Last Year (video game)

Last Year is an asymmetric survival horror video game developed by Canadian studio Elastic Games and currently owned by Undaunted Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 18 December 2018, distributed via Discord and later via Steam.

Last Year
Developer(s)Elastic Games (before 2022)
Undaunted Games (after 2022)
Publisher(s)Elastic Games (before 2022)
Undaunted Games (after 2022)
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)Windows
Release18 December 2018 (Discord)
10 December 2019 (Steam)
Genre(s)Survival horror
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay

Set in a high school in 1996, the game pits five Classmates against a Fiend who can switch between three of four characters: The Giant, The Slasher, The Spider and The Strangler.[1] Classmates roam the map completing a variety of objectives in order to escape, while the Fiend tries to stop them from doing so.[2][3] The Fiend is able to despawn and respawn outside the Classmates' line of sight with an ability called "predator mode".[2][3] This mode also allows them to place traps for unsuspecting classmates.[4]

Development

Kickstarter

In late 2014 Elastic Games decided to open a Kickstarter to fund the game. The initial goal was 50,000 CA$ but they ended up receiving 114,711 CA$

2016

In 2016 the first version of Last Year alpha came to live and it was the first design of the game. Most of the things of this build did not make up to the end of the game, such as: Barricades, light traps, wire traps...

2017

In this version of the alpha not too much things changed compared to the live version of the game but here are some of the things that were changed: -Fiends could actually interact with the environment, for example: You could break the generator from advancing or stop the bell tower escape gate from opening. -A workbench was added as an alternative to craft without a crafting kit. -In the final build of this alpha there was a progression build that allowed the classmates and fiends to gain exp. based in the actions that they made while playing the game.

2018

A trailer for Last Year: The Nightmare was released in September 2018.[5]

Release

Last Year: The Nightmare had a closed beta period on 2–5 November 2018.[6] The game was distributed "first on Discord" for 90 days, after which the game could also be distributed via other Windows game vendors.[7]

2019

A re-launch, Last Year: Afterdark, was released on 10 December 2019 via Steam.[8]

2020

Last Year: The Nightmare was released on 26 October 2020 via Steam.[9]

Late 2021

Due to the bankruptcy of Elastic Games,[10] the game is no longer available on any platform and owners of the game cannot launch it.

2022

Due to the fact that the owners of the game cannot launch it, the development of the modification of Last Year: Resurrected began on August 11, 2022.[11] The modification aims to bypass server checks as well as fixing up the code to be fully Peer to Peer without the reliance of game servers. The mod released as a public beta on March 24, 2023.[12]

2023

On the first April the Official Twitter Account of Last Year became active again with a tweet related that the game will be back. The Game can be currently downloaded on Steam for free: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1195460/Last_Year/ A new company called Undaunted Games does now appear as publisher instead of Elastic Games. At the moment, the modding developers are working hard to make Last Year:Afterdark playable again and are repairing the servers. The game was re-launched on May 4, 2023.

Reception

Last Year: The Nightmare received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 73/100 based on 10 reviews.[13]

Jordan Devore of Destructoid praised the art direction of the game, saying it made matches "spontaneous and varied."[4]

References
  1. "Horror Game Last Year: The Nightmare Gets New Trailer, Heads to Discord - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  2. James Davenport (11 September 2018). "Last Year: The Nightmare nails the fantasy of being a cunning horror movie dungeon master". pcgamer. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. Wilbur, Brock (7 April 2018). "Last Year: The Nightmare might be the asymmetrical multiplayer killer app". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  4. "Last Year: The Nightmare has good bones". destructoid. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  5. "Multiplayer Horror Game Last Year: The Nightmare Gets Its First Bloody Trailer". Game Informer. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  6. "Closed Beta Begins Today! – Last Year The Nightmare". Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  7. "FAQ – Last Year The Nightmare". Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  8. "Last Year: Afterdark dissed by Discord, set sights on Steam release". PC Invasion. 30 November 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  9. "Last Year: The Nightmare was released on Steam". Steam. 26 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. "Notice of Bankruptcy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. "Last Year: Resurrected".
  12. "Last Year: Resurrected - Official Trailer". YouTube. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  13. "Last Year: The Nightmare for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  14. Marchiafava, Jeff (15 January 2019). "Last Year: The Nightmare Review - Stylish Showdowns Struggling To Make The Cut". Game Informer. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. Petite, Steven (29 December 2018). "Last Year: The Nightmare Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
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