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The last time I played a coming-of-age, story-focused game set in 1980s Japan, Loop8: Summer of Gods, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. So, with developers Maboroshi Artworks offering a similar kind of premise for their narrative adventure title Last Time I Saw You, my expectations are well in check.
Could Last Time I Saw You be a dream debut for the fledgling team, or is it best to steer clear of it?
Last Time I Saw You whisks you away to Amatsu, a rural town in Japan where protagonist Ayumi resides. Ayumi is a 12-year old kid who’s struggling with life and appears to be in a rush to become a grown up, neglecting those close to him in the process. To add to his troubles, there’s a typhoon on the horizon, putting everyone at risk. He’s also been having the strangest of dreams lately, involving a mysterious girl, seemingly luring him to the nearby forest. It’s the only way to figure out who the girl is and why Ayumi has been chosen for the role he’s about to play.
The narrative does a terrific job of hooking you in with the mystical elements and you’ll instantly be curious as to what’s going on. There’s a spiritual side to it, allowing the introduction of fascinating yokai creatures from Japanese folklore like kappa and nekomata, as well as the Korean nine-tailed fox. These are just a few of the interesting characters in the magical, yet dangerous, forest, but they all have a story to tell which humanises them. It’s rather endearing.
More impressively however, is the fact that you’ll be just as eager to learn about the townsfolk who are dealing with a myriad of their own problems. Whether it’s Ayumi’s parents, his best friends, the feuding food vendors, or the local policeman, they’re all going through something, even if it’s not overly apparent. Last Time I Saw You is full of layers that you can unravel and there are moments throughout that will put a smile on your face, while others are more sorrowful.
In terms of gameplay, it’s essentially a 2D exploration adventure where you’ll control Ayumi to interact with things and people to progress. Main quests are provided to guide you to the places of importance, while a handful of side quests encourage going off the beaten track. Without knocking the story-advancing quests, the side offerings are really good fun and one in particular has a lovely payoff for completing it. For the most part, it’s a collection of fetch quests, which is absolutely fine, but there are times and situations requiring more input.
On the positive front, there are memory-based puzzles to solve in which you have to repeat the order of bells ringing by hitting them with a bat. Certain sections need you to engage in some platforming and the use of a special dash to get across gaps. What I didn’t like though, were the short stealth segments and having to attack the floating shadow spirits. Being stealthy isn’t fun and the spirits are an irritant that suck the joy out of a peaceful stroll.
I believe the exploration aspect to be more fulfilling as you pass by shops and shrines, delve into the mines, and even mosey around school. There’s plenty to see and a host of nifty collectibles to find or purchase too, including a kokeshi doll, a pachinko ball, and manga. It’s basically a bunch of cool stuff relevant in Japanese culture.
Unfortunately, I did come across a couple of issues and some visual glitches that put a slight damper on proceedings. Upon being hit three times by a shadow spirit, you’re usually transported to the nearest save point, but on far too many occasions, the game would just freeze up. The same would sometimes happen when attempting to venture through a fast-travel tunnel. In short, try your best to avoid the shadows and maybe go the long way round to reach your destination. There’s also a glitch where giant square blocks appear when hitting the aforementioned bells.
Other than that weird glitch, Last Time I Saw You is a visual treat. That’s mainly due to the gorgeous hand-drawn backgrounds in place for the town and the magical forest. It’s very rare I spend time admiring the scenery in any game, but this is one of the few exceptions. Despite visiting many of the same locations, the seasonal and weather-based changes lead to lovely settings that simply have to be admired at every opportunity. Credit must also be given to the soundscape, with excellent sound effects and backing music that help create suitable, often super cosy, atmospheres for all situations.
The biggest compliment I can give Last Time I Saw You is that during the roughly six-hour playtime, it never dragged on and I even thought about the characters in between sessions. Last Time I Saw You is a beautiful looking adventure full of interesting sub-plots that complement the main narrative arc. Sure, the gameplay mechanics are hit and miss, but the shortcomings are easily overlooked. It’s a bit trickier to ignore the few technical hindrances; just be aware they could happen to you.
I implore you to delve into Last Time I Saw You and uncover the wonderful stories beholden within.
Last Time I Saw You: A Hand-Drawn Tale of Cursed Love and Coming-of-Age – https://www.thexboxhub.com/last-time-i-saw-you-a-hand-drawn-tale-of-cursed-love-and-coming-of-age/
Buy Last Time I Saw You on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/last-time-i-saw-you/9P1LVW7BPMV3