The Last Oricru is one of those games that stands out on the PAX East Show Floor. That in it of itself is a tough feat considering the sheer volume of games being shown and the level at which some booths go to grab your attention. I am happy to report that The Last Oricru not only shows a ton of promise, but that in a sea of souls-like games, The Last Oricru sets itself apart with its engaging split screen – and compelling split narrative – experience.
The demo starts by choosing one of two paths, with two distinct save files to show two different sides of the same battle. There are three warring factions and your decisions gain or lose favor with each of them. The combat is reminiscent of God of War, but your attacks are lacking a certain snappiness and impact. Striking your opponent feels slightly floaty, even with the lock-on mechanic. Choosing your weapon and navigating the Inventory Menu feels a bit clunky as well, but I imagine this would get better with more time and polish. The Equipment Menu felt more Diablo than Souls–like, and that part really excited me. I like the idea of mixing and matching my armor and weapons more so than the ‘what’s the best‘ option of some action RPGs of late.
The Last Oricru is clearly designed as a co-op experience, as a member of Prime Matter – the game’s publisher – joined in on the action alongside me. Having a split screen is such a huge plus in a game like this. As a pair, we were able to execute some pretty dope team-up attacks; combat is definitely way more dynamic and much easier with a buddy. One of the abilities I really enjoyed tethered a Lightning Chain between the two of us. I was then able to run around and get behind enemies to shock them like a electrified zipline. The only issue seems to be with the game’s optimization. The Last Oricru is a real beauty so expecting it to render twice appears to be a big ask. There was lots of screen tear and some stuttering, with the framerate hovering around what felt like 20-ish FPS. Playing solo looks and plays as fluid and polished as I would have hoped, but for a game that hinges on cooperative play, it needs a bit more time to get that running as smoothly as possible.
Once we got going though, the narrative decision making is clearly the star of the show here. In one run of the mission we had to sneak around behind enemy lines and take out some high-powered ranged attackers. This was a bit disorienting and was tough to navigate having zero experience with the game until that point. Once we took a more direct approach, we came across a boss that was once an ally not so long ago. It was a cool mechanic, but I wonder if it will have as much impact in one playthrough as opposed to having two saves going at once as the demo had.
The Last Oricru is a game I can see myself inviting a close friend over for a lengthy game night while we consume and unholy amount of cheap pizza. It has a great foundation and just needs that extra bit time to really iron out out all the menu and split screen kinks. Developer GoldKnights is set to release the game this Fall for PC and consoles. If you are interested, you can play the demo right now on Steam.
