The Last Hero of Nostalgaia

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,150 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • humor
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia Game Cover
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is an effective Soulslike that has a few plaguing issues like an underwhelming script and a lack of response from bosses.
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"The Last Hero of Nostalgaia" is a challenging action-adventure game set in a haunted, hand-drawn world. As the final hero, you must explore precarious platforms, solve puzzles, and defeat enigmatic enemies to uncover the truth about your ancestry and save Nostalgaia. With its unique combat system and beautiful art style, this game offers a deep, emotional narrative that will keep you engaged until the end.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,150 reviews
gameplay71 positive mentions
stability50 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique 'remembering' mechanic that encourages exploration and adds depth to the lore.
  • The interconnected world design is reminiscent of Dark Souls, providing a rewarding exploration experience.
  • The humor and references to other games create a charming and engaging narrative.
  • Combat can feel clunky and imprecise, with hitboxes that often lead to frustrating misses.
  • The lack of fast travel and tedious backtracking can make progression feel cumbersome.
  • Some boss fights and enemy designs are underwhelming, lacking the challenge and creativity found in other souls-like games.
  • gameplay295 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Last Hero of Nostalgaia" is heavily inspired by the Dark Souls series, featuring familiar mechanics but often lacking the polish that defines those games. While some players appreciate the unique "remembering" mechanic that ties lore to gameplay, others find it tedious and the overall combat clunky, leading to mixed feelings about the game's execution. Despite its derivative nature, the game offers a blend of humor and interesting world design, making it a fun, albeit flawed, experience for fans of the genre.

    • “One highlight would be the memory and remember system which rewards you for remaining aware of the game world, and investing yourself into the lore, which is good mechanically and narratively.”
    • “The gameplay is solid and is enough of a recreation of souls combat while still remaining its own thing that the experience feels fresh.”
    • “This game is amazing, with a unique story, great combat, and fun mechanics that give a great twist to meta-games and souls-like games.”
    • “You can tell that a lot of the love and care in this game went towards the first 3 to 4 areas, but once you hit the 2nd-tutorial section the game quickly drops in quality in terms of level design and overall gameplay, as you'll just be facing swarms and swarms of enemies with a little bit too much health and forced waiting sequences.”
    • “The difficulty in the last hero of nostalgaia isn't due to the game but the unpolished mechanics; the enemies can attack seemingly as fast as they want while you have a 2-3 second delay between yours.”
    • “The problem is that while doing so, the developers made a nearly one-to-one imitation of the gameplay systems of dark souls but didn't put enough attention into how the polish of those games elevates their mechanics.”
  • story277 mentions

    The story of "Nostalgaia" is a unique blend of humor and dark themes, exploring the relationship between players and video games through a meta-narrative that critiques nostalgia and hero worship. While many players appreciate the clever writing, engaging lore, and environmental storytelling, some express frustration over convoluted quests and a lack of satisfying conclusions to certain storylines. Overall, the game is praised for its creativity and depth, making it a compelling experience for fans of the souls-like genre.

    • “The world design is pretty wonderful, the story is nice and well written.”
    • “It's a project with a great soul that tells a story that in the beginning may seem just parodistic but has a lot of meaning behind its idiotic cover.”
    • “The writers weren't lazy in the slightest- they've developed an interesting, self-consistent world with a wide number of characters whose stories all intersect- both past and present, with dozens of long-gone characters developing the backstory of the world and explaining its current state, and characters you meet all have their own quirks and personalities, their questlines weaving in and out of each other.”
    • “The story was rather forgettable and I was not impacted by it.”
    • “Time-sensitive quest triggers that if you walk too far into another zone, you are screwed over.”
    • “I would say that there are definitely glaring flaws, especially after the first major story thread, as the game just turns into an unfun frustration at that point, and you can kind of see that part of the game is also just really rushed.”
  • humor215 mentions

    The humor in "Last Hero of Nostalgaia" is a mix of clever references and self-aware parody, often drawing from classic video games and pop culture. While many players appreciate the witty dialogue and funny narrator, some find the humor repetitive or overly reliant on clichés, leading to mixed reactions as the game progresses. Overall, it offers a lighthearted take on the soulslike genre, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and originality.

    • “The whole experience of Last Hero of Nostalgaia was gratifying as it ended up being a comedic souls-like with some interesting surprises and funny moments to be had, especially if you're an avid video game player.”
    • “What a wonderful adventure, lovingly crafted by people who appreciate the good old days of gaming, and understand how to weave a troubling but humorous tale.”
    • “The game is full of references to other games and shows (i.e: Resident Evil, Dark Souls, Terrorbane, The Walking Dead) and has a few hilarious and unique mechanics.”
    • “Most of the game you'll forget he's there, and even when he does talk, it's so try-hard, hammy, and not funny at all.”
    • “Not funny at all.”
    • “Most of the game you'll forget he's there, and even when he does talk, it's so try-hard, hammy, and not funny at all.”
  • graphics108 mentions

    The game's graphics have been widely praised for their unique art style, which effectively blends 2D pixel art with 3D models, creating a visually engaging experience that complements the narrative. Many players appreciate the attention to detail and the way the graphics contribute to world-building, although some have noted that the visuals can feel derivative at times. Overall, the aesthetic is considered a strong point, enhancing the game's charm despite some technical issues and a desire for more lighting in certain areas.

    • “The graphic style is pleasant and very well thought, with the mixing of 2D and 3D parts (and I like that it's tied to the world building too).”
    • “The art style is a beautiful balance of the retro gamey aesthetic that normally I've grown tired of, but it's done so well here that there were multiple times I had to just admire the pixel/voxel/poly blend.”
    • “It manages to squeeze beauty out of its intentionally low-fidelity aesthetic in surprising ways, and it has the courage to look at its inspirations and successfully identify some cool new ways to play with them.”
    • “Unfortunately, the art style consistently left me wanting more; both the 2D and the 3D art felt very derivative and lacked a personality of its own aside from occasional bits of standout character design and architecture.”
    • “The graphics could literally use more lighting in my opinion.”
    • “A first glance at the trailer might give you the impression that this is another game just trying to cash in on retro graphics - do not be mistaken!”
  • stability50 mentions

    The game is reported to be quite buggy, with frequent glitches and stability issues, such as freezing during combat and problems with achievements and level design. While some players find the bugs to be part of the experience and still enjoy the gameplay, others express frustration over the lack of optimization and the impact of these issues on overall enjoyment. Overall, the game's stability is a significant concern, though many players remain hopeful for future patches.

    • “Oh and this was just me but for some reason my achievements refuse to activate for this game and even though I have the DLC and did everything required to activate it, the way to get into the DLC is still blocked in-game, so yeah, this game was buggy as hell for me.”
    • “I really can't recommend this unless it's free. I understand the challenge of having a soulslike design to your game, but when it's this buggy and clunky, it ends up feeling really stupid.”
    • “The 'attacking leaves you open' mechanic is taken to an extreme, where your character sometimes freezes still after attacking, and no amount of roll button can get you out of the way.”
  • grinding44 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious, particularly due to the cumbersome remembrance system that requires extensive backtracking and inventory management. While some appreciate the novelty of the mechanic, many feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making combat and exploration feel slow and frustrating. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's unique visuals and world-building.

    • “Another issue is the combat itself; it's just tedious and not fun. I have finished every FromSoftware game (other than Sekiro, but I'll get to it), and maybe that's why my brain is trained a certain way. There are a lot of times where I feel I should have absolutely gotten a hit on an enemy and it doesn't connect. The enemies also barely react to you hitting them, but you'll be stunned for a solid 2-3 seconds from getting hit once. It's just not fun.”
    • “The remembrance system is really cool, but also super tedious and necessary to your own progression. To improve upon the system, I would have had an aura glow around the character when an item is ready to 'remember'.”
    • “Just became tedious with having to run back to zones you have explored to hug walls and see if you can unlock your weapon or armor's memory to give it bonuses.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant lack of a cohesive soundtrack, leading to a quiet and sometimes boring experience. While some praise the sound design and specific tracks as enjoyable, the overall absence of music in various areas detracts from the gameplay, prompting some players to supplement it with external soundtracks. Despite some positive remarks about the atmosphere created by the music, the consensus highlights that the game's potential is undermined by its sparse audio landscape.

    • “The soundtrack bangs too.”
    • “The sound design is decent and the music is alright.”
    • “The controls felt pretty smooth unlike some of the other souls-borne games that feel a little janky. I liked the way they set an atmosphere for each area that I went to, and the soundtracks were a bop.”
    • “There is a huge lack of music, stale gameplay, bugs galore, and too many interesting ideas that failed to realize its full potential.”
    • “The lack of music makes the game incredibly quiet and boring as you slosh through Paper Mario enemies who range from green-looking zombies to red-looking vampires and a few armor-clad enemies.”
    • “It's really difficult for the player to engage in a mirror held up to their consumption of nostalgia when the camera shoots their perspective into the sky because half the bosses have a jump attack, or when your attacks simply don't register because of poor hitbox detection, or when the player is taken out of the game by the fact that almost no areas have music.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of "The Last Hero of Nostalgaia" is widely praised for its melancholic and immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the "souls-like" genre with its world in decay and unique aesthetics. Players appreciate the smooth controls, engaging storytelling, and the humor infused by the sarcastic narrator, alongside a variety of atmospheric settings that enhance exploration and challenge. Overall, the game successfully combines homage to Dark Souls with its own distinct charm, resulting in a captivating experience.

    • “The game is clearly a declaration of love to Dark Souls, both in terms of mechanics and atmosphere and settings.”
    • “Good atmosphere and aesthetics: one of the conventions of a 'souls-like' is a world in decay and this game sells that aesthetic pretty well.”
    • “The atmosphere is quite neat.”
    • “Atmosphere 7.455/10”
    • “I love the sarcastic narrator, the various NPCs and their quests, and the creepy atmosphere in some parts of the game.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    The game offers good replayability through diverse choices, character builds, and multiple endings, alongside engaging lore and item collection. While the journey is relatively short, the content available encourages players to revisit the game. However, some users note that the overall replay value may not be as extensive as expected.

    • “Good replay value, especially for the choices and builds you make.”
    • “+ Lore storytelling, multiple endings, and item collect-athon give some replayability.”
    • “The journey isn't long, but there is enough content and it has good replayability.”
    • “Tldr: it's fun but jank, plus don't expect a whole lot of replayability.”
    • “The lore storytelling, multiple endings, and item collect-athon give some replayability.”
    • “Tldr: it's fun but jank, plus don't expect a whole lot of replayability.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    The game's optimization is inconsistent, with users reporting noticeable slowdowns in areas with heavy lighting, particularly in the initial zone. While it offers multiple performance modes and a stylized art design, overall performance is described as buggy and lacking in optimization.

    • “Feels great to play, legitimately insightful and occasionally hilariously satirical, with multiple performance modes and wonderfully stylized art design.”
    • “Something I have to mention though is the performance; it's fine most of the time, but in certain areas with lots of lighting, the game slows down noticeably. This includes the very first area.”
    • “Tldr: it is buggy and not optimized.”
    • “Then, there's the performance.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for its lack of depth, with enemies exhibiting poorly telegraphed moves and an overwhelming presence in certain areas, detracting from the overall experience. While the level and character designs show occasional standout elements, the art style is described as derivative and lacking a unique personality, which diminishes the impact of character development. Overall, the combat mechanics overshadow the potential for meaningful character growth.

    • “Unfortunately, the art style consistently left me wanting more; both the 2D and the 3D art felt very derivative and lacked a personality of its own aside from occasional bits of standout character design and architecture.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as feeling like a cheap cash grab, indicating a lack of value and fairness in its pricing approach.

    • “Still felt like a cheap cash grab.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

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