The Last Hero Demo
One of the things I like about demos is they’re a quick turnaround. The Last Hero is a prime example. It’s a 2D platformer currently in development on Steam from 2Design Games, and I’ve had an exclusive look.
A look so exclusive that you can do the same thing yourself – the demo is available NOW!
You’ll become the last hero of the title who doesn’t appear to have a name. Sniff sniff. Legend has it, a predecessor was able to overthrow the evil wizard Rorudark, saving the people in the process. The scallywag is back, and now you get to fill your boots at the people’s champ.
The Last Hero is very much a no-frills indie game, but I did like the visuals and controls within the context of the game. The same can’t be said about the music and irrespective of budget, having the same track on loop for all ten stages was mind-numbing. Sorry, but it did get irritating very early on. That said, it’s in development. Maybe they’ll get the rights to Slayer’s back catalogue.
In this demo, you will play the first ten levels of world one. In a rather bizarre setup, you will start at a shop and have to go to each consecutive level the moment you’ve unlocked the one before. Each time you finish a stage, you start back at the shop. A minor nuisance, but I suppose heroes get the munchies too.
Before we get to the shop, let’s focus on the main gameplay, which is precision platforming. There’s one button for jump, which also does a double jump on command. This skill works particularly well for timed jumps. In addition to jumping, our hero can wall climb (again, better than Ninja Gaiden). The Last Hero is a bit like the recent Inukari.
As for the attacks, you have a sword slash that requires about three to four hits per enemy unless you unlock the first sword and the accompanying necklace that ‘rolls’ for a double-hit. These can be purchased at the shop and an extra health bar using the coins you find on a stage or through killing a villain. Said enemies won’t give you any hassle whatsoever, and there’s no sign of any bosses in the demo either.
While enemies won’t be much of a threat, some of the platforms you need to jump on will extend and should you fall, you have to restart the stage. The same if you lose all your health, and there’s none to collect during said stage. In my 30 minutes-ish of playtime (demo finished, of course), I died maybe two or three times due to my stupidity.
I’ll have to say that playing through The Last Hero was a chore at first, and the music did bother me. That said, the precision platforming element is very accurate and satisfying – so much so that it’s on my wishlist and something to look forward to around Chrimbo. Combat could do with a lot of tweaking, but overall The Last Hero shows promise. Don’t forget: the game is in development, and considering it’s not out until December, there’s plenty of time to get it sorted.
What should you do now? Play the demo and see for yourself!
