The Last Spell
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The Last Spell
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Last Spell is a turn-based tactical role-playing game available for download on Windows-based PCs. The game is an apocalyptic fantasy where players attempt to rebuild small settlements and defend them from hordes of supernatural creatures. It's designed to be difficult for players, especially earlier on, forcing them to die and start over multiple times with new randomized elements. Violence is constant, with small occasional splashes of blood -- but more flashy effects than any sort of gore. Plus, the more retro, cartoonish look of the characters helps to reduce the impact of the over-the-top effects.
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What’s It About?
THE LAST SPELL is a tactical role-playing game that puts players on the frontlines as the final hope for humanity. After decades of global war, mages began working with power beyond their control. This carelessness brought about the Cataclysm, a backlash of pure magical energy that wiped out most of the human race, twisting them into monstrous creatures. With the end of the world looming, humanity's last hope lies in the few havens still in the fight. Mages in each are working together to cast "The Last Spell," an incantation said to banish all magic from the world. The Last Spell takes time and concentration to cast, though, leaving the mages and their haven open to attack by the supernatural forces brought forth by the Cataclysm. And so, it falls to a small group of dedicated warriors to fortify the haven and push back the invading threat long enough for The Last Spell to be cast, saving the world once and for all. Against such overwhelming odds, many heroes are sure to fall. Thankfully, more have answered the call to arms, willing to rise up and fight in place of those lost to battle. Can you lead them to victory and a new chance of life in a world without magic? Or will the Cataclysm's primal fury swallow up what's left of humankind once and for all?
Is It Any Good?
It's not uncommon for games to pit players against seemingly impossible odds. But it's another thing for games like The Last Spell to put players into genuinely impossible odds. Make no mistake, you're probably going to die in the game -- often. The gameplay is carried out over days, which are divvied up into three phases: Deployment, Battle, and Production. Players plan a strategy around the impending hordes' movements and brace for attack during Deployment. Once the Battle phase starts, it continues until either all the enemies are defeated, all the player's characters are defeated, or the enemies break through and wipe out the haven's mages. Finally, the Production stage is where players collect their loot for surviving the night and spend resources on personal equipment, building upgrades, and fortifications. Maintaining a well-defended haven is key to progress, because keeping baddies out of town keeps the populace less panicked, resulting in better loot. Unfortunately, the flood of enemies have a different idea, and players will often get overwhelmed.
Each instance of the game is procedurally generated, meaning that each time players start a game, elements are chosen randomly. This includes available items, characters, even the layout of the haven. While the heroes are technically classless, they do gain defined roles based off of their equipment. This means that at any given time, players might start off with a group that's perfectly in sync with one another, capable of slicing through early waves of enemies like a hot knife through demonic butter. Then again, players might start with their backs against the proverbial wall with three heroes that couldn't mesh well together if their lives depended on it ... which they do. While the procedurally generated content might make the game much more replayable over time, it's hard to get past the frustration of having the odds stacked more against you based on some random mix of weapons and stats. And it's hard to really learn much in the way of a lesson if the next go-round has completely changed the lineup. It just seems to rely a bit too much on the luck of the draw to get the ball rolling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in The Last Spell affected by its artistic style? How does a cartoonish or pixelated style compare to a more realistic presentation of violence? Would a realistic presentation have a stronger impact on players?
How much challenge are you looking for in a game? Do you prefer an easier, more relaxing game? Or do you prefer the tensions and accomplishment that come with higher levels of difficulty?
Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: The Arcade Crew
- Release date: June 3, 2021
- Genre: Strategy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: NR for No Descriptions
- Last updated: June 3, 2021
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