The Last Shores Review (PC)

There’s something awfully bittersweet about the rebirth of a lost civilization. It’s almost upsetting to think about—the vacant memories and the forgotten heirlooms, the sacred chasms of a distant world and the echoes of a former colony. But, there’s also bliss in the process of breathing life back into its derelict roots and restoring each of its cultural traditions. The same sensation applied in The Gunk; it made the world feel terribly hollow, but also grateful for the resuscitation of its natural habitat. And in The Last Shores, it’s that same feeling that carries the weight of its world.

The Last Shores isn’t about defying the hierarchy or bending the world to lean in your favor; it’s about restoring balance—exhuming the royal tapestry and unearthing a historical legacy that once stood as the foundation for a booming civilization. It is, in ways, a game that wants you to learn more about its origins, but also wishes for you to spend your time carefully by tiptoeing along its scattered paths and onboarding its forgotten relics and runes, clues and cultural secrets. Like The Gunk, you could say, but with less gloop and more cosmic-punk storytelling and pastel imagery.

Suffice it to say that, if you are hell-bent on jumping into a cesspit of ravenous monsters and complex skill trees, epic quest lines and shifting narrative elements, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Alas, The Last Shores isn’t a bullet-brazen RPG; it’s a small pocket of bottled therapy—a relaxing collect-and-recycle affair that turns a blind eye to perplexing mechanics and favors a slightly more rudimentary approach. It’s about cleaning, excavating, and learning the secrets of a long-lost civilization. If that’s something you can see yourself jumping into, then be sure to read on.

Following the Trail

The Last Shores takes us to the lonesome world of a cosmic paradise—a place of coastal curiosities and sunken treasures, luscious plateaus and mountainous vistas. As a graduate of GREEN-CORP University, we—you, sorry—have the monumental task of spending your one-year internship restoring the island to its former glory. But that’s not all. In addition to cleaning the island and exhuming its natural flair, you also have the responsibility of digging up old secrets from your father, as well as learning more about the history behind the once-beloved utopia. With that, you have items to collect, tools to utilize, and a swathe of land to roam and adapt to. Granted, there’s a little more to it than that, but that is, for the most part, The Last Shores, in a nutshell: a restoration project with roots.

The game itself unfolds in a similar fashion as a lot of bite-sized open-world restoration games, with the player working towards an eco-friendly goal of restoring the world to its original form. Through various tools and energy sources, players are more or less invited to sweep through a collection of vibrant boroughs and explore its natural wonders. There are photos to capture, sunken landmarks to chronicle, and checklists to guide you through the process of restoring and enhancing the fabric of the landscape over a relatively short yet beautifully crafted journey.

Waste Not, Want Not

Let it be said that, while there are plenty of bits and pieces to carve through over the course of The Last Shores’ cleaning expedition, the game itself isn’t likely to be everybody’s cup of tea. It’s a little on the slow side, and it doesn’t exactly push the boat out as far as mechanics or gameplay elements go. That being said, it does make a decent effort to keep you invested in the project through various avenues of progression. For instance, in several cases you have to restore wind turbines to generate energy, whereas in other cases you have to cater to the local wildlife to help sustain the environment. And I’ll be honest, it does enough here to keep you both emotionally and physically occupied for the short time it keep you. It isn’t a classically exciting experience, though it does provide you with a sense of purpose and the means to continue.

From an audiovisual standpoint, The Last Shores takes a leaf out of The Gardens Between’s palette, which more or less touches base on a minimalistic, albeit incredibly luscious art style that waxes both pastel colors and cosmic curiosities. Granted, it isn’t teeming with panoramic wonders and idyllic elements beyond the realm of imagination, though it does make good use of what it has in its stead. And for this setting, in particular, it just works. It’s a simple game, and it doesn’t do anything extraordinarily well, but, to give credit where it’s due, it does pour a lot of heart into the few aspects it holds dear. That alone counts for a great deal, truly.

Verdict

The Last Shores delivers a simple yet satisfying scoop-and-savor cosmic-punk restoration experience with a lot of heart and natural charm to call its own. It’s sweet, appealing, and conveys a message that ought to resonate with fans of the genre incredibly well.

When all’s said and done, The Last Shores is the sort  of game that you could quite easily switch off to for a couple of hours to give the ol’ noggin a bit of respite. It’s a niche market, and one that’s bound to entice just as many cozy gamers as it is to bore the die-hard RPG collective. With that, I should give you fair warning and say that, although the game does offer a thin veil of mystery for you to unearth, it doesn’t do much more than what it openly promises on its tin. There’s plenty of exploring to be done, true, but to make it absolutely clear, the journey itself doesn’t offer much by way of pivotal plot points or exciting gameplay elements. Swings and roundabouts though, you know.

If you enjoy simple projects that bear a whole lot of heart and soul, then chances are you’ll enjoy mopping up the cultural fabric of The Last Shores’ surprisingly elegant cosmic-punk landscapes. It’s a sweet game, albeit one that doesn’t boast a great deal of content. And so, if you are looking to bury your head in an easygoing restoration sim that doesn’t require you to exfoliate your brain cells, then you ought to enjoy sweeping the coastal ruins of Black Frog Studio’s newest eco-friendly IP.