We recently had the opportunity to attend a digital event courtesy of Outright Games. The event showcased a number of video games that are on their way to consoles and PC. While we can’t talk about every game we saw, there are two that we can and one of them was The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom.
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom is based on the Netflix Show and children’s novels by Max Brallier “The Last Kids on Earth”. It follows four teenagers; Jack, Quint, June, and Dirk, who have banded together through a zombie and monster apocalypse. The game takes place in the same universe as the books and show but follows its own unique story that the author himself wrote. A lot of the creatures and monsters from the series also feature in The Last Kids of Earth and the Staff of Doom and some new beasties have been created especially for the game.
What is The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom?
The game itself is a 3rd-person adventure that has been likened to a child-friendly Diablo. You can play single-player or local co-op with up to four players to explore the town of Wakefield, Massachusetts, fight monsters, and search for loot. Jack and his friends each have their unique skills and attack style. Jack is geared up for melee, Dirk is a heavy brawler, and June & Quint rely on mid-long range weapons.
When playing with other players, you will play as each character separately but when playing singularly, you can swap through the characters and use their skill sets to your advantage. You will be able to upgrade each character’s weapons and armor with things that you find in-game and must battle through hordes of zombies and giant monsters in epic boss battles.
As regards online play with friends and other players around the world, an update is in the works sometime later after launch but it won’t support cross-platform play. That means that you and your friends will all have to own the same system in order to play together.
I myself am not familiar with the books nor the Netflix series. However, I was assured that the game will be accessible and easy to pick up and familiarize with as you are given a general recap of sorts, to sum up the plot and situation of the game. As I watched the demonstration video for the game, I was actually interested to learn more about the series itself.
Shortly after the presentation, I actually watched the first episode of The Last Kids of Earth, which was actually an hour-long itself and covered the first book in the series. Not many TV show-based video games have succeeded in getting me to watch the show it was based on but this one did.
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom doesn’t look or feel to be a cash grab to market on gullible fans of the series. The writers and developers have really seemed to capture the essence of the show and bring it into the video game format. The visual art style matches that of the show and all of the voice actors have reprised their roles, making the game feel all the more authentic and natural.
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom Gameplay Trailer
I wasn’t expecting much at first but from what I have seen, I am now pretty invested in how this game will turn out and am really looking forward to playing it when it releases on Nintendo Switch this Spring.
