The ARPG genre has seen its fair share of hits, but few titles have managed to capture that delicate balance between complexity and accessibility quite like Last Epoch. As a new arrival on the scene boasting features that pay homage to classics like Diablo while forging its own identity, Last Epoch brings a creative stance to progression, crafting, and endgame activities.
At its core lies a combat loop that delivers crunchy, high-octane action as you blast through hordes of baddies. Yet the real draw is the remarkable degree of customization as you spec out builds, fine-tune gear, and experiment with skills. Is it as hardcore as Path of Exile? Perhaps not for the most dedicated theory crafters. But with intuitive systems, smart quality of life touches, and great replayability, Last Epoch has carved a inviting niche for itself.
The time-hopping premise also lends itself to some spectacularly diverse environments and monstrous adversaries to plow through. And while the story plays second fiddle to the thrill of progression, it manages to deliver a serviceable backbone to string the demon-slaying action along.
In the end, Last Epoch brings a formula that retains enough depth without getting lost in oceans of complexity. For the loot fiends and character builders out there, it’s a riveting ride with hundreds of hours of potential. Sure, it’s not without some jagged edges in presentation and performance. But with strong post-launch support, the future certainly looks bright for this ambitious upstart.
Satisfying Progression Towards Godhood
When it comes down to it, combat is the bread and butter of any solid ARPG. And Last Epoch delivers crunchy, high-octane action as you blast through seas of foes. While the visual feedback lacks some visceral punch compared to contemporaries, the skills themselves feel meaty to unleash. Chaining combos and juggling groups of enemies with well-timed abilities soon becomes second nature. Each class also brings a distinct identity to the battlefield to keep things fresh. Whether commanding undead legions as a lich-like acolyte or dancing around the fray as a swift-footed rogue, you’ll soon slip into a gratifying playstyle.
Yet progression systems and customization lie at the real heart of Last Epoch’s excellence. With intuitive skill trees guiding smart investments and gear upgrades providing incremental boosts, power creep becomes an addictive joy. Respeccing abilities or swapping gear components means you can always fine-tune to amp damage, shore up weaknesses, or experiment with new tactics. It might not offer PoE levels of exponential complexity for theorycrafting purists. But more restrained scope brings focus. As you unlock flashy new skills and passive buffs, vanilla builds soon transform into whirlwinds of death-dealing delight.
By endgame, stunning powers and specialized gear turn characters into borderline gods of destruction, able to withstand incoming punishment while dishing out insane damage. The five mastery subclasses per class really open up diverse paths as well. An acolyte might choose to be a heavily armored reaper or else focus on pets and healing as a necromancer. Meanwhile transformative shapeshifting skills for the primalist or flashy gadgets for the rogue’s assassin specialization provide even more spice.
It all feeds wonderfully balanced difficulty too. Early on, mobs get body-slammed with impunity while environment hazards barely tickle your health pool. Yet scaling soon kicks in to provide nail-biting tests against screen-filling bosses and their hard-hitting movesets. Ultimately by endgame, player power means victory hangs on razor thin margins where a single mistaken dodge or delayed heal spell spells doom. Through it all, the absence of major death penalties keeps experimentation fun rather than frustrating.
Time Hopping for MacGuffins
Let’s get this out of the way upfront: story plays second fiddle to progression and combat in Last Epoch. The premise centers on an ancient artifact called the Epoch which enables timeline hopping between Eterra’s past, present and ruined future. This sets up jumping between eras battling everything from dinosaurs to undead legions.
It’s a serviceable backdrop that facilitates diverse enemies and environments to plow through. lBut quirky NPCs you briefly interact with and cryptic descriptions fail to resonate emotionally or deliver memorable hooks. Frankly, the convoluted time travel logic often feels more confusing than intriguing. Still, some clever side quests play into manipulating events across eras. And the existence of a doomed future Eterra at least creates investigational appeal – even if the finale lands flatter than a steamrolled pancake.
While narrative impact remains minimal, the diversity of settings and monstrous adversaries still deserves praise. From bright tropical jungles or Mediterranean seaside vistas to gloomy undead crypts and corruption-ravaged future wastelands, visual variety dazzles. The crazed bestiary also amuses with everything from farting plant beasts to giant enemy crabs running amok. It’s chock full of homages too – not just to Chrono Trigger time-hopping antics but nods to Souls with mutating cultists and Diablo 2 refugee creature designs making appearances.
In summary, nobody will be picking up Last Epoch for award-winning storytelling or water cooler discussions about profound themes. But the tongue-in-cheek references and spectacular backdrops ultimately provide just enough motivation to spark the next slaughter spree. Selling the macabre visual feast as you eradicate screen-filling legions should never be underestimated, even for the most gameplay-focused ARPG fans. And viewed thusly, Last Epoch’s worldbuilding checks off enough boxes to set a solid stage without stealing center stage from the progression.
Visual Spectacle Backed by Smooth Performance
Don’t arrive anticipating bleeding-edge photorealism or ray-traced razzle dazzle from Last Epoch. Texture work and animations stick to serviceable rather than stunning standards. Yet the vibrant art direction plays to strengths with a colorful high fantasy aesthetic better suited to fast-paced top-down slaughter than gloomy realism. Zones like lush jungles and coastal Mediterranean hubs provide lush backdrops between bouts of brutal combat. Spell effects and flowing enemy designs also dazzle, creating legible visual chaos even with projectiles and particle effects flooding the field.
It all coalesces wonderfully thanks to silky-smooth technical execution too. Whether rocking a high-end rig or more modest laptop hardware, Last Epoch doles out adrenaline-surging framerates to keep the attention fixated on progression rather than performance. Loading times when hopping between eras clock in remarkably swift as well compared to certain genre giants too. Such optimization means gamers sporting older systems should face no barriers to enjoying the ride.
Some minor gripes still weigh things down, however. The blank-slate rebooting of maps between visits actively works against appreciation of the artistry on display. And floating health bars inconsistently appearing over enemies just feels sloppy rather than strategic. Yet make no mistake: although Last Epoch doesn’t claim audio-visual bragging rights, its vivid style and speed set an ideal stage for the core progression gameplay loops. When it comes to offering buttery build diversity rather than just surface beauty, this scrappy upstart understands where best to devote development efforts.
Endgame Diversity Fuels Replayability
ARPGs live or die based on reasons to rerun content long after the credits roll. Last Epoch absolutely delivers here through varied endgame initiatives with tweaks to challenge veterans and freshen up repetition. The standout lies with dynamic Monolith time rifts offering randomized combat gauntlets with modifiers to tackle. Facing screen-filling armies and amped-up boss rematches within the Monoliths pushes builds to their limits while rewarding incremental upgrades.
The further you push, the greater the rewards…or the sting of defeat if your last sliver of health gets crunched by an elite pack. It all feeds into an addictive risk vs reward loop. The fact that alternate timelines remix environments, enemies and fight dynamics provides tremendous mileage too. One run might have you dodging projectile barrages across icy tundras while the next warps you into insect-infested caves to hack down chitinous horrors.
The procedurally generated dungeons offer enjoyable distractions as well with unique mechanics to spice things up. From meteor showers raining hell from above or flame jets roasting feet, they keep you on toes beyond just mashing buttons. The option to juice drop rates rather than group trade also caters well to solo grinders keen to avoid player-driven markets.
Some definitely argue that the campaign outshines the endgame with more meaningful ability unlocks and rewarding gear upgrades driving progression there. The slowed pacing and difficulty tuning of later challenges can disappoint those craving exponential power growth rather than modest incremental creep. Yet with numerous classes and specializations to explore, tremendous room remains for experimentation. Last Epoch might not offer quite the same infinite replay potential as genre giants, but dozens upon dozens of hours await those keen to see their heroic vision through to fruition.
Accessible Entry Point with Helpful Touches
Veteran ARPG fans might argue Last Epoch errs too far towards accessibility over complexity in late game tuning. Yet that same restraint also makes it an exemplary on-ramp for newcomers plus anyone seeking streamlined side progression. Immediately user-friendly crafting and skill upgrades lower barriers for experimentation. The ability to freely respec also encourages risk-taking, knowing you can revert any missteps rather than face hardcore penalties.
Helpful design touches reinforce the welcoming feel too. Item highlight filters and comparison tooltips let you identify valuable loot at a glance while salvaging or selling unwanted chaff takes just one click. The clean UI also elegantly conveys combat status effects, resource levels and important cooldown timers without cluttering up the proceedings.
Some convenience options perhaps cut too many corners – wiping discovered maps when revisiting areas feels like peculiarly sloppy corner cutting. Dying also awkwardly warps you randomly across locales rather than consistent checkpoint respawning. Yet absent major death penalties plus lenient difficulty tuning for much of the campaign means you’re rarely punished for slip ups. Last Epoch clearly understands that reducing frustration and busywork baiting players back time and again into its loops matters more than strictly regimented challenge.
In that sense, Last Epoch hits royal flush of accessibility – whether for newcomers or time-poor veterans. Streamlined progression incentivizes dipping back into its blood-soaked antics at any opportunity. Some may decry the lack of obstacle adversity, but for many gamers, Last Epoch strikes an ideal celebratory balance.
Unobtrusive Extras Fund Ongoing Support
In today’s landscape, microtransactions often ride sidecar with premium releases. Thankfully Last Epoch demonstrates a refreshingly unobtrusive approach here. The in-game store offers purely cosmetic options rather than gameplay boosts. And the fact much of the coolest looking gear still comes from boss drops and crafting means you never feel funneled towards whipping out your wallet.
Developer commitments also reinforce goodwill. Revenue from extras purportedly funds ongoing content and feature patches down the road rather than lines shareholder pockets. Considering Last Epoch’s humble origins as a Kickstarter project, it’s understandable monetization models play a role sustaining their efforts.
During my adventures, I never felt incentiveed to engage with the shop. Yet it presumably assists fans keen to stand out from the crowd and support future development. Assuming Eleventh Hour adheres to promises around revenue splitting, it’s an inoffensive inclusion.
Could perks like special pets or armor dyes have been bundled as unlockables into certain challenges? Perhaps. Yet the purely decorative tack of paid offerings means balance never feels threatened. Last Epoch largely gets monetization right by ignoring the temptation to nickel and dime progression. Let whales stand out through glittery attire while the rest of us enjoy substantial post-launch support fueling new features. It’s a win-win in my book.
A Gateway Drug to ARPG Obsession
When the dust settles, Last Epoch deserves applause forcarving out such an appealing identity in the ARPG space. It respectfully borrows from titans that paved the road while introducing enough fresh thinking to stand tall in its own right. The streamlined progression and customization strike an inviting balance welcoming newcomers without abandoning veterans. Meanwhile, satisfying combat and spectacular abilities turn each playable class into a power trip and half.
Sure, the campaign is more prelude than enthralling epic and later challenges never quite match early peaks of power spike euphoria. Some minor quality of life shortcomings also betray its indie origins. Yet expansive endgame initiatives continue providing compelling reasons to fine-tune builds long after the credits.
In the end, Last Epoch caters wonderfully to three key demographics. For ARPG newcomers, it makes an exemplary on-ramp, with accessible systems easing players into gripping gameplay loops rather than overwhelming through complexity. Meanwhile, time-poor fans of the genre can enjoy progression and gear chasing in manageable bites rather than endless tedious grinds.
But the ultimate sweet spot lies with gamers who adore the satisfying crunch of isometric slaying yet crave more freedom to adjust talents on the fly rather than follow prescribed paths. Last Epoch truly excels at handing players versatile toolsets and then getting out of the way to truly customize the experience.
Does it rival the exponential scaling and byzantine depths of PoE? Likely not for the most hardcore niche. But by honing its strengths around approachability and diversity, Last Epoch still deserves applause as a rising ARPG star. This scrappy upstart has effectively earned a seat at the big kids’ table. And with a great foundation now in place thanks to 1.0, the future certainly looks bright.
The Review
Last Epoch
With accessible systems, gorgeous backdrops, and a wealth of endgame content, Last Epoch lands as a resounding win for ARPG fans. Brilliant skill tree options ensure you can craft unique heroes while still keeping things streamlined enough for newcomers. A few hiccups notwithstanding, this is a must-play for veterans and fresh blood alike.
PROS
- Extremely customizable character builds and progression
- Gorgeous, varied environments and monster designs
- Addictive, high-octane combat feels great
- Helpful quality of life features
- Tons of endgame content and replayability
CONS
- Story is convoluted and largely forgettable
- Combat lacks visceral graphical feedback
- Occasional bugs and annoyances
