Previously released on the Discord Store underneath a similar name, Last Year is a Slasher-style multiplayer game where Survivors attempt to escape the clutches of multiple killers. While similar in concept to many other games out there such as Friday the 13th and Dead by Daylight, Last Year has a different approach to the usual formula that makes it fast paced and chaotic without ever feeling outside of control.
Last Year is an objective-based asymmetric multiplayer game, in which a single "Fiend" versus off against 5 Survivors, who can select one of 4 classes (The maximum allotted of each class is 2 per class.) with a unique skillset that aids in various different ways. Careful selection of these classes is necessary to ensure the safety of your group, as you are scored by the collective survival rating of everyone by the end of the match. Dying, however, is not the end of the match -- as you can be rescued by other Survivors in a similar vein as Left 4 Dead in various closets throughout the map. Throughout the map, you can collect Scrap that may be used to craft useful recipes, weapons, and defensive options to have a greater edge against the Fiend.
The Fiend is a two-fold killer with a simple-to-understand ability with a complex skill ceiling. The Fiend may turn incorporeal and attempt to place traps that limit Survivor movement, cause deadly falls, surprises unique to each Fiend that may instantly kill a Survivor if they're not paying attention, and other similar options. The Fiend is the opposition to the Survivors, attempting to keep them from escaping the match. They suffer a weakness, however -- Fiends cannot appear from their incorporeal state when within the view of a Survivor. As of writing this review, there are 4 unique Fiends that you may play -- of which, you may select 3 to build a "Fiend Deck" of playable characters in a single match. Each Fiend has unique abilities. For example, the Slasher is an average character who has shockingly high damage with a moderate amount of resistance and stamina but moves at a slow speed. The recently released Spider is a fast-moving creature that can spew acid that can punish Survivors for being too closely gathered or buy time during a close engagement. Simple abilities, but combined with the ability to place traps, appear and disappear rapidly, while trying to hold pressure on constantly respawning Survivors can be tricky without practice.
Unlike Dead by Daylight, the game runs through a consistent timer from the start of the match. The timer favors the Fiend, as the Survivors will automatically fail if they are unable to individually escape before the timer ends. This timer prevents matches that may be stalled by toxic Survivors taunting the Fiend for under-performing or vice-versa. Survivors can die quickly, but they have a wealth of options to counteract the schemes of the Fiend by having combative roles and items that can quickly turn the tide when properly prepared. A well-placed Proximity Bomb may prevent the Fiend from entering from a particular route or a Molotov may prevent a sly Fiend from camping an Objective with a powerful position.
To prevent a stale repetition, Last Year offers unique maps with surprising detail and style to each. Each map has separate Objectives and requirements for Survivors to escape and useful positions for the Fiend to take advantage of. With enough time and practice, you'll understand the routes and pathways that each map offers, and which areas are dangerous to maneuver through. Unlike Dead by Daylight, however, the maps don't have a great deal of randomization and many trap locations can be pathed around with enough memorization and prediction.
However, the game does suffer from some negative points. The matchmaking service is rather strange, as I've been matched with the same players multiple times over on release day despite over a thousand players on at the time of playing. On the release day, the matchmaking service was completely abysmal with over 20-minute wait-times for a match as a Classmate/Survivor. I somewhat expect such things on release day, as that common trouble plagues most games, but it moved me to play something else rather than waste time in a lobby. Additionally, the wait time when searching for a match as a Fiend takes substantially longer than when playing as a Survivor. While the game is fun to play with friends, the inability to play against your friends as a Fiend or allow one of your friends to play as a Fiend in a randomized manner similar to Friday the 13th removes a level of enjoyment when you can't have fun and progress your skills. The progression tree within the game is rather strict and bound to one-use items, which use the same currency necessary to unlock and progress through the tree. This is a bit counter-intuitive and makes progression rather slow paced. Last Year lacks a proper tutorial and instead throws you directly into the fire to learn how to play. While Last Year isn't incredibly difficult to understand, having a proper tutorial to help understand the base elements of the game would allow fresh players to better understand what they're getting themselves into.
All-in-all, I find this game less complex but more interesting to play than Dead by Daylight. With some proper love and additions.
TL: DR - 8/10. I really enjoy this more than Dead by Daylight due to the ability for counter-play without requiring a year's worth of grind and playtime before I can even enjoy the base functionality of the game. I rarely come into a situation where I feel absolutely powerless against the Fiend, while there has been plenty of times were a sudden appearance from a Fiend during a tense moment can jump-start your heart into full fight or flight. It has issues with matchmaking, progression, lack of a tutorial, and skill-build complexity -- but it's clear that this game captures the spirit of Slasher movies and makes it fun, despite dying a lot. A lot.
Last Year is the most enjoyable Slasher-themed game I've played but the game is unfortunately dead because company went bankrupt, not because it was abandoned. You can't buy it, there's no players anymore, balancing is... not great but not horrible. It's not playable, but when it was, it was one of my favorite games. Not a game you can take seriously, it's mostly just dumb fun. Teens can kill the monster if they all have weapons and work together, monster can easily kill teens, teens can be revived a lot. It's a lot of action, albeit usually unfair action, but that's part of what makes it fun. either the monster is at huge advantage over 1-2 teens, or all 5 teens gang up and slaughter the monster. It's too bad they couldn't get the IP back for the game.
Last Year is an objective-based asymmetric multiplayer game, in which a single "Fiend" versus off against 5 Survivors, who can select one of 4 classes (The maximum allotted of each class is 2 per class.) with a unique skillset that aids in various different ways. Careful selection of these classes is necessary to ensure the safety of your group, as you are scored by the collective survival rating of everyone by the end of the match. Dying, however, is not the end of the match -- as you can be rescued by other Survivors in a similar vein as Left 4 Dead in various closets throughout the map. Throughout the map, you can collect Scrap that may be used to craft useful recipes, weapons, and defensive options to have a greater edge against the Fiend.
The Fiend is a two-fold killer with a simple-to-understand ability with a complex skill ceiling. The Fiend may turn incorporeal and attempt to place traps that limit Survivor movement, cause deadly falls, surprises unique to each Fiend that may instantly kill a Survivor if they're not paying attention, and other similar options. The Fiend is the opposition to the Survivors, attempting to keep them from escaping the match. They suffer a weakness, however -- Fiends cannot appear from their incorporeal state when within the view of a Survivor. As of writing this review, there are 4 unique Fiends that you may play -- of which, you may select 3 to build a "Fiend Deck" of playable characters in a single match. Each Fiend has unique abilities. For example, the Slasher is an average character who has shockingly high damage with a moderate amount of resistance and stamina but moves at a slow speed. The recently released Spider is a fast-moving creature that can spew acid that can punish Survivors for being too closely gathered or buy time during a close engagement. Simple abilities, but combined with the ability to place traps, appear and disappear rapidly, while trying to hold pressure on constantly respawning Survivors can be tricky without practice.
Unlike Dead by Daylight, the game runs through a consistent timer from the start of the match. The timer favors the Fiend, as the Survivors will automatically fail if they are unable to individually escape before the timer ends. This timer prevents matches that may be stalled by toxic Survivors taunting the Fiend for under-performing or vice-versa. Survivors can die quickly, but they have a wealth of options to counteract the schemes of the Fiend by having combative roles and items that can quickly turn the tide when properly prepared. A well-placed Proximity Bomb may prevent the Fiend from entering from a particular route or a Molotov may prevent a sly Fiend from camping an Objective with a powerful position.
To prevent a stale repetition, Last Year offers unique maps with surprising detail and style to each. Each map has separate Objectives and requirements for Survivors to escape and useful positions for the Fiend to take advantage of. With enough time and practice, you'll understand the routes and pathways that each map offers, and which areas are dangerous to maneuver through. Unlike Dead by Daylight, however, the maps don't have a great deal of randomization and many trap locations can be pathed around with enough memorization and prediction.
However, the game does suffer from some negative points. The matchmaking service is rather strange, as I've been matched with the same players multiple times over on release day despite over a thousand players on at the time of playing. On the release day, the matchmaking service was completely abysmal with over 20-minute wait-times for a match as a Classmate/Survivor. I somewhat expect such things on release day, as that common trouble plagues most games, but it moved me to play something else rather than waste time in a lobby. Additionally, the wait time when searching for a match as a Fiend takes substantially longer than when playing as a Survivor. While the game is fun to play with friends, the inability to play against your friends as a Fiend or allow one of your friends to play as a Fiend in a randomized manner similar to Friday the 13th removes a level of enjoyment when you can't have fun and progress your skills. The progression tree within the game is rather strict and bound to one-use items, which use the same currency necessary to unlock and progress through the tree. This is a bit counter-intuitive and makes progression rather slow paced. Last Year lacks a proper tutorial and instead throws you directly into the fire to learn how to play. While Last Year isn't incredibly difficult to understand, having a proper tutorial to help understand the base elements of the game would allow fresh players to better understand what they're getting themselves into.
All-in-all, I find this game less complex but more interesting to play than Dead by Daylight. With some proper love and additions.
TL: DR - 8/10. I really enjoy this more than Dead by Daylight due to the ability for counter-play without requiring a year's worth of grind and playtime before I can even enjoy the base functionality of the game. I rarely come into a situation where I feel absolutely powerless against the Fiend, while there has been plenty of times were a sudden appearance from a Fiend during a tense moment can jump-start your heart into full fight or flight. It has issues with matchmaking, progression, lack of a tutorial, and skill-build complexity -- but it's clear that this game captures the spirit of Slasher movies and makes it fun, despite dying a lot. A lot.
Last Year is the most enjoyable Slasher-themed game I've played but the game is unfortunately dead because company went bankrupt, not because it was abandoned. You can't buy it, there's no players anymore, balancing is... not great but not horrible. It's not playable, but when it was, it was one of my favorite games. Not a game you can take seriously, it's mostly just dumb fun. Teens can kill the monster if they all have weapons and work together, monster can easily kill teens, teens can be revived a lot. It's a lot of action, albeit usually unfair action, but that's part of what makes it fun. either the monster is at huge advantage over 1-2 teens, or all 5 teens gang up and slaughter the monster. It's too bad they couldn't get the IP back for the game.
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