Last Encounter is a roguelike dual-stick shooter set in the depths of space, where the player needs to make the most of the spare weapons and modifications they find on missions to fight against fleets of alien ships. The gameplay is fast-paced and is a lot of fun when it clicks, but the random nature of the game can sometimes make things a little too easy or a little too hard.

Last Encounter is set in the far future, where aliens wiped out all of humanity, except for one hidden science station. The people aboard the station have discovered a way to replicate the warp portal used by the aliens and they send out a fleet to try and destroy the enemy portal from the other side. The fleet never returned. The scientists aboard the station have discovered a way to copy people who have died, so the plan now is to send a lone ship out to discover the fate of the fleet, and replicate the pilot if they fail, so they can keep attempting their mission.

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The player chooses a pilot and a ship (each with their own unique weapons and special moves) and is sent out into the depths of space. Last Encounter is a top-down dual-stick space shooter, where the player controls a single ship as it battles alien vessels and tries to overcome obstacles. Each level is broken up into several areas that the player can warp to when not in combat. The goal is to find enough keys in each area to open the warp portal to the next boss battle or level. If the player dies, then they return to base and can try again. If the player finds a new weapon or power-up in the field, then it will be unlocked in the base and can be purchased for the next run, so long as they have enough credits leftover from the previous run, which they earn from destroying enemy ships. The game has a lot in common with the massively popular Enter the Gungeon in terms of its gameplay, even if its aesthetic isn't quite as inventive.

Last Encounter gameplay Screenshot on Nintendo Switch

The stages in Last Encounter are randomly generated and the nature of the enemy threat is varied in such a way that no two runs are the same. There are a number of enemy ships that operate in different ways, including fast and nimble fighters, defensive ships that project a healing beam to its allies, and sniper ships that fire massive beams of energy. There are also environmental hazards that affect both the player and enemy, including black holes that suck in bullets and poison clouds that fill the area. All of these elements combined mean that the player has to be on their toes at all times, as Last Encounter can throw a curveball and force a new approach to a problem.

The issue with the random nature of the game means that the difficulty of Last Encounter can be drastically raised or lowered without involvement from the player. It's possible to find some awesome modifications for the player's weapon on the first few screens, making most of the combat encounters trivial until they advance to a new stage. It's also possible to warp to another area and immediately be bombarded with enemy fire or hazards that prevent the player from dodging, resulting in almost instantaneous death. The latter example isn't too much of an issue when it happens at the start of a game, but it can be really frustrating when it happens thirty minutes into a run.

The visuals of Last Encounter are simplistic, but they do a great job of letting the player know the difference between their ship/bullets and enemy fire, which can be an issue in bullet hell shooters. This tends to become more of a problem in the game's local co-op mode. It's possible for four players to teach up and take on the alien fleet together, but it becomes a lot harder for the player to keep track of their ship and their allies ship in the chaos of combat. Last Encounter's multiplayer mode can be frantic and fun, but it can be a lot harder for friends to finish the game together.

Last Encounter on Nintendo Switch

Last Encounter has been available on PC for a while now and the game is coming to Nintendo Switch soon. Screen Rant played the Switch port and the game is still easy to follow in portable mode. The ability to play the game on the go is a huge improvement to Last Encounter, as it's the kind of game that is best enjoyed in short bursts of play. This is especially useful when playing co-op mode with several Nintendo Switches. The only issue that some fans might have is through holding the Switch in portable mode for extended periods of time, as the player needs to hold ZR and the right stick to shoot, which can cause cramp when played for too long.

Last Encounter doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it offers short bursts of frantic fun. The random nature of its procedurally generated space dungeons can sometimes throw the difficulty curve out of the window, which can hamper the experience from time to time, but the game is still enjoyable when it clicks.

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Last Encounter will be available for the Nintendo Switch on February 21, 2020. The game is also available on PC. Screen Rant was provided with a code for the Nintendo Switch version of the game for the purposes of this review.