Last Stand

Defense games, take note

Reviewed by Shawn from afro-ninja.com

Last Stand is the latest addition to the defense game genre- and believe me, it’s a welcome addition. While maybe a tad bit on the easy side (compared to most defense games) it’s still a blast to play.

Ok, so we’ve had defense games… and zombie survival games. But both put together? I don’t think so. And if we have, I’m pretty confident this one beats it. In Last Stand you have to defend your shelter from the zombies each night until help arrives. Move your character around with WASD, shoot/aim with the mouse, and reload with R. The shooting aspect is a little unique here, as you actually have to move up and down to shoot zombies in different rows. Or at least, target them easier. I found it a little annoying at first but you get used to it.

The best part about the game is the ‘hour’ system. In most defense games you get money for each enemy you kill. At the end of the level you can choose to spend your money on upgrades. It never quite makes sense, but who cares. That’s just how defense games work. However in this game, you get twelve hours to spend after each round. That’s because you have twelve hours until nightfall, when the zombies come back. You can spend your hours rebuilding your shelter, searching for new weapons, or searching for survivors. When you find survivors they will help fight along side of you (albeit very poorly), and the more survivors you have the more rebuilding you can do on the shelter per hour. It’s a pretty nifty little system. As you spend hours searching for weapons, a little ‘search’ meter in the bottom left fills up. When it’s full you’ll get a new weapon and start back at the beginning of the meter.

The graphics in this game are amazing. Con has a sharp eye for graphic design and atmosphere. Most of the game has a textured, realistic look to it. After all, killing cartoon zombies isn’t as fun is it? All the bodies you kill during the night will slowly pile up in front of your encampment, to give you an idea of just how much carnage is going on. There are also several different zombie types that run at you (even dogs) so it wont get too boring for you. Sounds are great too, with moody music and sfx to match all your weaponry.

The only bad thing I can say about this game is that it’s a little on the easy side. It’s tough at first with just the pistol, but once you get to the automatic weapons it’s a little easier. And once you get the chainsaw… well, you don’t have to worry about much else. But that’s what’s great about this game- it’s still a ton of fun, with a mild challenge level. I’d rather it be a little easy than way too hard. Especially with defense games, because there’s no continues. Another thing worth mentioning is the diary that appears on the table in between rounds. You can actually read a new entry each day, so keep an eye out for it. I didn’t notice until I was halfway through the game. Lastly, some kind of survival mode would have been a nice easy addition. You spend all that time unlocking weapons, and you don’t get that much time to play with them. No matter, there’s plenty of breathing room for a sequel.

Click here to play Last Stand






Comments (2) [view all]

  Latest comment left by Shawn:

yep, unfortunately I only got to use it for the last round though

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