The Last Survey

[h1]1.8/10 - "[i]I could never admire men like [url=https://twitter.com/EssayGames]him[/url]; mostly because they only admire men like themselves[/i]"[/h1] Less of a game and more of a statement, The Last Survey tells the story of a private consultant and technical advisor and of his struggles, both external and internal, in the employ of a multinational mining company. All this is conveyed by his monologue and occasional dialogue during a single private meeting with his contractor. Having witnessed first-hand the great divide between the workers on the ground and the tycoons atop their ivory skyscrapers, as well as corporate corruption and the fates of whistleblowers, the protagonist struggles with balancing humaneness and self-preservation. Furthermore, he also struggles with honesty and advocacy, which is where the game shines (whether intentionally or not): reading between the lines, we learn about the protagonist and his own flaws. He thinks he knows best, he has trouble giving an objective and detached report without supplying his own views on the matter, be it on the subject of ore depletion or working conditions.* And taking a step back, we see that the entire narrative is indeed coloured by this subjective and flawed human being. His skeptical and suspicious nature, compacted and justified by bitter experiences, quite understandably gives rise not merely to distrust but to outright disgust with the corporate world that he navigates. This condition is exacerbated by yet another internal struggle, namely that of a stereotypical scientist who feels like his tact and glibness don't come close to matching his analytical insight, while facing-off (such is the protagonist's experience at any rate) against a stereotypically charismatic CEO who, without knowing any details, can talk coils around anyone with which to then constrict them. As a result, the protagonist descends into an ambiguous vortex of legitimate caution and paranoid over-thinking, carrying the reader with him. I say 'reader', as opposed to 'player', because this visual novel pushes the boundaries of what can be considered a game. There are several binary dialogue choices, none of which have meaningful consequences, thus conveying to the reader the futility which the protagonist feels. At this time there are no saves, no settings, not even a 'back' or 'quit' button, and the only way of progressing is by clicking the small 'next' button in the bottom right-hand corner. [spoiler]Clicking on it too often in a short space of time, will trigger the "secret" alternative ending, which I can't help but feel, is little more than an excuse to add the 'multiple endings' tag to the store page.[/spoiler] The blackboard-style drawings are minimalist and artsy, as is the sound track, inspired by indigenous folk music and appropriate ambient sounds, some of which was so annoying that I felt necessitated to mute it. The meat of this visual novel is truly the novel part, which is presented in subtitle format, meaning that the whole experience is fairly short. Taking this and the limited replayability into account, it would surprise me greatly if the game will launch anywhere above $5 full price. * Fortunately, the story never quite veers into proselytizing the stale lies of either saint Greta and the church of climatology or your local drunk hobo/socialist union spokesman, respectively, though it came close enough to have me worried several times. A worry which even the most cursory glance at [url=https://twitter.com/EssayGames]developer Nicholas O'Brien's/Double Underscore's social media[/url] vindicates. What a piece of ♥♥♥♥.

This is a short and no-frills visual novel designed for a single playthrough, drawing attention to a serious and important topic, and it's pretty good at what it does. It makes no attempt at being "a real game". Your options are limited to reading the protagonist's well-formulated observations, memories, and considerations; watching the mesmerising ways in which the illustrations morph into each other to support the narrative; clicking to continue, and sometimes choosing one out of two lines that impact the outcome. I tried to find different endings (my first playthrough took a bit under 45 minutes) before learning that the difference lies mostly in atmosphere and details during the story, unless you [spoiler]fail and are prompted to go back and try again[/spoiler]. I can't call it "enjoyable" and it's not meant to be, but it's certainly educational and/or relatable for people into science communication, environmental and ethical issues. * * * For more recommendations of chill and story-driven games, check out my curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35872486]Peaceful Adventures and Stories[/url].

Edit: Changing this to a positive to appreciate the Dev for listening to my concerns with the game. Do go through the thread if that helps you decide on whether or not to purchase, the story itself was nice and the theme well done, my issues are more on implementation than content Came here from the list of under-appreciated games of 2020. This one isn't worth it. The story it tells is probably interesting, and the art is nice and all (but heavily distracting, do I look at the text or the visual meant to artistically represent first? what has more importance?). The thing I HATE about it is that if you have a good reading speed, it abruptly ends your game at that very moment with an 'impatience' ending (you, 'the reader', were too 'impatient' in real life so you get a bad end). It severely kicks me out of the experience. Also, you can only click to go forward, not use a keyboard button which would be way more convenient. Also, there's no save or load option. I came here wanting to like this, but I'd avoid if I were you, or if the dev fixes those issues.

♥♥♥♥

You, a geologist, return from years surveying a company’s mines to present your report to the CEO, in an air-conditioned office on the 19th floor of a skyscraper. A powerful, well-written story about how alienating corporatism is: from beauty, from morality, from any kind of humanity. It’s about a specific impending environmental crisis that we rarely think about, but it reflects universally on CEOs’ practice in any field (see: how Facebook and Twitter refused to take action against misinformation, because it would be bad for the bottom line, until they felt they might face real consequences for their actions). I should also mention the vivid sense of space it creates - the soul-sucking neutrality of the office itself, painted with just words and simple animations. It resonated with me, and I think it would resonate with anyone who's ever worked a corporate job.

Short animated visual novel criticizing capitalism, exploitation of poor countries and workers, and above all exploitation of natural resources, especially mineral resources; very actual topic, it is increasingly difficult to find and extract them. Content is really worth of your attention, the literary style is good. Animation and drawing are very simple, just a visual commentary. I think It would be better to write a novel or a comic-book; video game medium is not so suitable to reading; not by chance, I don't like visual novels so much despite their attention to story, characters and contents. Yes, you have a bit of interactivity because of multiple choice dialogues and you have even a task, a challenge: to get your boss to heed your research on unsustainable consumption of mineral and natural resources. Btw that's not enough; video games should create interactivity, agency, immersiveness, presence, embodiement by means of specific visual language and techniques based on processing. On the contrary, visual novels are a sort of digital version of game-books, the same for The Last Survey. Not my cup of tea for sure. I give thumb up just because of the really interesting and smart content. Received on my curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/26168615-Video-Games-Art-International/

To be fair, I knew it was going to be a short game and was curious to learn if the main theme would carry us around the globe and if we'd actually be able to witness the impact of the news we had to bring to our employer. Spoiler: But In fact we never left the building, at least not in the way we imagined. Using remarkably on point descriptions, we were torn and twisted between our own thoughts and assumptions and those of our counterpart - trying to dodge the dismissal or at least the fairly unpleasant consequencesthis very decision could invoke. It's an essay about a situation, heavily disceted, with some delicate and amusing details. It's supported by a unique soundtrack, supporting well the strain and stress of this situation. It's not suitable for a stream, since the typewriten text should be read individually, after one has been able to witness the hand-drawn animated illustrations. Would recommend it for collectors of unique game-gems."

Stressful and stark. Personal and pointed. Brisk but dense like a good short story. Strong zine vibes, which I love. I would recommend playing with a friend, like a book club. Good for discussion.

[i] My Experience [/i] I likely saw The Last Survey on the same list that many other 2021 players of the game did - John Walker's "The Best Games of 2020 That You've Never Heard Of," featured on Kotaku. His description of the game piqued my interest, and I grabbed it recently when it went on sale. First of all, the game is exactly as well-written as Walker asserts and was a pleasure to read. Although I'm not sure that the story could have only been told in the medium of a game (as Walker asserts), a game seems a good a way as any to experience it. There are a few moments when you choose a dialogue option to continue the conversation and it's possible that this alters the ending, but there was only one choice that made sense to me at each junction. I don't tend to replay games like this, and I didn't replay this one either. I liked the way that the player is made privy to each and every thought of the geologist as they live this experience. It's surprising (but realistic) how many thoughts occur as someone sits in a waiting room, and this comprehensiveness helps the player truly enter the shoes of the protagonist. My favorite things about the game are some of the ideas that it explores, like the symbolic power of the CEO of a multinational corporation. This power defies physical form, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if developer Nicholas O'Brien had spent some time in the corporate world. The author also articulates well the way that "data" provides an excuse for the most inhuman impulses and decisions in this sphere. Playing the game reminded me of Exxon (the oil and natural gas company) and how it already knew about the climate change that would result from the consumption of its products almost 40 years ago (now perhaps 45) - see scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-climate-change-almost-40-years-ago/. The only negative aspect of my experience with the game was a brief, dissonant section of the music towards the beginning of the game that made it difficult to read. However, it's possible that the developer was attempting to evoke through music the anxiety that existed in the mind of our geologist. Anyway, The Last Survey is excellent. Although the game specifically focuses on rare earth metals, this could easily be replaced by other prominent industries in which the intersection of demand, supply, and the environment pose vast threats (such as meat consumption). A lot of inertia exists in industries like these, and it's worth thinking soon and often about how to move towards sustainability.