The Last Spell

An interesting take on tactical games, The Last Spell is an ambitious strategy experience with a unique visual style and solid mechanics. Assemble your heroes and prepare to brave the apocalypse in this turn-based tactical RPG that will test your commanding skills as many games have.

Featuring a vast selection of tactics and deep customization for your characters, there are lots of possibilities for survival in The Last Spell. Some roguelike elements also keep the game alive for a longer time than your typical RPG, ensuring tons of playtime will come out of this game. Let’s see what’s great and what could be improved about The Last Spell’s formula.

Turn-based Apocalypse

The Last Spell begins at the end of the world: after the mages of the world provoked The Cataclysm, the world lies in ruins. In this brave new world, only the strong survive, and working together might be the only option left for humanity to thrive. With your limited resources, it will be up to you to help in the survival of humanity’s last bastion.

Much like Minecraft, The Last Spell focuses on a cycle of using the days to prepare for the cruel nights. During the day, players will have to use their resources to build new structures to prepare for the hordes of the night. However, resources are limited, and they’re also used to upgrade your characters.

This creates a tough choice for players: should they strengthen their defenses or their characters? Most of the time, you’ll have to make tough decisions to survive in The Last Spell. It’s like developers Ishtar Games saw how players reacted to the Avenger in XCOM 2 and made it more than just a simple hub.

Dark Influences

The visual style of The Last Spell is as fascinating as it is unique. Featuring a ton of seemingly hand-drawn sprites, the world of the game feels rich and alive, even though the creatures that live in it are as undead as they come. This art style, coupled with the game’s turn-based gameplay, makes The Last Spell feel like a grimdark version of Disgaea.

Almost every aspect of the game’s combat feels balanced and fits well with other mechanics. That is, except for AOE attacks. These attacks are a pivotal part of the game’s combat, as they can make or break most battles. However, they’re also quite repetitive, making each encounter feel tedious in the end.

The RNG might also be a bit of a turnoff for some players who are looking for a more traditional tactical RPG experience. Let’s keep in mind that The Last Spell is mostly a roguelike game, so some randomness is to be expected. This brings us to the last point of our review:

Apocalyptic Difficulty

This is not an easy game, not at all. The constant attacks by enemy hordes are difficult to repel, even more so due to the game’s cryptic stats than due to the actual enemy AI. Players will have to balance copious amounts of numbers and stats about their characters, all while keeping in mind that some of these stats are completely random.

You can find loot to make your quest easier, but this is also randomly generated. All in all, The Last Spell is a tough game that will put your skills to the test every step of the way.

Pros:

• Beautiful art style
• Deep combat and stats
• Clean presentation

Cons:

• Can feel unfairly difficult
• Cluttered UI