Will we see The Last Night in 2020?

[Billfisto]

"In an interview with Vice, Tim Soret said that while The Last Night has themes that others see as right-wing, such as criticizing the concept of Universal Basic Income, his goal with the game is not to be critical of these elements, but only to describe a world that took a certain trajectory to implement these elements, for better or worse, and explore the new problems that were introduced.

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"Tim says although it does contain criticism of things, his goal is to not be critical."

Wat.

I'm now kinda looking forward to seeing how UBI leads to a super-generic Cyberpunk future, though. There's an interesting game to be made in exploring the ramifications of a world with long-established UBI, but I don't think that would end up at "Blade Runner".

Ignorance is bliss? Well, sometimes, yeah. And to use your analogy, there is no need to throw away the whole box of yummy candies because there is one sour candy in there.

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This isn't analagous with one distinct, easily-distinguishable piece of candy. This is "the secret ingredient is child tears." You may be okay with child tears, or even love them, but don't be surprised at people looking askance at you if you say that.

 

[Iwao]

The only thing anyone seemed to praise the game for at its reveal were its visuals, and they remain the only point of praise. There are other games with striking visuals of a similar aesthetic that aren't pro-GG tripe, so maybe look for one of those instead.

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This. Forever.

 

[Fredrik]

This isn't analagous with one distinct, easily-distinguishable piece of candy. This is "the secret ingredient is child tears." You may be okay with child tears, or even love them, but don't be surprised at people looking askance at you if you say that.

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To go back to the game I think it depends on what themes he actually put into the game and how the story around it is made. I guess the hate comes from people thinking he can plant toxic thoughts into weak minded people? I doubt it'll happen tbh, if it's that direct no publisher will touch it, and if it's too vague then the weak-minded won't get it.

 

[Jon God]

I would rather that the game never comes out, and the developers use it as a learning experience on how their views might be pretty offensive, and maybe be hurting other people?

 

[Billfisto]

To go back to the game I think it depends on what themes he actually put into the game and how the story around it is made. I guess the hate comes from people thinking he can plant toxic thoughts into weak minded people? I doubt it'll happen tbh, if it's that direct no publisher will touch it, and if it's too vague then the weak-minded won't get it.

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Have you not been on the internet in the last several years? This is shockingly naive.

Also, some people just don't want to financially support people who hold beliefs like his, even if they don't overtly make it into the game.

 

[spineduke]

this is from last Friday

something is coming, the question is, whats changed besides the pretty pixels?

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

I can hope not

 

[Fredrik]

Have you not been on the internet in the last several years? This is shockingly naive.

Also, some people just don't want to financially support people who hold beliefs like his, even if they don't overtly make it into the game.

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Oh I know that the internet can be hell on earth if you take the wrong turn.

But video games?
Those who hate video games blame them for all kinds of vile behaviours but when the heat is turned up gamers usually say that it's just pixels so don't take it so seriously.

Although, nobody knows for sure what kind of reach game content can have on the mind, but personally I think it would have to be some seriously elaborate preaching in the story before an adult can be swayed into a new belief or toxic behaviour from playing a pixelated sci-fi game, which in this case it's clear that the publisher would just go "Nah you're on your own now buddy.".

In the unthinkable scenario that it have a clear GG agenda and still somehow manage to dodge under the looking glass at the publisher, the reviewers will surely burn it down and we still have the personal choice of voting with our wallet and stay away, or roast it online if we want.
There are many hurdles left for such a game to get any reach in this world.

The last part you say is 100% understandable though, I vote with my wallet all the time for all kinds of (imo) bad ideas and game content. But like I said, what might trigger someone to think a game has gone too far might just go past someone else with a shrug "whatever it's just a game".

 

[spineduke]

But video games?
Those who hate video games blame them for all kinds of vile behaviours but when the heat is turned up gamers usually say that it's just pixels so don't take it so seriously.

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This is often described in the context of weaponizing someone to go kill people in real life because they play a soldier in Call of Duty. The propagation of political ideas, good and bad take all sorts of literary forms. It can be a book, a film, a videogame. It's not the bullets from guns I worry about, but ideas and belief systems that are reaching people in their most formative years. There's little room for actual critical thinking these days, and I have little faith in Sorets ability to be impartial as he so claims.

 

[SolidChamp]

The guy behind this game sounds like a giant, gaping, unwashed asshole. Fuck him. I wish him nothing but complete and utter failure.

 

[Dussck]

Hopefully not. I always love threads about this game because there's always drive-by posts completely ignoring the controversy surrounding it and talking about how cool the game looks or whatever.

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And the other way around..

 

[CaviarMeths]

Lol this thread gets made every few months and the OP is always identical.

"This game has cool art but haven't heard anything about it since it was revealed, any further info on it?"

And then the thread is full of people who clearly know about the controversy but think they're enlightened, free-thinking connoisseurs of art by not caring about its misogynistic creator or themes.

And the usual JAQing by the usual suspects.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

This is often described in the context of weaponizing someone to go kill people in real life because they play a soldier in Call of Duty. The propagation of political ideas, good and bad take all sorts of literary forms. It can be a book, a film, a videogame. It's not the bullets from guns I worry about, but ideas and belief systems that are reaching people in their most formative years. There's little room for actual critical thinking these days, and I have little faith in Sorets ability to be impartial as he so claims.

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I'd worry more about a game like COD that portrays a misanthropic fascistoid world view, glorifying war crimes, cruelty and wanton murder as long as it serves the "good side", over a pixel art indie game that at best might sell 1/10 or 1/20 of COD.
That is if you actually deny any and all agency from those consuming said content.

 

[spineduke]

I'd worry more about a game like COD that portrays a misanthropic fascistoid world view, glorifying war crimes, cruelty and wanton murder as long as it serves the "good side", over a pixel art indie game that at best might sell 1/10 or 1/20 of COD.
That is if you actually deny any and all agency from those consuming said content.

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My point is, those people that say COD is just a videogame are pushing back on the idea that videogame play can lead to instrumentalized violence, not on the neoliberal fascism on display in COD. People see COD as a shooting gallery first, not necessarily as a place to disseminate ideas or reshape their world views. As succinctly put by many a gamer "keeping politics out of my videogames". While COD is inherently political, that is lost on the majority of people playing it. Last Night is far more interested in presenting itself as a thoughtful discourse on sociopolitics and the future. I'm not really interested in the numbers game, whether the game has an audience of 1 or 1 million, I react to the content as its presented.

 

[Fredrik]

This is often described in the context of weaponizing someone to go kill people in real life because they play a soldier in Call of Duty. The propagation of political ideas, good and bad take all sorts of literary forms. It can be a book, a film, a videogame. It's not the bullets from guns I worry about, but ideas and belief systems that are reaching people in their most formative years. There's little room for actual critical thinking these days, and I have little faith in Sorets ability to be impartial as he so claims.

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I don't think we're slowly trained to be murderers in real life but to be honest I think it's kinda weird how we can spend hundreds of hours virtually killing photo realistic people for entertainment, even if it's just pixels. I think we're already past the line where anyone looking at gaming from the outside will think we're doing something sick.

But that's for another thread.

When it comes to the story it's easier to handle a bit more I think, if it's bs you can just skip through the story or have a roll-eyes moment and yawn at an obvious attempt to indoctrinate.

And things aren't going to go too far, a game still has to pass the test at a publisher to even get released, get good scores from the reviewers to get any reach, and finally not upset the gamers to not get awfully bad post-launch PR.

So if there is a clash somewhere on the way it'll be a bumpy ride and in the end I doubt it'll be very damaging. I'd go as far as to say that an obviously GG themed game probably won't be found on any of the usual digital stores.

The creator can be hateful on the net like anyone else though and that's more problematic, that's the downside of internet and won't be solved anytime soon.

 

[Florin4k4]

Also, there's a difference between admiring a painting and then being told the artist is a shithead vs. anticipating a shithead's next painting.

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good point

 

[Legacy]

Well, I've certainly been informed about the developer now. Looks like this might not see the light of day, a shame because the game itself looked cool but as some have pointed out, there are other titles coming out soon that look similar.

Anno Mutationem looked interesting but I hope that's not a PS4 only title.

 

[Velezcora]

I hope there's a heart wrenching QTE scene where you have to press f to acknowledge lgbt people exist. Those darn feminists, amirite?

 

[Dervius]

Even if you set aside the politics and controversy surrounding the creator, I still don't understand some people's immediate praise.

It had a great art style for sure, but the game itself? We've seen literally nothing of it. By all accounts at the time of that trailer there was no cohesive game to speak of, all development had been for those few walking sections. There's very little of tangible substance to get excited for.

What you've seen is tantamount to a pretty CGI trailer, which is fine to get intrigued by, but people ITT going "Day one" for a game they have literally seen nothing of yet.

Throw the shitty politics and baked in misogyny on top and I really fail to see why people are excited. There are so many more artistically pleasing projects out there to get psyched for.

It gets to the point where any such comment is eyed with suspicion because such blind support for a non-existent game in spite of its publicly derided political stance seems more like a middle finger at social justice than actual support or excitement for a game.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

Even if you set aside the politics and controversy surrounding the creator, I still don't understand some people's immediate praise.

It had a great art style for sure, but the game itself? We've seen literally nothing of it. By all accounts at the time of that trailer there was no cohesive game to speak of, all development had been for those few walking sections. There's very little of tangible substance to get excited for.

What you've seen is tantamount to a pretty CGI trailer, which is fine to get intrigued by, but people ITT going "Day one" for a game they have literally seen nothing of yet.

Throw the shitty politics and baked in misogyny on top and I really fail to see why people are excited. There are so many more artistically pleasing projects out there to get psyched for.

It gets to the point where any such comment is eyed with suspicion because such blind support for a non-existent game in spite of its publicly derided political stance seems more like a middle finger at social justice than actual support or excitement for a game.

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Bullshots and Rendered Trailers are still an effective way of advertisement. It's manipulative and deceiving but ultimately seems to work.
Aside that, I agree with your post. The game so far has been sold on fluff and controversy (though that seemed to have backfired in this case)

 

[Dervius]

Bullshots and Rendered Trailers are still an effective way of advertisement. It's manipulative and deceiving but ultimately seems to work.
Aside that, I agree with your post. The game so far has been sold on fluff and controversy (though that seemed to have backfired in this case)

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No argument, they're used for a reason. But this place so openly despises CGI-trailer ridden conventions and shows that the flurry of "looks amazing" or "Day one" comments seems increasingly suspect when coupled with the controversy.

It'll probably come out and might do reasonably well on the art alone who knows, but it'll never hit the kind of indie heights that Hollow Knight or Shovel Knight have given its history.

 

[boris_feinbrand]

No argument, they're used for a reason. But this place so openly despises CGI-trailer ridden conventions and shows that the flurry of "looks amazing" or "Day one" comments seems increasingly suspect when coupled with the controversy.

It'll probably come out and might do reasonably well on the art alone who knows, but it'll never hit the kind of indie heights that Hollow Knight or Shovel Knight have given its history.

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Magpies will always go for the shiny things, else no one would buy tech dem.. erhh launch games. Can't be helped. The thing is, the push by galaxy brain "intellectuals" to idolize this game to stick it to them SJWs, will be met with the same indifference as those whackos that wanted to make anti SJWs comic heroes and basically have to resort going around begging an ever dwindling group of people for money.

 

[Madison]

I can hope not

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this

 

[Elephant]

I think it will eventually be released. It obviously looks fantastic in the trailer, which might be enough to make it successful based on people not having the behind the scenes knowledge of anything controversial. I didn't know about any of this before opening this thread.

• See thread title, "The Last Night? What is this game?". Open thread.
• See trailer, "Oh I remember this game. Yeah it looks ace!"
• Click yes in the poll, "Why not? Seems like it should be about ready".
• Read comments, "that's a shame".
• Change poll answer to not sure.

 

[Javier23]

I sincerely hope we never see it. My sympathies go to everyone who worked with the main dev without sharing his ideas on feminism hastening the downfall of civilization.

 

[HeavenlyOne]

The Last Night Is Not A Cyberpunk Game

The Last Night 's Steam page describes their putative cyberpunk game as follows:

"Humans first knew the era of survival. Then they knew the era of work. Now they live in the era of leisure. Machines have surpassed human labour not only in strength, but in precision, intellect, and creativity. Stabilised by universal income, people struggle to find their calling or identity, and define themselves by what they consume, rather than what they create."

Let's pretend that's true. Let's pretend that with the basics of survival taken care of, no human uses the mental energy thus freed to create art, literature, music, film. Let's accept the premise that no human, freed from the daily drain of grinding themselves to dirt doing menial work to survive, finds their passion. Stable people who don't need to worry about money, like wealthy patrons of society in any age, just fart about playing video games and wearing branded t-shirts.

This is the dystopia: this is the setting. It's weak and unimaginative, especially because crises of calling and identity already exist in late capitalism today without the terrible prospect of having one's basic needs provided for, but there is a germ of an idea present. (Let's not get into how automation is already present today in late capitalism; let's not examine its effect on those industries and their former workers who have already been displaced, who have no despicable, ruinous recourse such as universal income. Let's just take the premise as it is and move on.)

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To delve deeper into one representative point: how can a man who thinks that artificial uteri represent feminism gone mad instead of a revolutionary device that allows women to participate in civic life as never before possibly have anything but the most shallow and cynical take on eugenics? What kind of malicious, dismissive take is it that an artificial uterus nightmarishly enables women to work, drink and smoke (to participate in life as men do)? What kind of ignorance and arrogance is it to think that women have not already explored, with greater depth, nuance and empathy, the idea of an artificial uterus (Lois McMaster Bujold has been writing about worlds transformed by this technology since before Tim Soret was born)?

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[Deleted member 679]

The game does look great, but what interests me the most is the premise itself. Not "the horrors of feminism", but the actual premise we can see from the trailer and actual official descriptions.

If they show more of the game and it sounds as stupidly childish as his "hey gamergate, look at me, I'm an ally!" tweets (that take no effort at all to make, regardless of what the game's writer, who isn't Soret, actually wrote), then I'll naturally lose interest, but so far I don't see it.

Because the thing is, for all intents and purposes, the world of The Last Night isn't a typical dystopia. The "high tech, low life" angle is more spiritual, in this case. The protagonist has some disabilities that prevent him from enjoying a lot of the tech and augmentations most people partake in, and the world is in such a state of utopia that human input isn't necessarily needed. It's more about the search for meaning in a world where AI is better at even creating art than people.

But from every possible objective perspective, if feminists are the ones running this world, they did a wonderful job. Any possible existential crisis from people who don't even need to work to provide for their families isn't really a result of them doing a lousy job.

I don't know, I think it's pretty fascinating, and a worthwhile story to tell. Do I wish someone else who doesn't have such a troubled recent past was making it? Sure, of course, but "just play another pretty game, there are plenty" isn't really a substitute. Might as well not play the other pretty games either, they're not getting me the same experience.

I guess my point is, without his tweets, no one would have seen anything problematic so far. Which is not to say that it's unfair to boycott it due to the tweets, quite the contrary, you're 100% right for standing for what you believe in, but all evidence seems to point to him telling the truth when he says the game isn't really about that, regardless of what he said in the past. If that is the main issue, and the argument people seem to make the most, which is "you can't ignore their views when it's the actual text", then so far I don't see it.

 

[Deleted member 442]

Reading Tim's twitter account is more of a game than The Last Night is at the moment.

 

[ThisThingIsUseful]

More GG, more Trump support, etc.

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Oh okay, GG support is unfortunate and going by media in my country Trump is a clown, but sorry to say this but Trump is the president so US have bigger issues if supporting the elected president gets you roasted :P Just make sure you all stop him from being elected a second time.

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He doesn't support Trump. He voted for the leftist candidate in his election.

The issue I see is the whole, "I'm not a feminist; I'm an egalitarian," deal. A while ago, I didn't get the big deal because I knew the definition of egalitarian, and it's what feminism is (all of us are equal). But after being educated on how it's been hijacked as a weasel word to chip at feminism, that made me think, at least, he hasn't thought his views through. My assumption is that he's a young guy who latched onto this stubbornly at a younger age and already has the world figured out in his mind (I've seen a few even on this board who think that feminism = pro-woman and everything's from the viewpoint of women, when it's pro-everyone, which is why feminists in the National Organization for Women support parental leave so all are equal), but even with that more generous view, it's made me question how this story will be well-written at all.

So yeah, great-looking game, but he would have to show that it's a thoughtful take of this whole thing, and so far, all we have are pretty graphics and a misunderstanding of what feminism even is.

btw, there's a similar game to The Last Night - Replaced from Sad Cat Studios (also, still in development)

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Yo, thanks for bringing attention to this!

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Trying to remember where we were last. Microsoft pulled their support once they learned what the game was about, right?

I'd personally prefer the game never come out. Someone else can make a cool looking game without this baggage.

 

[Deleted member 679]

btw, there's a similar game to The Last Night - Replaced from Sad Cat Studios (also, still in development)

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Damn, this looks amazing. Love the camera work.

I really hope we start seeing more of this kind of stuff in different settings. I want to see a high fantasy game with this kind of pixel art/3D hybrid thing going on. This camera movement to give a sense of scale would be wonderful.

 

[nbnt]

btw, there's a similar game to The Last Night - Replaced from Sad Cat Studios (also, still in development)

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Whoa, first time seeing Replaced. With this, ANNO and Backbone, I have 3 titles to look forward to instead of TLN.

And there's also Cloudpunk, while it doesn't use 2D sprites, the cyberpunk vibes and the scale of the city are just as amazing:

Damn, this looks amazing. Love the camera work.

I really hope we start seeing more of this kind of stuff in different settings. I want to see a high fantasy game with this kind of pixel art/3D hybrid thing going on. This camera movement to give a sense of scale would be wonderful.

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Kinda like this one?

 

[Deleted member 679]

Kinda like this one?

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Kind of! This reminds me a little of Octopath, but both this and Octopath don't seem to have as much fun with their camera.

 

[Deleted member 15428]

 

[TheMango55]

Hopefully not. I always love threads about this game because there's always drive-by posts completely ignoring the controversy surrounding it and talking about how cool the game looks or whatever.

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In other words you are upset that not everyone goes along with the thread derail in every thread about the game?

If someone posted they think the game looks good in a thread where the OP is about the controversy it would be a drive-by, in this thread it's not.

 

[AuthenticM]

Lol this thread gets made every few months and the OP is always identical.

"This game has cool art but haven't heard anything about it since it was revealed, any further info on it?"

And then the thread is full of people who clearly know about the controversy but think they're enlightened, free-thinking connoisseurs of art by not caring about its misogynistic creator or themes.

And the usual JAQing by the usual suspects.

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yep

 

[BrutalInsane]

Yeah, I'm not supporting this asshole.

 

[VectorPrime]

Lol this thread gets made every few months and the OP is always identical.

"This game has cool art but haven't heard anything about it since it was revealed, any further info on it?"

And then the thread is full of people who clearly know about the controversy but think they're enlightened, free-thinking connoisseurs of art by not caring about its misogynistic creator or themes.

And the usual JAQing by the usual suspects.

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you can set your watch to it.

 

[spineduke]

In other words you are upset that not everyone goes along with the thread derail in every thread about the game?

If someone posted they think the game looks good in a thread where the OP is about the controversy it would be a drive-by, in this thread it's not.

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The game has earned its controversy, live with it. In a thread where people are asking if it will come to light, its controversies are very much relevant to its development and support. So yes, doing a one line quip about its shiny graphics IS a derail. smh

 

[TheMango55]

The game has earned its controversy, live with it. In a thread where people are asking if it will come to light, its controversies are very much relevant to its development and support. So yes, doing a one line quip about its shiny graphics IS a derail. smh

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To start with the mod team has made it clear that they don't consider bringing up controversial aspects of a company in game discussion a thread derail even if it has nothing to do with the game in question. I don't really have a problem with that, and I support anyone who chooses to not buy a game for moral reasons. Personally I'm waiting to see whether The Last Light has changed from their shitty opening stances as they said they have, even though I think it looks great. There are too many good games releasing for me to care about supporting one with a shitty message, but on the other hand, even if a creator has once said some shitty stuff, if his creation doesn't support the vision he once espoused I will at least give it a look.

With that said, someone saying they hope the game releases next year because they think it looks good in a thread about whether or not the game will release next year is not at all a thread derail, and I'm wondering how you could possibly consider it so.

 

[spineduke]

With that said, someone saying they hope the game releases next year because they think it looks good in a thread about whether or not the game will release next year is not at all a thread derail, and I'm wondering how you could possibly consider it so.

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"graphics look fantastic, will buy day one"

is a dogwhistle, we've seen it over and over again - its a driveby post from people who will only post once in the thread. its provocative considering the extensive back and forth discussions we've had on era (and gaf) by singularly shutting down a thread of conversation with "i can't hear you, i'm buying this no matter what". there's no particularly reason to announce your purchase to everyone in a thread full of people contesting the games status, unless.... ?

 

[TheMango55]

"graphics look fantastic, will buy day one"

is a dogwhistle, we've seen it over and over again - its a driveby post from people who will only post once in the thread. its provocative considering the extensive back and forth discussions we've had on era (and gaf) by singularly shutting down a thread of conversation with "i can't hear you, i'm buying this no matter what". there's no particularly reason to announce your purchase to everyone in a thread full of people contesting the games status, unless.... ?

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How many posts should someone make in a thread asking whether you think a game will release next year?

 

[spineduke]

How many posts should someone make in a thread asking whether you think a game will release next year?

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We're talking about The Last Night. Not Gears of War 6, or the new Uncharted. Playing dumb doesn't work. I've already explained the context and the why. Ask a mod if you need more clarification on drive by posting.

 

[Deleted member 2652]

I hope capitalism fucks him.

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Bummer that Lorn seems to be working with him still.

 

[Deleted member 4413]

To the people still hoping it gets released. Why are you looking forward to a game that will undoubtedly be misogynist and who knows what other bullshit?

The games setting is literally "a dystopian future where modern feminism won". If that sounds cool to you, please let us all know so we can mass report you.

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Still waiting for some of you to answer my question above. Plenty of posters here seemingly okay with the games message. Why?

 

[Fjordson]

It's a shame such an incredible visual style is tied to a game that sounds like a complete disaster narratively. And with the devs describing The Last Night as a "cinematic platformer" it'll be difficult to look past that. If it ever even comes out.

And there's also Cloudpunk, while it doesn't use 2D sprites, the cyberpunk vibes and the scale of the city are just as amazing:

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I can't wait for this. Watched about 20 minutes of the devs playing it on a livestream recently and it looks amazing. The voxel art of the city and the different districts seems like the perfect Blade Runner atmosphere.

 

[Hype-Lord]

Odd are Star Citizen will be finished before this game's release.

Sad.

 

[kingjames88]

Fuck Tim Soret, i hope this game bombs hard.

 

[DarkFlame92]

Yeah it looked great,I hope it gets released in 2020

 

[DoradoWinston]

Still waiting for some of you to answer my question above. Plenty of posters here seemingly okay with the games message. Why?

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Personally don't care too much what the message ends up being. It's not something that is attracting me to the game nor do I ever really take a message from a game when the credits roll

The game looks visually pretty damn incredible and with a cyberpunk setting that's what interests me. For all I know if this game ever does come out I'll play it, like the art, think the gameplay is eh and hate the story but only one way to find out really.