Last Night Of Winter | Is This PS5 Indie Soulsborne Worth It?

What is 'Last Night of Winter' all about? Is it worth your money? Join me, Dante, as I answer that question ...

As it turns out a skeleton on a one night escape mission is what makes up the bulk of this dungeon crawling indie soulsborne known as "Last Night Of Winter". In fact it's a skinless prisoner known only as the warden that finds himself trapped in a labyrinthine prison with a mysterious owl as a guide who leads the plot as we play. It is through the warden and his interactions with the resident owl that we gain the weapon needed to deal with lurking enemies, and the means with which to best traverse and deal with puzzles ...

The game, itself, plays a lot like an isometric dungeon crawler or action RPG with light soulslike mechanics tied to combat, stamina, dodging, and exploration. You'll find there are no campfires though, and your only supply of health outside of limited item refills comes from a fountain contained within your cell at the start of the game. A place you'll return to in a roundabout way often. What awaits you as you venture forth is anyone's guess, but escape is definitely the motivation behind your awakening. 

As the warden of this massive prison complex your goal is to follow the guidance of the owl, and escape. You have one night to do so, and a limited skill set with which to accomplish the task. To begin with the owl will gift you your first weapon which is a bell that doubles as an energy sword. This allows for basic attacks, and charged special attacks dependent upon a concentration meter. Attacks in general deplete stamina. Stamina is also depleted through your dodge roll as well. Minding this is the key to winning against the more formidable foes.

Outside of combat there's a lot of puzzle solving, and exploration to do. This entails opening up new pathways via levers, and platforms. Something that sometimes takes your manipulation projectile ability to trigger. Needless to say the pitfalls and enemies you face will eat away at your health, and to remedy this for further progress you'll need to make use of the fountain jar that houses two full health bar refills, and red seeds which refill a smaller amount of said health bar. 

Other seeds like the orange and blue seeds will help with stamina and concentration, respectively. Leaving a certain powder to be an instant warp back to the fountain if you are in a pinch. You can, as a convenience, equip one item plus the jar to the quick access slots allowing you to use them without menu access by pressing either SQUARE or the TOUCHPAD.

From start to finish you'll face off against lesser enemies, and boss-like baddies. The latter of which will gift stat boosting items when defeated. It will be these and colored gems that will help boost things like vitality, and stamina for longevity sake. Making it easier for you to deal with future boss encounters.

The Verdict ...

Last Night of Winter, is a simple soulsborne centered around a world of skeletons who, for whatever reason, only awaken for one night to escape their dilapidated prison. It is is this plot point that drives us forward to see the warden free of his bonds, and to see why the others who have awakened lie in wait for his arrival. 

When it comes to combat the battles are much less imposing than other true soulsborne games of the modern era. It is what I like to call a casual entry point into the genre where the only real challenge is navigating the prison maze, and dealing with the many hazards, and puzzles. You will need a good memory to find your bearings, and will need to mind your health. If you can handle that you're good to go.

As far as art style goes it's a cute pixel made take with the usual indie flair. Accented by haunting instrumentals, and the clash and clang of the warden's bell. It operates smoothly, and functions in a streamlined manner with minimal menu interference as well as ease of access options true to the genre. For what it's worth it is a solid starter soulsborne for those who aren't glutton for punishment. I do recommend it as a day one buy! That is my opinion, but what do you think?