The Last Spell is a Hybrid Turn-Based Tactical Tower Defense RPG
Mar. 13, 2023The Last Spell is a Hybrid Turn-Based Tactical Tower Defense RPG
The Last Spell is a new unique mix of turn-based tactics, with a sprinkle of RPG depth and tower defense madness.
Have you ever sat down in front of your PC, and booted up your favorite tower defense game? Maybe something strategic, likeAge of Darkness: Final Stand. But then you get bored and want a tower defense game. And yet you still aren’t satisfied, and boot up a deep survival RPG likeV Rising. What if you could have all of that together, lumped into one gloriouspixel-art shadedpackage?
Well, indie dev Ishtar Games has got just the game for you.
The setup is simple. Mages, in an attempt to rid the world of all wars, have made a war that will rid them of the world instead. They inadvertently invoked a destructive event known only as “The Cataclysm”. Unbound magic danced across the land, leaving destruction and horrifying abominations in its wake. The only respite is during the day when the terrifying mutants slumber and get their well-earned shut-eye.
This is where you and your meager group of RPG heroes come in. They have been tasked with defending the same set of mages that brought upon the apocalypse. This time, they have begun casting what they call “The Last Spell” – a bit of magic that is said to be powerful enough to rid the world of all magic. And even “The Cataclysm”.
These mages are quite bad at their job (as proven by their mistakes) and require whole days of uninterrupted channeling to be able to cast The Last Spell. Our heroes must then defend the city of Haven during our last-ditch effort to save humanity.
The Last Spell creates quite a unique mish-mash of many different genres. At its heart, it is an RPG. Players will command a party of hardy characters with different strengths and weaknesses. They will all have different classes, skills, traits, and attributes, as expected of any good RPG.
What’s cool about this system is that it hasrogueliteelements also built in. Most things are randomized to a degree, meaning you won’t command the same hero twice in a row.
A character class can have its skill trees randomized, creating unique scenarios that will keep the player thinking on their toes for the best combinations. You can eventually build up a mage that primarily shoots things with a gun instead of a wand.
Players will also need to carefully manage each hero in their roster. While they are strong in their own right, they are very few souls against legions of abominations. Resources such as healing are also limited, so players will need to plan ahead.
The Last Spell is played with a day and night cycle. During the day, players will tend to the wounded and build up their defenses (more on that later). At night, they will be assaulted from all angles by ravenous beasts, undead monstrosities, and magical malice.
Enemies will be countless during the night and will need to be held back with all your might. Players will need to carefully position their heroes and defenses so that they can make the best of things. AoE attacks, line of sight, crowd control, and more need to be taken into consideration.
The game is also played turn-based, giving players enough breathing room. You can freely work on micromanaging your heroes, as well as making sure your limited resources are put to the best use.
Things get harder as well, the longer the game goes on. The Last Spell is not an endless defense strategy game, as a powerful end-boss will loom its ugly head once The Last Spell is almost fully charged up.
The City of Haven could even be a character in its own right, as it will be another layer that the player will need to manage in The Last Spell. Players will be able to customize the city in between horrific nights. You will be able to build new strategic defenses, like walls, traps, and more.
Daytime will also be an opportunity for your heroes to take a much-needed breather between the harrowing nights. You can upgrade their weapons and armor, as well as hire new heroes to the slaughter.
The Last Spell is also a Roguelite with its procedurally generated content. Aside from the characters, even the enemy composition and sizes during the nights will be random. Weapons, items, and other unlockables will always be shifting and changing, proving that no two attempts at saving the world will ever be the same.
Players can even tailor the game’s difficulty to their tastes. You can grant yourself some minor boons in order to make the game just a bit easier. Be it changes to action points, amount of heroes, or the number of enemies, the world is your oyster.
Ishtar Games’ The Last Spell is definitely a unique one. It has charming pixel art visuals, endless replayability, as well as a hearty mix of some of the best elements of timeless genres. It will be exciting to see what they can cook up next to further improve The Last Spell. The game is available on Steam for a special launch discount that puts it at $22.49 (as $24.99 is the regular price).
In other news, check outWild Hearts New Update Brings New Kemono, Skills and MoreandRogue Spirit is a new Roguelike that Has You Possess Your Foes.
Auberon
Writer at Fextralife. I really like vanilla ice cream.
