Video Game Review - Last Year

Rob reviews Last Year on PC…

If I had known that Last Year was a 5 Vs 1 horror before accepting the code to write this review - I probably would of declined. Don’t get me wrong, while the genre does have its fans, I’m sadly not one of them. In the past I’ve dabbled with the likes of Dead by Daylight, Friday The 13th, and Evil Dead, but the premise didn’t really resonate with me. However, I am a fan of cheesy horror movies that feature dumb characters, doing stupid things, and ultimately getting their comeuppance in typically gruesome ways. This is where Last Year sets its atmosphere. It’s those cheesy horrors movies that have become a guilty pleasure for so many of us. 

So, come with me back to high school as we attempt to survive the nightmares that Undaunted Games has in store.

Set in the 90s, Last Year follows a group of teenagers as they’re  thrown into an alternate universe. Now trapped within a location that looks exactly like their school campus, the group soon find themselves relentlessly pursued by an otherworldly force that wants to feast on their innards. Now trapped within the confines of this mirror world, the group need to put aside their differences and work together to survive the nightmare - and more importantly - find a way home. 

While the premise isn’t anything new, it does certainly appeal to a lot of people. Wether you’re itching for something that’s akin to Stranger Things, or a simple monster horror like Cabin in the Woods, you’ll definitely get a kick out of what Last Year tries to achieve. It’s a very cliched world that’s cast all fall out of the horror playbook - Jock, Outcast, Nerd - as does its enemies. It’s a tribute to plenty of classic horror movies, and regardless of what role you play, there’s a lot to like. 

Gameplay wise and Last Year is pretty straight forward. Whether you’re playing with friends, or alone with randoms, each game consists of six players. Five of you will be the cast of teenagers, while the sixth player takes control of the fiend. The overall goal is for the teens to complete an overall objective that’s made up of three sub goals that’ll then ultimately allow them to escape. The fiend however has the more simple task of either wiping out the teens, or providing a nuisance that they run out of time and remain trapped in this horror dimension. 

To provide the teenage players a leg-up, you’re able to select from a pool of classes before the match begins. These are as much cliched as the characters themselves and come in the form of; assault, medic, technician, and scout. It’s here where the idea of teamwork comes into play as each class has its own strengths a weaknesses. You’ll often come across piles of materials that are able to be collected and crafted into useful upgrades for the team to deploy. Wether it’s football helmets that offer increased defence, or crafting pipe bombs, rudimentary flame throwers, or even a ramshackle shotgun, each upgrade is tied to a specific character class. 

As mentioned it’s not just these tools that you’ll need to use to outwit the Fiend. With Last Year team work does in fact make the dream work. Each player has their own role to play in the grand scheme of things and communication remains paramount. As in any horror, the enemy wants to isolate its prey and pick the survivors off one by one, however with good communication you can quickly alert the group to where the Fiend is and highlight points of interest. The next part of this is knowing your role. While the assault class is the typical damage dealing class, they can’t do it alone. Technician players are able to utilise traps that aim to slow the Fiend down, while Scout and Medic classes fall into those support stereotypes. Of course, regardless of who you play as, if played correctly you’ll have an easier time - but it’s still not a cakewalk. 

With a lot of attention set on the survivors, it’s easy to forget about the star of the show - the Fiend. Across the four chapters that make up Last Year, you’ll be squaring off against a different monster within their own lair within the school. Aside from just simply going toe-to-toe with the survivors, the Fiend also has a predator mode that it can use to teleport around the map, and pop up where they’d lest be expected. In this mode the Fiend player is also able to lay their own traps, sabotage scrap piles with disorienting gas, and even stalk the survivors across the darkness. 

And naturally these Fiend’s are all a play on certain horror movie killers. The Strangler comes straight out of I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Giant is Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers, while The Slasher is akin to Screams own Ghostface. While each of these is a real blast to play, and comes with their own repertoire of skills and a unique weapon. None is as scary as the newly released Spider! 

Yes! With the rerelease of Last Year on Steam, we also get the games first expansion. Titled “After Dark”, this expansion comes with not only a new area, but also a terrifying new Fiend. Now as someone who has arachnophobia this - pardon my language - fucker really put the wind in my sails. Not only does writing about it send a chill down my spine, imagine fighting it in a dimly lit corridor! If the Spider is anything to go by, it shows a clear intent by the development team to craft something  that does tap into your own fears as a player. And if that isn’t horrifying then I don’t know what is. 

When it comes to presentation, Last Year does exactly what it sets out to do. Each location within the school is well presented, and is packed full with small details that really helps to build the tension. Character animations are also well done, and seeing those spindly legs of the Spider, or hearing the thumping stride of the Giant, does enough to make you shiver. The only real downside is that the musical score does take away the shine. However what horror experience has had a fantastic soundtrack? 

For the most my experience of Last Year has been an enjoyable one, yet it’s not without its issues. While the game does run smoothly, it’s glaring issue is the player base. With how Last Year plays, each experience is only as good as it’s players. Get a team together that works well, against a Fiend who knows their chosen monster and Last Year offers a rich experience that oozes plenty of horror within its dank atmosphere. However, get the opposite and all the work that Undaunted Games has put in is rapidly undone. To offset this it does kind of help that the game is free-to-play, but this does also mean that you have to keep the content coming to retain the player-base, and appeal to those who may want to dip their toes. Of course with Last Year already suffering with having to re-launch itself, time will tell if it’s a keeper or not. 

Overall, for those of you who want a different alternative to Dead by Daylight, Last Year is a worthy choice. It’s a nail-biting horror experience that plays homage to the genre’s greatest heroes and villains. With plenty of room to expand in both locations, survivors, and Fiends, the developers have the foundations to build something brilliant from what the game already promises. However, in doing so Last Year also has to work to keep things fresh, while bringing new meat to the table…sorry I mean players! 

Rating: 8/10 

Last Year is out now and can be downloaded via Steam by clicking here. 

A code was kindly provided for the purposes of this review. 

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on Twitter/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, and TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews.