The Last Word
As a bizarre project (intentionally, we swear!) in service to the Ludum Dare 41 theme, “Combine Two Incompatible Genres,” The Last Word combines the chill of galactic strategy with the fast-paced thrill of… reading? It’s the genre mash-up that action gamers have (not) been clamoring for: the Real-Time Strategy Visual Novel.
You are Human Legion Captain Fureus Maximus, one of the last embattled warriors doomed to lead the resistance of a planet long ago deemed lost. Your enemy: a swarm of aliens that have overrun the planet, destroyed its civilizations, and claimed its once-famous Spaceport as their insectoid hive.
Take on the role of Fureus as he commands his forces across this alien world from his tactical map, summoning and directing units to their alien targets, and – if the Fates are smiling upon you this day – to their victory over the alien swarm, destroying their Spaceport hive once and for all!
As an effort in uncomfortable game design, this unusual project gave us a chance to think about what makes each of these genres unique, and to riff on each of their idiosyncrasies in a collision of genre tropes. (Hopefully to an amusing combined project!)
