Last Word

Genuinely great discussion "combat" with the tug-of-war style meter and managing all your various levels. Feels like a nice game of Chess, where you know at a certain point which of you is going to win. Plus, the characters are fantastic. So glad I finally sat down to finish this. (Plus hey, cute kitty)

I bought this game years ago, played it, enjoyed it, then forgot about it. I came back to it for the first time in almost ten years yesterday, and honestly I think it's incredible. In terms of technicality, it does show its age a little bit. There are very few settings (including no ability to change resolution), and no ability to skip the credits. I really don't think that's enough to ruin the experience for anyone, but maybe some people are more particular about that stuff. But gameplay and story-wise, this absolutely holds up. The 'combat' system is incredibly tactical for having very few options and very little skill progression, but what few skills there are can make a surprising amount of difference in the course of a battle. (For example, consider whether equipping Firm Handshake will allow you to start the battle on a more strategically advantageous peg). It's a steal at its full price, and even more of a steal on sale. The game can be beaten in about 4 hours if you know what you're doing, with extra content and secret-searching adding an extra few hours. Definitely not a game that overstays its welcome, and every minute in the game is spent with very clear ideas as to what you should be doing at the moment.

You certainly can't say this game isn't creative. Love the application of JRPG mechanics to pretentious discourse. The characters are well written, each with their own, distinct weird personality, the combat system is complex but interesting once you get the hang of it, and there are lots of secrets you can find around the mansion. The way to change gossip topics is clunky and annoying, but that's my only real qualm with the game. Also, you can talk to the cat. Very nice. Great game.

[h1]Reseña al vuelo: \Last Word\ - ¡Desenrollando la lengua tras el último chisme![/h1] [h2]Resumen[/h2] ¿Alguna vez pensaste que ganar una discusión pudiera ser tan épico que necesitaría su propio videojuego? Bueno, aquí tienes \Last Word\. En este juego, tus habilidades para debatir son tu espada y escudo. Prepárate para parlotear hasta que te conviertas en el Shakespeare de las discusiones casuales. [h2]Aspectos importantes e interesantes[/h2] Uno de los pilares de \Last Word\ es sin duda su originalidad. No todos los días juegas algo donde hablar (literalmente, aunque de forma estratégica) es la manera de avanzar y desentrañar misterios en una mansión que parece sacada de una novela victoriana de quinta mano. También, el sistema de combate basado en conversaciones es algo tan único que podría hacerte dejar de enviar textos y querer discutir en persona (quizá). [h2]Aspectos por mejorar[/h2] Aunque hablar hasta por los codos puede ser divertido, el juego a veces siente que le falta un pedazo de queso en la hamburguesa. La interfaz parece diseñada por un estudiante de primer año de diseño gráfico con una fijación por \lo vintage\. Además, algunos diálogos son tan largos que sentirás que estás en una cena familiar de esas que nunca terminan. [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación[/th][th]Comentarios[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]8[/td][td]Divertido pero, ¿hablar para ganar? Interesante...[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]7[/td][td]Desafiantemente hablador, a veces es un poco repetitivo.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]7[/td][td]Bastante bueno, pero no esperes más que palabras.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Video / Gráficos[/td][td]6[/td][td]Nostálgico, pero necesita una pulida visual.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]8[/td][td]Atractiva y apropiadamente enigmática.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]7[/td][td]Te sientes dentro de una novela, aunque a veces es predecible.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos[/td][td]6[/td][td]Están ahí, pero no te volarán la cabeza.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]7[/td][td]Agradable, sin romper el molde.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]7[/td][td]Decentes, aunque podrían ser más variadas.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]8[/td][td]A pesar de la repetición, es un concepto innovador.[/td][/tr] [tr][th]Total[/th][th]71/100[/th][th]Deficientemente interesante.[/th][/tr] [/table] [h2]¿Comprarlo o no?[/h2] Si el puntaje total es de [b]71[/b], entonces... [Compralo con descuento.]

I am 32 years old. My ex-wife and I have a daughter together, and we adopted our son together. Both are now 4 years old. When we were going through our separation, I felt lost and unhappy. I was self-destructive. One day, I was so angry with everything spiraling out of control that I punched a concrete wall in a moment of overwhelming emotion. This resulted in breaking my fifth metacarpal in my right hand—the hand I worked with, played games with, and used to carry my children to bed—the hand I desperately needed to ensure I could continue providing. Upon learning the severity of the self-inflicted damage, I became almost suicidal. Keep in mind that just a few months before this, I was the happiest man, with no history of depression or anxiety. I had never experienced anger outbursts, nor was I the type to break down and cry, but I was in a tough situation that truly prevented me from seeing the light on the other side. With nothing better to do, I looked for a game I could play WITH ONE HAND while recovering. Somehow, I stumbled upon this game and read some of the comments. I decided it was worth a try... I must admit I didn't beat the game, nor did I play as much as some of you. In fact, I may have played this game for only a day or two. That being said, after doing so, I had a new joy and hope for life. I managed to leave behind the pain and suffering that had been thrust upon me. I could experience the joy and happiness of other people. I relaxed for 5 ♥♥♥♥ minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay. After realizing this, I turned off the game and went back to work. My hand hurt a lot, but I was motivated. I stopped feeling so sorry for myself and became the father I needed to be at that moment, not the weak boy I was behaving like. Today, I am close friends with the mother of my children. We don't fight, argue, or say hurtful things to each other. We are parents and friends. Now I have 3 children. My third child is, wait, ALSO 4 YEARS OLD. The woman I am with was going through a very similar situation at the time of my separation, and we just unexpectedly stumbled into each other's lives. We have been dating for a year and are very happy together. Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today. This silly little game helped me realize that. Thank you.

OVERALL 9/10 Only worth a replay to reread the well-written story or because you particularly like the game play. GRAPHICS 9/10 Simple, quasi-pixel RPG Maker fare that favours minimalism in regards to character design (characters are depicted as outlines filled in with their associated "house" colour). The environment is suitably cozy and the combat "animations" provide visual interest. SOUND/MUSIC 9/10 Highly evocative soundtrack, excellent sounds effects and the minimalist-style humphs and scoffs of the voice actors immerse the player. CONTROLS 8/10 My only sticking point is that it is possible to make a wrong decision when in combat due to the menu system not being intuitive (eg. the creator should put the category at the top of the subcategory menu [eg. Disruptive - Subtle Common Overt, etc.] though that might qualify as a graphics / design issue). PLOT 10/10 Powerful and moving well-written murder mystery style plot filled with twists and turns (THAT MAKE SENSE) that could stand toe-to-toe with a novel or a movie. It's worth it to play (and replay) the game for the story alone! (Or go watch a playthrough >w>.) GAMEPLAY 8/10 It has its moments. The combat system takes a little getting used to but it is fairly intuitive and strategic. Combat is "resource gathering" / Final Fantasy-style "Fight Run Magic". You have to be very careful while selecting your move for reasons mentioned earlier (sub-menus do not have the titles which should be there). Grinding through conversations, investigating the environment and upgrading your character is intuitive, easy to do and fun! FINAL VERDICT = "Murder mystery" style "This Game Is A Novel" with Final Fantasy style "Fight Run Magic" style resource-based "combat". Would recommend AT LEAST 1 playthrough.

Was baffling at first but it's pretty good actually, lot of secrets to find and compelling concept

Really cool and clever idea for a game, especially for its time! If you're curious check it out!

Last Word is a charming and genuinely unique RPG Maker experience that managed to surprise me — the discourse system, a kind of tug-of-war resource management game wrapped in a rock-paper-scissors tone mechanic, takes some getting used to but clicks into place in a satisfying way once it does. The real star is the writing and atmosphere: the cast of aristocratic guests, the sprawling gossip web you piece together, and the Cluedo-meets-Professor-Layton mystery all come together into something that feels polished and intentional well beyond what you'd expect from a small team. That said, the grind is real — with so few characters in the mansion, you'll be running the same discourse loops repeatedly to level up before gating bosses, and the investigation phase is mostly just exhausting every topic with every NPC until something unlocks. At around 6-8 hours to completion it never quite outstays its welcome, and for the right kind of patient, story-curious player it's absolutely worth picking up on sale.

The game play is akin to pulling teeth. So enthralling in fact, I fell asleep with it on and now I have over 20 hours. & I had to change my resolution just to see it without straining my eyes. 2/5 stars