Title: The Last Survey
Developer: Nicholas O’Brien
Publisher: Nicholas O’Brien
Release Date: August 7th, 2020
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Price: $4.99 (USD)

The Last Survey is not your typical video game. Nicholas O’Brien serves players a hand-drawn visual novel essay game, one that can be appreciated by those that enjoy digging (pun intended) into real-world themes and unique art style. It is a visual novel at heart with a few dialogue choices that will determine the ending, and it’s a short experience, so I, too, will keep this review brief so that you may get the most out of this.

Synopsis

In The Last Survey, you play as a geologist who must deliver devastating findings on the state of rare earth metal reserves that are mined at breakneck speed to supply our global hunger for green initiatives and technology.

The game begins are you wait to speak to Victor Ferreira, the CEO of a massively successful mining company, and your choices primarily revolve on dialogue choices with Ferreira. As a hardened C-suite executive, Ferreira is a challenge to convince prioritizing sustainability over profit. Will you be able to perform verbal gymnastics to convince a greedy corporation from permanently sucking the Earth dry of its minerals?

The Last Survey hits hard as it is reflective of the very real possibility of meeting the same grim fate that is implied in the game. As we strive to live in a greener world and improved technology, many of us forget that these “sustainable” solutions like electric cars and solar panels require rare minerals like silver, platinum, and cobalt. Are we dooming the world while we blindly are trying to save it? It is a tough question we all need to ask ourselves, our corporations, and our governments.

ANALYSIS

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple, so The Last Survey either is a great game for you or…not. If you love visual novels and/or narrative-driven games, this title will take you down a reflective journey that requires minimal technical skill. You simply must click through the narration; however, there are warnings if you click too fast! This is a great reminder to be patient and focus on the story.

There are a handful of minor action or dialogue choices. Although on one hand I wish there were more, I also felt that this amount was deliberate. One false move or statement, and the CEO will dismiss you like a bad cup of coffee.

Graphics and Sound

The hand-drawn visuals are superb and what I enjoyed most about The Last Survey. It compliments to dire situation you are in. According to the Steam page, the game contains about1500 of hand-drawn digital, graphite, and charcoal drawings! The drawings are also rarely static, moving about with the dialogue.

The sounds within the game are minimal but purposeful. It reminded me of a pickaxe striking rock. The slight tinny noise is not enough to annoy me, but it certainly was enough to remind me of what was at stake.

FINAL SCORE:

For what The Last Survey offers, it delivers well. I believe the developer intended it to be a brief but powerful narrative experience, and I feel that any more would be fluff. The visual art style and sound effects help give the words more power. Given that it is an “essay game”, I have to also applaud O’Brien’s writing skills.

The Last Survey was effectively written, leaving me feel uneasy at the end–even when I achieved the “good” ending, because let’s face it, how far gone are we reaping precious minerals from our Earth already? The game challenges us to ask the tough questions and acknowledge the challenges of global corporations–even when they are providing the ingredients for our “greener” alternatives.

If you like a good visual novel and wrestling with a meaningful topic, I highly recommend The Last Survey. It is affordable, a quick experience that respects your time, and has a unique art style.

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Featured Image Source: Nicholas O’Brien