In the world of gaming, there are just so many avenues in which one can take when developing a video game. The field is just so massive, so when trying to create a game, there are those who take risks and then there are those who play it safe. Usually in the fore mention, the risk takers are highly criticized for their mistakes, usually the most attacked because these games are highly advertised so expectations are high. Granted, the unfortunate reality is that these games will never meet expectations because everyone has an opinion about something, and everyone will view each game, no matter what stage it is in, within their own personal view and knowledge of games before them. Now the latter on the other hand, the games that play it safe, those ones are the ones that I feel are hurt the most, because they aren't viewed by many. They aren't given good PR or bad PR, because there is no PR to be given. This is one of the reasons why I love G.Round, because it gives these types of games a chance to flourish and break out with other games due to the fact that they are small games. Sadly though, these are the games that follow a formula that just isn't breath taking or amazing. They don't have anything about them that stands out. This isn't a bad thing, but it's not a good thing either. While the games that take risks are constantly in high volume gaming websites, the ones that play it safe are kind of left to fend for themselves. The reason why I bring all of this up is because "Last Soul," by the developer Wulum, is one of those games.
"Last Soul" isn't a bad game. It's just nothing special or fancy about it. It's a 2D platformer that has the redeeming quality of bullet-time effects in its game play. It reminds of what would happen if Mega Man and R-Type had a baby. The game is visually pleasing, with it's bright colors and effects while in combat, as well as an okay music track. It definitely does trigger that nostalgia feeling, but it's nothing short of that. Nostalgia can only go so much in the gaming world, and when it comes to platformers, majority of the fanbase will simply go back to the games that they grew up with. Nothing about Last Soul really urged me to want to stay with it. It is just an average game that doesn't really grab at my attention because the bullet-time functions just isn't enough.
I want to continue to keep saying that this doesn't mean that Last Soul is a bad game. I'm just saying that they played it too safe by following the general mold for 2D platformers. but this is also a huge issue because there just isn't MUCH you can do with 2D platformer games like this. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained and games like them kind of pushed the envelope for the 2D platformer games. They have already developed so as much as one can do, and then some. They are the type of games that have lots of value and play because they involve deep stories mixed with general gameplay that is highly advanced. They provide as much as you can get out of a platform game and to this day are still legendary games. They stepped out and took significant risks when developing them. Last Soul just doesn't do this at all.
Sure folks will say that "budget is the issue" but when it comes to games like this, they take a significant lesser budget as opposed to Final Fantasy, Mega Man X, Super Mario and more. I will not say that there is no place for games like Last Soul, because that is just not true at all. Nintendo is highly successful because they have stuck to their mold and developed more platform games than any other console if my memory serves me correct. And the games they have are pretty amazing. I could honestly see Last Soul being played on a Nintendo Switch, but I can also say that it would be swallowed up with other titles in the same genre. Being average doesn't mean unsuccessful, just means you are playing it safe. And that, in the end, is the expectation with this title.
You can play Last Soul on the G.Round application by clicking the link. Though this just didn't grab me as much as some other games on G.Round, I will say that I didn't personally dislike this title. I just didn't feel anything special about it.
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