Game Review: Last Stop (Xbox Series X)

A game that is all about its story. So much so that if you’re not gripped by it, you’re probably going to hate Last Stop. This is because gameplay is so limited. However, chances are you will be captivated by its excellent story.

Last Stop comes from Virginia developer Variable State and in it, you follow the lives of three different people in London, England. Three people from three different backgrounds and living very different lives, yet share a connection that will reveal itself across their epic stories.

We have John, a lonely middle-aged single father stuck in a crappy office job with a bullying boss. His neighbour, Jack is young, carefree and adventurous. The two couldn’t be any more different. That is until an accidental meeting with a stranger on the tube sees them swapping bodies.

There we have Meena. A tough workaholic who’s desperate for a promotion at her mysterious workplace. Her efforts at work are taking a serious toll on her marriage, although the affair she is also having really doesn’t help matters.

Finally, Donna is a teenager bored with life and annoyed with her interfering family. Her mundane existence is livened up though when she discovers a dark secret about a mysterious stranger.

Their stories are told through chapters and each chapter must be played before storylines can be progressed. There’s no focusing on one character over another to the conclusion. This is because all three will come together for the big final chapter. It’s like episodic TV, especially as each chapter tends to end with a cliff-hanger which leaves you chomping at the bit for more.

With three different stories playing out, naturally some are better than others. At first, John’s story is the one that really captured the imagination as it’s sweet, funny and heartfelt. However, Meena’s is the most developed and really goes places. The most lacking is probably Donna’s but that’s only because it feels a bit lighter and dragged out. It’s still an excellently told story though and she is very likable.

Part of that comes from a voice cast that is phenomenal. Really fleshing out and making it feel real. Regardless of the cartoony visuals, these characters feel real. You’ll care about them and want to see their stories come to a close.

This review has focused on the story because, as stated at the start, it’s the selling point of this game. No-one is going to be picking this up for gameplay, that’s for sure.

Made up of small movements where you go from A to B, a ton of dialogue options that have no bearing on the game (aside from the finale), small interactions and Quick Time Events, there’s nothing else to this.

It is frustrating that there isn’t more here, as there are multiple times where you might expect to take control, but effectively you’re just along for the ride. Does the incredible story make up for that? In this reviewer’s opinion, absolutely.

Though it’s not the only area of the game that you’ll have to just accept.

The visuals were already mentioned, cartoony and simple to look at. However, some environments and locations are almost too simple. So much so, that the single colour tones come across bland and uninteresting. That also applies to the random NPC’s that litter the world, most wandering the street with no faces.

You can see what Variable State was going for here, faceless characters unconnected to the story but it can be quite distracting.

To be honest, these are minor complaints overall though as we love games for stories as much as anything else. Last Stop may not satisfy gamplay wise but it will with its story. The part where Jack and John play the piano together is just one example of where the story is powerful enough to move you to tears.