The Last Hero Of Nostalgaia Review

Coatsink and Over The Moon are ready to de invent the Soulslike with an old school offering of a very different sort. Grab a stick and head into The Last Hero of Nostalgaia review.

Originally unveiled to us back at WASD 2022 and ready to drag Souls inspired dungeon crawlers back into depths of retro experiences, this brand new old school take on a gaming staple is a unique oddity. Ready to swing a stick sword, a stick axe, or just a stick stick across PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Series S, the latest carefully curated title from the Coatsink is now ready to delve into a golden age or something like that.

An Old New World

Set in a fantasy land that seems to be slowly decompiling in on itself, The Last Hero of Nostalgaia opens upon the last days of a once great kingdom. A rot seems to have set in over Nostalgaia and all around then sheen is wearing off this once great world. Textures that might be brilliant facades in Elden Ring or intricately detailed cities in Bloodborne are honed down into brown dirges and grey pixel paintings. Sharp edges and retro architecture describe a world that is slowly slipping back towards an empty abyss, and whatever is causing this deterioration is affecting more than the stonework. Citizens of this otherworldly oddity no longer welcome heroes. Instead, low fidelity merchets, NPCs, and minions hang in a malaise that is only broken when a troublesome do-gooder arrives appears.

 

last hero in NPC city

last hero in NPC city

 

In case it wasn’t obvious, don’t expect a joyous welcome in Nostalgaia. Angry and insolent locals populate the forsaken streets, castle walls, and hidden dungeons of this world. The entire affair starts off with a distinctly unpleasant warning and this romp descends from there. A familiar Soulslike hack and slash gameplay experience underpins much of Nostalgaia, with a range of facades and backdrops playing host to an array of angry locals and the odd big bad challenge. To get past them, there’s no questing, just a plain attack, defend, block, parry, and strike with little forgiveness.

Familiar Feeling

last hero stick figure customization page

Combat classes are distinct enough at first, with classes like Datadin and Randomaster giving players the option of going from swift footwork and magical range to simple sword and board scenarios. A total of FIVE of these are available, each wielding their own weapon and particular play style. While there’s some obvious commonality between this final frontier of old school gaming and other titles like Dark Souls, combat sits on the more methodical side. All the usual building blocks are in place. Light and heavy attacks, blocking, and dodge rolls mean you’ll still need to be precise enough, while looting experience and new gear provide a decent range of upgrade paths to keep combat engaging and varied. This might all seem pretty straight forward and whether you’re crawling through a library, trudging up a stairwell, or running towards seemingly fiery wrath, initial impressions of this hack and slash are combat are middling. That’s kind of the point though. The plain painted brown hallways and pixelated towns feel technologically dilapidated in a way that is only topped by the presentation of the game’s supposed hero. A literal stick figure, there’s nothing much to this avatar or its sword swinging, and the only way of looking epic is with epic gear.

Getting Better

Just like the unworthy hero, Nostalgaia needs something of an upgrade. Thankfully swatting through the world, collecting memories, and saving at intermittent points helps push this world back toward a more modern high definition remaster. The most obvious early example of this is saving at a shrine. Stopping to make sure progress is saved transforms the surrounding locals from a mess of brown squares into an intricately carved set of stonework. Much like any good Souls like, these stopping points don’t just give you a better view of Nostalgaia, they are a natural place to rest, recover health, upgrade, swap out to new weapons, and be mercilessly taunted by an omnipotent narrator without a local mob coming to eviscerate you.

 

nostalgia boss battle

 

While dotting from shrine to shrine in a fairly linear fashion might sound like a step into the past for a genre predicated on the all mighty Elden Ring, Nostalgaia has a charm that is simply all its own. From the moment the character creator renders a stick figure, to the derisive back chat of the narrator. There’s a bit of dark humor that sets a knowing tone for this entire endeavor, but it’s more than just verbal punishment.

An Unpolished Gem

During this adventure, video game easter eggs are hidden across Nostalgaia. Items drawn from other titles, notes, and more make an appearance and provide moments of levity while you continue to save this ungrateful lot. Secret doors to NPC town and beyond tell a story beyond the struggle to save a world, and an acerbic wit tops off a well balanced homage to everything that’s gone before. While combat can sometimes be a little pedestrian, the culmination of this quest is balanced on a knife edge with decent Souls gameplay, just enough combat variety, and a streamlined campaign that gives players enough freedom to find some hidden gems. The Last hero of Nostalgaia doesn’t break the mold. It picks what it needs to tell a story, gives players just enough freedom to keep the core systems engaging, and then sweeps you away with a loving yet utterly ruthless comedic take on everything we’ve come to expect of a Soulslike.

Find out more on the official website before you take on this unusual adventure. If you’re ready to rise from the very lowest stick figure into the Last Hero of Nostalgaia then pick up this unique adventure on PC and Console now.

Summary
All in a great take on the Soulslike staples we've already seen flood the market. This jaunt through a retro dullscape might feel oddly uninspiring if it wasn't for the streamlined gameplay and acerbic wit wielded by Nostalgaia.
Good
  • Darkly comedic
  • Lots of interesting discoveries
  • Easy enough to get to grips with
Bad
  • Can feel linear
  • You are NOT going to feel epic
  • Variety of customization can be limited
8
Great
Written by
For those of you who I’ve not met yet, my name is Ed. After an early indoctrination into PC gaming, years adrift on the unwashed internet, running a successful guild, and testing video games, I turned my hand to writing about them. Now, you will find me squawking across a multitude of sites and even getting to play games now and then

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