A Souls-Like with a Unique Soul All its Own
When you walked the PAX East show floor this year, you could not go a few feet without seeing a “souls-borne” game. The genre has exploded and with the popularity of Elden Ring, don’t expect that to slow down any time soon. Right now if you are making on of these soul crushing experiences, you had better stand out among the crowd. Well fear not, for The Last Hero of Nostalgaia doesn’t just stand out…is screams out. Screams out with hilarity and one of a kind design. This is a game all fans of the genre and beyond MUST keep on their radar.
Nostalgaia is set in a world where everything was stripped down to terribly pixelated bare bones. You play the Hero…a pixelated stick figure with zero art assets whatsoever. Just a wire frame…wandering around. You have 5 classes to choose from (I went with warrior) and are set off in a hilariously narrated adventure. As soon as you drop in the controls will feel instantly familiar. This is a souls-like through and through. You dive your way around enemy attacks and slash your way to victory all while collecting “memories” (this game’s version of souls). In my demo, I was constantly made fun of by the game’s narrator (think The Stanly Parable here). The charm somehow takes the brutality and makes it tolerable unlike any game in the genre. My favorite part, however, is the better the weapon or armor…the more detail it has on it. The starter weapons are just outlines with no assets. But later you get a sword that looks like something out of Minecraft. Then later, you will find something that actually looks like it could be a real 3d modeled weapon for the current generation. It is hilarious looking at your wire frame with these mish-mashed assets falling off of it.
Like all souls-like games, you come across boss battles. I was able to clear the boss in just enough time to complete my 15 minute demo, but I really didn’t need to see much more to know this is a game I will certainly be playing on day 1. When you reach the boss room save point, you fill the area with art assets and “restore” it, somewhat. It is a clever way to show progression.
The Last Hero of Nostalgaia takes home one of our best in show awards, for sure. There is no solid release date but you can wishlist now on Steam. Current plans are for a 2022 release on Xbox One, Xbox Series, and Steam.
