that they appear rough in HD and experienced graphical issues, such as lack of transparency in effects. Overall, the aesthetic contributes to a fun and lighthearted gaming experience, making it a satisfying choice for those seeking a casual vibe.
“Super fun with a unique and interesting art style, fun story, and interesting characters.”
“The cool graphic style and combination of brawler/tower defense makes this a really satisfying game to play after a long day.”
“The art style is amazing, the story is really entertaining, and the characters are really funny.”
“The visuals on a smaller screen are fine, but in HD, it looks rough.”
“I also suffered from weird graphical issues with effects not having transparency, so a lot of characters were covered by squares whenever they had some kind of aura or status ailment for some reason.”
“But you know, sometimes things don't have to be innovative or be the game of the year; sometimes I want to play something comfy, something that doesn't require huge development or realistic graphics (and a huge PC to run them, of course).”
- music18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting, describing it as "rockin'" and "great," while others find it grating and poorly designed. Overall, the visuals are consistently noted as impressive, but the sound design appears to be a significant point of contention among users.
“I barely need to discuss this; you can see from the screenshots and videos on the store page that the game looks great with a crisp visual style, and I can confirm that the soundtrack slaps from beginning to end. Enough said.”
“Came for the dogs, stayed for the soundtrack!”
“It's fun with cute graphics and great music.”
“The music gets to be grating.”
“Music is bad, so is sound design overall, gameplay is okay.”
“Music is bad, so is sound design overall, gameplay is okay.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and satirical references to contemporary social issues, particularly targeting groups like "twitter toddlers" and smartphone addicts, which many players find entertaining. The combination of cute character designs, clever dialogue, and a whimsical art style enhances the comedic experience, making it both charming and funny. Overall, the humor is a standout feature that adds to the game's appeal.
“The ridiculous humor with the references and digs at certain groups of people was very fun, leaning rather hard on the zeitgeist of 'twitter toddlers', jokes about smartphone workaholics, and the more mentally unstable and questionable 'preppers and patriots' of the world.”
“There's such a large variety of them in fascinating designs, and seeing them in their little turrets gradually getting more and more like doggy war crime committers is hilarious.”
“The last friend is a likable, charming little game with some funny dialogue, and a big pile of lovely fluffy doggos to fall in love with.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of challenge, as players can easily defeat most enemies without relying on the various towers, making them feel interchangeable and underutilized. This leads to a sense of wasted potential, as the game could have benefited from a more strategic approach to enemy types and tower interactions, enhancing both gameplay depth and player engagement. Overall, while the game offers a visually appealing experience, its monetization strategy may not encourage players to invest in diverse gameplay mechanics.
“The issue is that it means all of the towers are nearly interchangeable and really provide no real benefit over another, along with the fact the ads will already be a red smear on the pavement before they get to the defenses.”
“It just feels like it's wasted potential on what could be a great mix of both of the genres this game juggles, where you have to prioritize the right ads. Maybe some could be resistant to the alpha's attacks, such as flying enemies, and you'd have to make sure you had the right towers or elements to deal with them.”
“You can basically solo the game regardless of your towers because you can kill most of the ads before they even reach your walls; when you add in special moves, like the shoryuken, and the fact you can stunlock enemies with well-timed combos, even the tougher ads go down in seconds.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers intuitive and enjoyable gameplay; however, it suffers from subpar optimization for keyboard controls, which affects the overall experience. Additionally, players noted that the difficulty level remains relatively unchanged throughout.
