I admit, I fell for it. I love the dystopian dieselpunk world that The Last Shot is set in, so when The Last Shot: Arcades was offered to me for review, I immediately accepted. What I didn't realize right away, and should have been very clear from the title, is that this is a collection of arcade games themed around The Last Shot.
And it nicely writes in big letters, ARCADES
The game is divided into 5 categories, and upon entering one of the doors, you arrive in a beautiful hand-drawn scene where street musicians play great music (which you can interrupt by clicking on the musician, but why would you?) and you have the choice of one or more old school arcade machines with a total of 9 games. In some, you'll drive a bus and avoid other vehicles on the road, in others, you'll tickle??? dinosaurs, kill zombies, shoot opponents with a slingshot, or fly a plane and destroy enemy fleets.
In most games, you'll first think, what the hell am I supposed to do? The controls are not explained, the story is non-existent, and you're left to figure out what and how on your own. Just like back in the day at the arcade machines in the amusement park.
Everything revolves around quick reflexes, endless hordes of enemies, and collecting as many points as possible. In the bus driving game, points mean absolutely nothing except for the number on the screen, while in the plane fighting game, you use points to buy upgrades. You'll die countless times, but you'll be drawn to play another round and achieve a better score.
This is a claw machine, you have to tickle the dinosaurs that escape so they don't jump on you
Visually, the hand-drawn scenes are detailed down to the last detail, and it's really a shame that there is almost no interaction with the background. The retro theme is excellently combined with pixelated graphics, while explosions, enemies, and laser beams elegantly yet chaotically fill the screen during battles.
The scenes are beautifully drawn
The soundtrack is excellent, from the nostalgic tones of street musicians to loud electronic beats that will keep you on the edge of your seat during the games. And one cute detail, the name of the artist and the song will appear at the bottom of the screen, which will sound familiar to you.
Is anyone up for a little Lenk In Park while you destroy enemy fleets?
Would I recommend this game? Honestly, I don't know. It plays very well on the nostalgia card, has its charm, is beautifully drawn, and sounds brilliant. On the other hand, the controls are confusing, especially the angle determination with the slingshot and bow and arrow, not to mention defending the base from zombies. I was just pressing all possible buttons and nothing made sense. Although the game has great replay value and you might want to spend time trying to score as many points as possible by driving a bus or tickling dinosaurs, I will still play something else.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the development studio Sometimes You
