[Review] Last Night of Winter – Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Digital Zeon
Published By: Red Art Games
Categories: Action, Adventure, RPG
Release Date: 06.28.24
Price: $9.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review.

If you’re looking for a cheap game that’s both addicting and hard as hell, Last Night of Winter has you covered. I did not know what I was getting myself into when I decided to play it but I’m glad that I tried it out because of its addicting nature, though I ended up rage quitting a few times in the process because of how hard the game was.

If you rage quit easily or can’t do well with a challenge, this game is not for you. This is a game that’s geared towards hardcore gamers and those who wish to inflict a great deal of stress upon themselves. Last Night of Winter is Ridiculously hard, even if you play on the easiest settings possible. You will have a hard time playing, and if that’s what you love, you’ll have a great time.

For context, I played on easy with auto aim turned on and I had a tough time. For the first 30 minutes or so, the battles weren’t even that challenging but I was furious with the parkour aspects in the jail area. Have to time jumps perfectly and many of the platforms would move or disappear and I would end up falling.

I probably fell off the map dozens of times before even making it to the first boss. The parkour was fun but it was excruciating at the same time. At the time, I thought it was hard but doable. Then I made it to the first boss blocking the way out of the jail and I learned what true pain was. This battle was fast-paced and brutal, and I definitely died at least once before finally making it through.

About an hour after leaving the jail I was battling the waiter and the intensity was compounded. Moves were erratic and quick, and I barely had enough time to land any of my own hits. I was furious at the game while playing on the easiest level but there was an addicting quality when trying to push through each boss.

While the combat is chaotic it’s still lots of fun because there’s different weapons that you can find and equip, each one doing a different style of attack. There’s also a wide variety of enemies and each one has different attack patterns and types of weapon that you have to watch out. As you explore each dungeon and area, which can be done in any order, the different enemies will give you quite the challenge, especially if you end up fighting one above your pay grade early on.

I didn’t really care too much about the story and thought it was a little bit boring at times because the plot just didn’t really interest me and the combat was what really kept the game going for me. However, the game is made extra challenging with how small your inventory is. I ended up filling up my entire inventory before beating the first boss and every few minutes I would find a new item and decided on whether it was worth dropping something for it.

Last Night of Winter is not the kind of game that the average casual gamer should be picking up. Most people will give up on it quickly saying it’s too difficult or too boring outside of the combat. But for $9.99, people who are already fans of souls-like and challenging games will enjoy it and get their money’s worth.

3.5/5