Hearing this very quote is rather tiresome nowadays, as this uninformative and vague phrase is overused for every second action role-playing experience that dares to borrow one or two minor mechanics, and in worse cases, just because it is harder to play… as if FromSoftware invented the difficulty itself. And yet here I am, baiting myself for yet another title that declares to have such an allegiance.

But somehow, in its own twisted way, The Last Hero of Nostalgaia can claim that it truly is a – and I despise that term – Souls-like. How so? With its satirical approach, it parodies this stereotyped subgenre, purposefully trying to replicate it, and then it proceeds to jab at other games as well (unless they were all Souls-likes and we, mere mortals, were not ready for such a truth just yet).

It sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?

Well, even with its shortcomings, its respective qualities pleasantly surprised me!

Let us start from the beginning, though. You spawn as a bunch of pixelated sticks in humanoid form, whose purpose is to stop the pixelation of the video-gaming world of Nostalgaia. Yet, a vicious Narrator stands in your way; not only that he humorously describes your whole journey, but he also actively influences both the story and gameplay, which can bring sudden unexpected twists. That reminded me of Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, albeit there it was crazier. Nevertheless, the narrative became my favourite part, as it managed to entertain me from start to finish; do not be afraid, though, as even if it throws a lot of quips at you, it also lets you play in peace for a bit, so it does not overstay its welcome.

Thus, the audiovisual spectacle naturally goes hand in hand with the plot, not only in the form of environmental storytelling but due to the interventions of the Narrator, as well. The Last Hero of Nostalgaia constantly fiddles with its visual presentation, mixing both two and three-dimensional environments that are portrayed by modern, charming visuals as well as by intentionally dated 8-bit ones; even enemies abide by such changes. Unfortunately, the soundtrack undermines it a bit in my eyes, as I can only think of like two tracks that stuck with me.
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880446491
Now, the gameplay – namely the movement and combat – is straight up like the first Dark Souls. I mean, even some animations look the same! It is much slower, especially when compared to most of the modern, fast-paced Souls-likes, but that is the point! To make you crawl for those good ol’ days. Well, if Elden Ring can get away with reusing a lot of stuff while pretending to be a new shining title, then why should I scold this one for trying to bring a bit of nostalgia for satirical purposes? And as I said, it spreads its wings and jabs at other – even totally different – subgenres, as you can find stuff like armour from Dead Space, for example.

So, as the gameplay loop is just like the one from older FromSoftware’s instalments, you will galavant around the world without a map, trying to figure out where to go next while encountering various aggressive foes to fight with. And while it seems like your regular linear experience at first, it opens up after a few hours, letting you taste its wonderfully interconnected places with tons of shortcuts. That bewitched me! I mean, even newer FromSoftware’s games abandoned this approach, yet this unknown indie title went full in and did so! And I am not pulling your leg now, but level design-wise, it did a splendid job.

Moreover, in later parts, it also brings numerous environmental gimmicks that spice up your journey. Thus, a deadly fog might appear while you walk through the woods, or you have to form a path by interacting with moving staircases, as in Wizarding World’s Hogwarts. I adored locations like these, as they always brought a breath of fresh air, changing the gameplay loop a bit.
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880448125
It also tries to push you into exploring more by adding brief riddles to items’ descriptions—in order to unlock their full power, like increasing their stats or gaining an additional passive bonus, you need to find the place of their origin or importance. While I love mechanics like these, they are (un)fortunately not crucial for completing your playthrough. Not that I would want to prolong the playtime in an artificial way, but I still think it could have had more of an impact. And I would honestly wish to see this more in some of the upcoming titles.

When it comes to the enemies, they get more interesting once you progress a bit, as well. At first, they are basic and pretty much defenceless against your rain of light attacks or well-timed heavy strikes. Yet, some get more aggressive later on, punishing your cocky approach. And even though the game lasts for about fourteen hours, it has a sweet variety of foes to fight, constantly revealing new types in each location. But, I had this issue in a few instances: some spots felt a bit crowded while others were a bit empty. Mind you, it is not like that all the time, but when it happens, it is noticeable enough.
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880464610
The bosses would be the most ambivalent aspect, though. On the one hand, I appreciate their references or hilarious ideas that enliven them, even if just visually. On the other hand, their encounters are not that thrilling, sadly. Not even that difficult, if I am being honest. Still, I would not call them terrible, as there are other contenders for that *cough* Hellpoint *cough*, but they are just mediocre. So, if I could improve only one part, it would be this!

Nevertheless, if you would have any difficulties, then there are both non-playable characters and even real players at your disposal. And as it is custom, anyone can share those infamous messages, and I feel most of their respective options are present just because of the meme potential that Dark Souls unintentionally created. I get that they are there because the community loves them, but seeing “try finger but hole” at every second corpse got old for me after all these years. Maybe I expected something unique, but if we are supposed to be nostalgic, we should go full in, I guess.

Yet, even with some of these shortcomings, The Last Hero of Nostalgaia is still a captivating and humorous experience from start to finish, as its light-hearted approach to the narrative, playful visuals and excellent level design, as well as a bunch of references, make it a solid indie title that I can recommend. But, if you are specifically looking for another Souls-like with a superb or even just fast-paced combat system, then it might not be for you.

PC Specs and Performance

I played it with an i5 8300H, GTX 1060 6GB, and 16GB RAM, at high settings, at 40-60 frames per second, at 1920x1080 resolution. Some frame drops occurred in random locations that were perhaps not as optimised as the rest, but it did not happen all the time.

Acknowledgement

This game was provided for review purposes by the developers. Thank you!

Curator link

While we love older titles at Summit Reviews, nostalgia glasses do not cloud our judgement, so check us out!

[h1][b][i]Just like Dark Souls![/i][/b][/h1] Hearing this very quote is rather tiresome nowadays, as this uninformative and vague phrase is overused for every second action role-playing experience that dares to borrow one or two minor mechanics, and in worse cases, just because it is harder to play… as if [i]FromSoftware[/i] invented the difficulty itself. And yet here I am, baiting myself for yet another title that declares to have such an allegiance. But somehow, in its own twisted way, [i]The Last Hero of Nostalgaia[/i] can claim that it truly is a – and I despise that term – [i]Souls-like[/i]. How so? With its satirical approach, it parodies this stereotyped subgenre, purposefully trying to replicate it, and then it proceeds to jab at other games as well (unless they were all [i]Souls-likes[/i] and we, mere mortals, were not ready for such a truth just yet). It sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, even with its shortcomings, its respective qualities pleasantly surprised me! Let us start from the beginning, though. You spawn as a bunch of pixelated sticks in humanoid form, whose purpose is to stop the pixelation of the video-gaming world of Nostalgaia. Yet, a vicious Narrator stands in your way; not only that he humorously describes your whole journey, but he also actively influences both the story and gameplay, which can bring sudden unexpected twists. That reminded me of [i]Call of Juarez: Gunslinger[/i], albeit there it was crazier. Nevertheless, the narrative became my favourite part, as it managed to entertain me from start to finish; do not be afraid, though, as even if it throws a lot of quips at you, it also lets you play in peace for a bit, so it does not overstay its welcome. Thus, the audiovisual spectacle naturally goes hand in hand with the plot, not only in the form of environmental storytelling but due to the interventions of the Narrator, as well. [i]The Last Hero of Nostalgaia[/i] constantly fiddles with its visual presentation, mixing both two and three-dimensional environments that are portrayed by modern, charming visuals as well as by intentionally dated 8-bit ones; even enemies abide by such changes. Unfortunately, the soundtrack undermines it a bit in my eyes, as I can only think of like two tracks that stuck with me. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880446491 Now, the gameplay – namely the movement and combat – is straight up like the first [i]Dark Souls[/i]. I mean, even some animations look the same! It is much slower, especially when compared to most of the modern, fast-paced [i]Souls-likes[/i], but that is the point! To make you crawl for those good ol’ days. Well, if [i]Elden Ring[/i] can get away with reusing a lot of stuff while pretending to be a new shining title, then why should I scold this one for trying to bring a bit of nostalgia for satirical purposes? And as I said, it spreads its wings and jabs at other – even totally different – subgenres, as you can find stuff like armour from [i]Dead Space[/i], for example. So, as the gameplay loop is just like the one from older [i]FromSoftware’s[/i] instalments, you will galavant around the world without a map, trying to figure out where to go next while encountering various aggressive foes to fight with. And while it seems like your regular linear experience at first, it opens up after a few hours, letting you taste its wonderfully interconnected places with tons of shortcuts. That bewitched me! I mean, even newer [i]FromSoftware’s[/i] games abandoned this approach, yet this unknown indie title went full in and did so! And I am not pulling your leg now, but level design-wise, it did a splendid job. Moreover, in later parts, it also brings numerous environmental gimmicks that spice up your journey. Thus, a deadly fog might appear while you walk through the woods, or you have to form a path by interacting with moving staircases, as in [i]Wizarding World’s Hogwarts[/i]. I adored locations like these, as they always brought a breath of fresh air, changing the gameplay loop a bit. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880448125 It also tries to push you into exploring more by adding brief riddles to items’ descriptions—in order to unlock their full power, like increasing their stats or gaining an additional passive bonus, you need to find the place of their origin or importance. While I love mechanics like these, they are (un)fortunately not crucial for completing your playthrough. Not that I would want to prolong the playtime in an artificial way, but I still think it could have had more of an impact. And I would honestly wish to see this more in some of the upcoming titles. When it comes to the enemies, they get more interesting once you progress a bit, as well. At first, they are basic and pretty much defenceless against your rain of light attacks or well-timed heavy strikes. Yet, some get more aggressive later on, punishing your cocky approach. And even though the game lasts for about fourteen hours, it has a sweet variety of foes to fight, constantly revealing new types in each location. But, I had this issue in a few instances: some spots felt a bit crowded while others were a bit empty. Mind you, it is not like that all the time, but when it happens, it is noticeable enough. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2880464610 The bosses would be the most ambivalent aspect, though. On the one hand, I appreciate their references or hilarious ideas that enliven them, even if just visually. On the other hand, their encounters are not that thrilling, sadly. Not even that difficult, if I am being honest. Still, I would not call them terrible, as there are other contenders for that [i]*cough* Hellpoint *cough*[/i], but they are just mediocre. So, if I could improve only one part, it would be this! Nevertheless, if you would have any difficulties, then there are both non-playable characters and even real players at your disposal. And as it is custom, anyone can share those infamous messages, and I feel most of their respective options are present just because of the meme potential that [i]Dark Souls[/i] unintentionally created. I get that they are there because the community loves them, but seeing [i]“try finger but hole”[/i] at every second corpse got old for me after all these years. Maybe I expected something unique, but if we are supposed to be nostalgic, we should go full in, I guess. Yet, even with some of these shortcomings, [i]The Last Hero of Nostalgaia[/i] is still a captivating and humorous experience from start to finish, as its light-hearted approach to the narrative, playful visuals and excellent level design, as well as a bunch of references, make it a solid indie title that I can recommend. But, if you are specifically looking for another [i]Souls-like[/i] with a superb or even just fast-paced combat system, then it might not be for you. [b]PC Specs and Performance[/b][quote]I played it with an [b]i5 8300H[/b], [b]GTX 1060 6GB[/b], and [b]16GB RAM[/b], at high settings, at [b]40-60[/b] frames per second, at [b]1920x1080[/b] resolution. Some frame drops occurred in random locations that were perhaps not as optimised as the rest, but it did not happen all the time.[/quote] [b]Acknowledgement[/b][quote]This game was provided for review purposes by the developers. Thank you![/quote] [b]Curator link[/b][url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/41449676/][quote]While we love older titles at [b]Summit Reviews[/b], nostalgia glasses do not cloud our judgement, so check us out!