There’s a game that’s just become available on the Nintendo eShop that bears an uncanny (if much lower quality) resemblance to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.
Starring Brian and Eva!
As noted by a number of news outlets, The Last Hope: Dead Zone Survival is very much an independently made open-world zombie shooter with post-apocalyptic vibes. The game became available for the Switch on June 30 and is currently 88% off if you do want to give it a go.
However, it’s difficult to not see the similarities between this game (developed by VG Games) and The Last of Us.
While Last Hope doesn’t have the same critical acclaim as the Naughty Dog series, it’s clear that the studio has an influence on VG Games’ latest offering. It even features a pair of protagonists, one of whom is strikingly similar to Ellie from the first The Last of Us, as they make their way through a zombie-infested wasteland.
As far as visuals and how it plays, footage from the game gives an idea of what you can expect if you do decide to play it. It has all the hallmarks of something that has been made on a low budget, with gameplay that’s nothing spectacular.
Despite the description on the Nintendo store saying that the game has a “captivating plot,” “immersive graphics,” and “meaningful choices,” it’s difficult to see that in the attached footage.
It looks like The Last Hope also pulled inspiration from other games. During one segment, the protagonist (called Brian) attempts to picklock a police car. This mechanic seems to blend the lockpicking feature from the Splinter Cell series with the minigame aspects of Fable 2.
Of course, we shouldn’t give the game too much criticism in terms of its quality. It’s clearly been made by independent developers. However, the fact that it’s being compared to The Last of Us (the cover art itself could be likened to a cheap rip-off) is what’s giving this low-quality zombie game media coverage at the moment.
