- Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
- Release Date: Jul 22, 2021
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop tells a story so compelling, so wonderfully told, that you’ll be glued to the screen for the entirety of its six-or-so hour running time. With an incredibly high standard of voice talent on board, sublime art direction and an outstanding soundtrack, it sets a new standard for interactive narration. This is more than a video game, it’s a work of art. And once you’ve played it, it’s one you won’t be forgetting about in a hurry.
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Jul 21, 2021Neither lengthy nor particularly interactive, Last Stop succeeds on the strengths of its writing, narrative, and characters.
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Jul 21, 2021Some may dismiss Last Stop as a game, especially when even its limited moments of control feel obsolete, and the supernatural premise may ultimately come and go like a summer fever dream. But with three equally engaging stories set in London at its most remarkably mundane, the excellent writing and performances make this a binge-worthy experience.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop takes a lot of risks, and for the most part, it succeeds. It's a game about interconnectivity in a modern world, but a few flaws keep it from rising to the heights it wants to.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop is a two-sided experience where one side is relatable monotony and the other offers unbridled chaos and imaginative conundrums.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop feels like a more palatable follow-up to Variable State's ponderous premiere, but one that is made without sacrificing all of the burgeoningly signature weirdness of the small team. Though the story takes risks, it manages to rein them in a bit, as not to drown its players in metaphor, something the team once seemed happy to do in 2016. Questions go unanswered and some mysteries are once again meant to idle in the player's mind, but in all, Last Stop is more popcorny than I expected but no less entertaining.
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Jul 25, 2021With three heartfelt stories about the meaning of the relationships framed in A Twilight Zone atmosphere, Last Stop is an ambitious interactive comedy-drama which succeeds to deliver its message, even if sometimes at the expense of gameplay experience.
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Jul 25, 2021Though it may alienate some players due to its lack of gameplay, Last Stop has an action-packed narrative that doesn’t get stale. It beautifully juxtaposes the mundane day-to-day life of three characters against a bizarre science-fiction story. The fantastic voice talent brings a level of charisma and life that unfortunately isn’t matched by the rather stiff in-game animations, although that doesn’t stop the game from being a fun tube ride through an alien-infested London where weird stuff happens to pretty ordinary people.
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Jul 22, 2021Last Stop may succeed when it comes to delivering a (mostly) engrossing set of stories, but it suffers from a notable lack of substance when it comes to gameplay, with several moments of interactivity feeling like they were included solely only to draw things out. It can still be a fun ride with a lot of enjoyable twists and turns, and could be recommended for fans of narrative-focused games, but it could have benefited from more depth. Last Stop is a good, straight shot of a subway ride that gets you to your destination, but don’t expect much beyond that.
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Jul 21, 2021While decisions may not have always been as weighty as I would’ve liked and the marionette movements were often distracting, Last Stop, for the most part, succeeded where it needed to. It provided three distinct stories that were surprisingly deep considering it only took about six hours to tell them all and allowed players to feel like they were in control even if that might not have always been the case. I never felt like my time was wasted in Last Stop, but if the game ever gets a follow-up, it’ll have to be more polished with some meaningful changes to warrant a return to its stories.
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Jul 21, 2021Variable State may still not have found the perfect interactive formula for its cinematic talents, but until it does “Last Stop” remains a moderate success.
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Jul 21, 2021Net of what we perceived as shortcomings for a narrative work, Last Stop still offers several hours of entertainment, for an IP that leaves the way open for a sequel, while effectively closing the proposed plot. And a probable sequel could be able to file the defects highlighted, to shape a more engaging title.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop is a narrative adventure that never fully capitalizes on its potential. The characters themselves are interesting, and the finale leaves things in a fascinating place, but the journey to get there is too passive and uneven.
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Jul 21, 2021A smart, funny, heartfelt narrative game that tells a killer story, but doesn't do much beyond that.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop does a decent job of hooking you into its story, but the ending lets it down. The journey of characters is more enjoyable than where it ends up.
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Jul 21, 2021Quotation forthcoming.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop gave us an overall pleasant experience by concocting three distinct plots with fair flavors. Precise rhythm, convincing characters, story that keeps us in suspense: there is no doubt that the Variable State studio masters its pen. What a pity that the player's freedom is so compartmentalized by its lack of impact on events and that the technical quality tarnishes the experience. The adventure will however prove to be appreciable for fervent fans of narrative games who are just waiting to discover an entertaining story.
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Jul 21, 2021Overall, Last Stop is something of a mixed bag. At its best it's an enjoyable and immersive narrative adventure game, and Paper Dolls is definitely a good enough story strand to have carried the game on its own had it been expanded. However, the different quality of its three stories, and the awkward narrative shift in its final chapter, does mean that Last Stop feels a little like a missed opportunity when all is said and done, and a good game that could've been excellent with just a bit more content and some tighter scripts.
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Jul 21, 2021When it comes down to it, Last Stop is an entertaining journey that just goes completely off the rails in its final half, failing to execute on the interesting ideas it comes up with at the start. I know that endings shouldn’t take away from the ride, but when you’re playing a title that is almost completely narrative and character-driven, I just couldn’t help but feel a letdown when credits rolled.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop tells three interesting stories, but lacks enough meaningful choices or consequences to create investment in its drama.
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Jul 21, 2021Last Stop feels like a glorified interactive cutscene, though a cutscene I was eager to continue watching. It’s just unfortunate that the gameplay comes across as an interruption rather than anything that lifts the experience.
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Jul 21, 2021Every story hurriedly resolves itself, foregoing tidy lessons or ironic endings but still lacking a sense of lived-in authenticity.
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Jul 21, 2021Overall, Last Stop feels like a game of unfortunate inconsistency. That's not for lack of effort, I have to stress. On the contrary, I get the feeling that Variable State could have really let rip with this if only they'd had more time, money and resources, along with the robust production and editing processes that goes along with that (and that's not just because I'd have loved to play the fourth, although sadly cut, Junji Ito-inspired story either, I promise). In that sense, Last Stop is probably the opposite of Black Mirror and Doctor Who... but one I'm glad I saw through to the end regardless.