The Last Oricru hands-on preview

Are you ready for some more Dark Souls/Elden Ring? If your answer was no then you should probably switch to another article. We did a The Last Oricru hands-on preview at PAX East 2022, giving us the first look at yet another souls-like game.

Earlier this month, we shared our PAX East 2022 preview of Koch Media and Massive Work Studios game Dolmen. Dolmen was not the only game at the Prime Matter booth though. During our meeting, we were given the chance to preview Prime Matter and GoldenKnights upcoming game The Last Oricru. The Last Oricru is a game centered around storytelling and player choices.

For The Last Oricru demo, we played Co-op with Int. PR Manager of Koch Media, Tobi.  After getting beaten by the Dolmen boss, I felt that some co-op gameplay would be relaxing. Thankfully, Sir Tobi was more than willing to show us the ropes.

Although some elements of gameplay are similar to that of SoulsBourne games, it looks to make a name for itself by focusing on other aspects. Some key features to highlight are co-op, choices, and factions. Before we talk about those let’s discuss the gameplay demo first.

The Last Oricru Demo

For the PAX East 2022 demo, we played through two different levels showcasing the perspective of two of the factions in the game. For the first level, we played as the human characters defending against the rodent infestation.

The goal of the level was clear out the stronghold and push back the invading forces. For our demo, Tobi played as a mage able to dish out offensive and defensive spells; in fact, one spell was able to heal my character while connected and if an enemy got in the middle of it, it would deal damage to said, enemy.

Getting used to the game’s controller mechanics took a moment after Dolmen, but then I was informed that the controller layout could be altered to match that of Dolmens. Before this change, I kept falling off things and jumping into the water. Once the controls were changed, this made life a bit easier and we quickly cleared the level.

For the second level, we swapped factions. This time, we were playing the game from the rodent’s perspective. To be honest, I can’t remember the faction’s name, I believe it is called the Ratkins. However, for this level, we played from their perspective storming the stronghold from the sewers. This second level felt easier until the final boss. On this run, we had to fight against the stronghold’s general, and this time, I went down like a sack of potatoes.

Gameplay & Choices

The Last Oricru is a game about decisions. For those who haven’t watched any of the trailers, the two best games to compare it to are Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Decisions play a massive factor in the game and each choice builds on the previous one.

These choices will impact how each faction views you and what outcome you will get. During our preview, we did not really get to make any story-driven choices but we were able to see how the battle plays out from each side’s perspective.

The only part of factions we did get to see was the favoritism meter. Each faction will have a certain amount of favor towards the main character. If it pulls too strongly towards the aggression side, enemies will attack. From the game’s trailer, it appears that it is possible to have all factions hate you. Depending on the choices the player makes, the game’s ending will have a variety of outcomes.

The Last Oricru looks to do what other games similar to it have not done before. According to the Prime Matter team, the game can be played Single Player, Online Co-op, or Split-Screen Co-op. For fans of RPGs, this means you can share the story’s experience from the comfort of your own couch. If you are not a social person or are a single gamer, then you can just enjoy this game online.

Takeaways

As someone who enjoys Darksouls and Mass Effect, the concept of combining these two popular games feels like a great choice. Sadly, a good amount of games don’t provide both a story-driven choice narrative and co-op gameplay.

This can scratch the itch that Fable 3 left behind in 2010. The idea of choices impacting the factions you are siding with or against deciding the ending makes The Last Oricru a game you can play multiple times. The core gameplay felt easy in our preview, but this could be an accessibility preview to entice players into the demo.

Whether we receive a code to review this or not, one of us will pick up this game and let you know how it is. I for one plan on playing this when it releases. At the moment, there is no official release date beyond a 2022 marker. The Last Oricru is scheduled to be released on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.