During Pax East 2022, I was invited to get a look at an upcoming game that caught my interest well before the convention. The game was from the publishing team Wired Productions. The game, The Last Worker is being developed by Oiffy & Wolf and Wood. Before we dive into our preview and talk about the experience I went through playing the game, I have to say this is one Indie Game that I am looking forward to coming out this year.
In The Last Worker (Cinematic narrative-driven Dystopian Adventure), Kurt is the last human worker in a massive, automated shipping center of the megacorporation Jüngle. The gameplay takes a first-person perspective and as you float around the facility, following a narrative storyline that takes us to the depths of our reliance on technology.
As players progress throughout the game, they are accompanied by a drone companion, who is voiced by Jason Isaacs, sorting and handling shipments on a day-to-day basis. The demo felt more like a tutorial to teach you about the game and the different tools to use in the game, one of the tools is the Jüngle Gun; this is the main tool the player will use either lifting boxes, repelling enemies attacks, or removing obstacles as you navigate throughout the facility. The controls were a bit glitchy or slow to respond when performing actions or moving around. While this is just a preview, the developers will continue to improve the gameplay mechanics and technical features of the game.
During the demo, the story kicks off where you are asked to sabotage the Jüngle from inside the facility by an organization known as S.P.E.A.R. whose main purpose is to combat the full replacement of humans with robots. As the player begins their work to betray the company, The Last Worker’s stealth elements come into play where the player will sneak around the warehouse going past drones and AI that are currently watching while making their way to the restricted areas of the facility. You will have either have to hide behind boxes or go through ducts to get past the drones and AI security. In The Last Worker, it is almost playing two different games, during the day you are just the person handling the packages in the facility but at night you could be the Hero of humanity trying to fight against a megacorporation.
Voice Actors
The Last Worker is a game that is being developed by a talented team but also has an amazing all-star cast of voice actors such as Jason Isaacs (known for voicing Zhao, Inquisitor, and Emperor), Zelda Williams (Known for voicing Kuvira in The Legend of Korra), David Hewlett (known for voicing Mudokons), Olafur Darri Olafsson (known for voicing Archer, and Ragnar the Rock) and Clare-Hope Ashitey (Children of Men and Doctor Who). In addition, the person responsible for the game’s soundtrack is none other than Oliver Kraus who collaborated and performed with famous artists like Dave Matthews, Adele, Sia, and Tom McRae.
Oculus Quest and Nomination
From what I experienced from the demo especially the movement of the character in the game, I can see this game will look and feel amazing if I used an Oculus Quest, however throughout the demo the game was played with a controller. Hopefully, we get to see more gameplay of The Last Worker on the Oculus Quest since the Developers announced that is something they are working on. The Last worker is one title that I’m looking forward to this year and I can’t wait to see how the game’s story unfolds when it launches.
The game was nominated for Best of Show during Pax East 2022 and then won the Best of Show Award itself during the final days. The game is rich with story and beautiful artwork between the world design and character design; this game will put you on the edge of your seat from the start. During my time playing The Last Worker at PAX East, the game itself teaches us that even if it has choices and paths there will be consequences even if it is the end of the humanity of salvation. It has a similar feeling when you compare it to other games that show a dystopian society such as Deux Ex.
Humanity is on a brink of destruction and players will be the ones who decide what the future holds. The Last Worker is a game that will give you insight into the future but a deeper look at corporations in the present.
The game is expected to be released later this year and will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PC VR, Oculus Quest 2 / Quest, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam / Epic Games Store). We can’t wait to dive into this game later this year.
