Story
Last Encounter thrusts the player into a future where humanity has been wiped from existence except for a lone science research station. The scientist on board has developed a procedure to clone starships and pilots in order to search for the last remaining fleet and fight back against the alien army. It is up to the player and a seemingly endless supply of clones to venture forth into the unknown to save the human race. I hesitantly accepted this challenge knowing I most likely did not possess the necessary skills required to accomplish it, but with endless clones, I could try.
Gameplay
Before you set off into deep space you choose between multiple pilots and ships. Each pilot and ship combination caters to a different playstyle. Pilots offer percentage stat boosts, while ships are equipped with unique weapon systems that can offer offensive or defensive advantages to the player. I was partial to the complete glass cannon ship and pilot combo, which did not help me too much in the staying alive department. Once you select your pilot and ship, you are launched through a portal to face off against the alien threat using a twin-stick shooter combat mechanic, your ship’s special ability, and a boost dodge ability. While battling the many threats of deep space, the player will need to keep an eye out for potential hazards. There are mines and black holes littered throughout the cosmos among various other hazards to watch out for. The black holes offer an interesting twist to your combat strategies because they will suck in your ship and curve friendly and enemy fire. There were plenty of occasions where I ran into a mine, while frantically dodging enemy fire, or thought I was safe only to be surprised by bullets curving towards me from a black hole.
Throughout your journey, you will find different weapon components and upgrades to mix and match in order to form your perfect weapon. These upgrades had a time or ammo limit and once obtained you can spend credits on upgrades for them. I felt that the credit system was too unforgiving. I would be deep into a run collecting and saving credits that would be inevitably lost upon my eventual death. The small number of credits I was able to scrounge together hardly bought a couple of upgrades and they are difficult to collect during your run. I felt that they disappeared too quickly after destroying an enemy and were hard to collect. It seemed like I had to touch each individual credit with the very tip of my ship to collect them. In order to escape a system and move forward, you must clear areas and find enough keys to activate the next portal. I enjoyed this progression system because I was able to choose where I warped, and I wasn’t just thrown into the next area at random. I felt like I had control of where I was going even if I didn’t know what dangers awaited me.
When adventuring through the stars, be sure to closely watch your health bar. Once it’s depleted you will start back at the research station as a clone of your former self destined to dive right back in with hopes to venture further than before. By using procedurally generated level design, each trip will be different from the last which keeps the grind feeling fresh. I feel this is desperately needed in these types of games because they can get stale fast by using the same level design repeatedly. The first system you encounter has a fairly standard space design to it, but I found the second system to be beautiful and unique with the plant-based space design it incorporated. Not only did the scenery change, but it brought forth brand new environmental hazards and a sharp difficulty spike.
Conclusion
This game brought back terrible memories from the time I attempted to play Enter the Gungeon. To say I struggled would be putting it lightly these types of roguelike games seem to be specifically designed to frustrate me to no end. However, if you are so fortunate to be blessed with the necessary skills and patience to succeed in this style of game I think that this would be an excellent option for you to look into. While I don’t believe that this game is groundbreaking for the genre, I think that it brought unique additions to it. The level design and art style work well with the subject matter of the game. The weapon component system and environmental hazards are a great feature that I have not seen implemented like this in the past.
