Following my long journey in search of new virtual reality experiences on the PlayStation 5, I came across Last Labyrinth. From the name, I imagined it was a game in which you had to escape from a labyrinth somehow, but I didn't pursue the game to preserve my experience.
And well, when you get into the game, it's kind of like that, but much more. My first impression was very positive, because although it had a bit of what I had imagined, it was also a bit different, and I have to admit it was also a bit nerve-wracking. But let's go from there.
Good possibilities
Something I didn't expect from this game was that it could be played both in virtual reality and with a traditional controller. In technical terms, the experience is very similar, but in terms of immersion, there's no comparison.
Through VR, the experience is much smoother and more dynamic, natural, but being able to play in the traditional way is a welcome addition. This is because playing in VR is great, but sometimes it can be physically tiring. And this game allows us to take a break from that without having to stop playing.
However, Last Labyrinth is one of the least physically tiring virtual reality games because it has to be played sitting down. And given the type of game, it makes total sense for it to be like this. Oh, and another point I'll always praise is the fact that the game is localized in Portuguese.
Shocking start
When I entered the game, I was faced with a very dark setting and a lamp. And when I aim at the spot where it lights up, I see a little girl who is literally the core of the game. The character looks very nice, very good in visual terms. Not a realistic graphic in this case, but stylized in a very cute way.
It's quite clear that in technical terms, most of the team's efforts went into this character, because her graphic difference compared to the backdrops is quite large. But if the scenery is simple in graphic terms, when it comes to modeling, it's very good. Not that the models are beautiful, far from it, but they come in a wide variety.
A brief summary
Before I tell you why the game shocked me, let me tell you a little about the structure of the game. Well, I mentioned above that the little girl is the core of the game, and the reason for this is because without her, the game literally doesn't happen.
Our character is stuck in a wheelchair, even with her arms bound. All we have to do is point out the places where the girl needs to interact in order to continue the game. And that's the structure of the game. We go to various rooms in which we have to solve puzzles in order to move on to the next one and finally get out of the place.
In terms of gameplay, as I said, you point to the places where the little girl needs to interact, and there are several possible locations, all that's left is to think and choose the right ones to proceed with the stage. When you point to a location, the little girl goes there and indicates it, at which point you have to nod your head positively or negatively for her to proceed with the action.
A bit heavy
But what really shocked me were the moments when things went wrong. When you solve the puzzles, you move on to another stage and everything is fine, but when you make a mistake, there's always a death scene for the little girl. There's nothing super gory, but the game puts her in very heavy situations, and even if there's no blood, her despair and consequent death are very uncomfortable.
And the discomfort increases when we see these brutal deaths happening to a child, and then to our character. But although it's uncomfortable, you get used to it over time, and it's possible not to see it because the game tells you when a puzzle has been successfully solved or not (even so, expect a few scares because the game loves to play with your expectations). But there's no way around the first death, which is the most shocking for me.
This beginning is very well thought out to shock us, and the puzzle itself goes along with this feeling, because this puzzle that causes the girl's first death is, at first glance, super-complex, full of elements that cause a certain despair. However, it is very simple to solve.
The game likes to put us in desperate situations, which are amplified by the fact that we are practically helpless there and can't even help the little girl properly. At times, we face some enemies, and the feeling of desperation to resolve those situations is quite intense.
Was it worth the hours spent?
Last Labytinth is very short, lasting around four hours, which in terms of a virtual reality game is a good amount of time. It has a little back story, which initially doesn't make much sense, but as time goes on, things start to make sense and it's pretty cool.
Once again, it's a different experience, and one I didn't expect to have, which really stirs up our anxiety. I really enjoyed the experience, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to everyone, as it might be a bit too shocking for certain audiences, especially with all this VR immersion.
See also:
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU gameplay revealed
English 
Portuguese