Dispatch-topian
Sci-fi is full of tall tales about machine uprisings and AI takeovers, from The Terminator to The Matrix, but these appear too futuristic just now. But with advances in machinery and automation, the risk of lost manual labor jobs is becoming more of a current day discussion.
From the team at Oiffy Games, The Last Worker casts you as Kurt, the titular last human worker at not Amazon parody company Jüngle. Kurt uses a floating Jünglepod to move around Jüngle headquarters and collects packages using the antigravity Jünglegun to lift packages and move them to the dispatch tubes.
Kurts’ only companion in the Manhattan sized warehouse is S.K.E.W. a flying bug-eyed robot voiced by Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs. The Last Worker is presented in a Cell Shaded art style from the 1st person perspective of Kurt even including at times a mirror attached to Kurt’s kart showing his aged face as he chats with his only friend S.K.E.W.
Immersing in The Last Worker: A Unique Human vs AI Tale
The Last Worker is driven by the narrative of Kurt being the only human left working for the Jüngle company, with the exception of the rainbow haired CEO Josef Jüngle who appears on large screens throughout delivering motivational messages to Kurt and his robotic colleagues.
The game begins where many great Hollywood movies have started before, at the end, Kurt is piloting a large mechanical machine destroying walls and knocking out worker bots in order to get to the head office of Josef Jüngle, presumably after being given another pizza party but no raise. Then we jump back in time to a more standard work day.
Kurt is busy with his daily role of picking packages having to keep his daily rating high in order to keep his job when suddenly he is instructed to participate in a race with a robot worker where if he loses to the drone he will be fired. Kurt with S.K.E.W in tow needs to complete a course delivering 3 packages faster than the robot to keep his employment, but when the robot cheats by traveling through restricted sections, Kurt knows something is up. What follows is a story of conspiracies of world-ending proportions and emotional rollercoasters resulting in 3 possible endings, each of which is worth experiencing.
Experiencing The Last Worker: Game Mechanics in a Futuristic Warehouse
During the course of The Last Worker your day-to-day role is to ensure Kurt completes his task of picking packages, making sure to pick the correct item, if the size or weight doesn’t match the description or is damaged it needs to be marked as such and disposed of in the correct shoot. You control Kurts’ Jünglepod which also carries the packages and weighs them, with a screen to show you the correct size and weight. A GPS beacon will lead you to the correct package and the shute it needs to go to, but only if you mark it correctly.
Later levels will have you sneaking past security bots or neutralising them with newly acquired gadgets and using ventilation shafts to avoid detection. Some areas can be much tougher than others, and sometimes the game’s blueprint style instructions can be difficult to understand, but once you figure out what you need to do you will be flying along nicely. There are even some time sensitive puzzles that while simple in nature can be challenging to complete especially as you have to avoid being detected by the security bots roaming the hallways.
Should You Try The Last Worker?
The Last Worker looks great and plays even better with an engaging story about the horrors of capitalism and the automation of workers’ jobs. The cast includes heavyweights like Clare-Hope Ashitey (Riviera, Children of Men) David Hewlett (The Shape of Water, Oddworld New’n’Tasty) Zelda Williams (The Legend of Korra) & Tommie Earl Jenkins (Death Stranding, Wednesday). The artwork has been designed by Mick McMahon of 2000 AD fame and the music is scored by Oliver Kraus whose previous work has collaborated with the likes of Adele & Florence And The Machine.
The Last Worker is available on multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC and PS5 with those last two including a VR mode that is designed with 3 distinct play styles in mind: Roomscale, Sitting or Standing allowing for players to enjoy the game however they feel comfortable.
FinalBoss Verdict: The Last Worker, A Standout Indie Game Worth Your Time
FinalBoss Verdict: The Last Worker
Indie games are brilliant for bringing us a game that can really stand out from the crowd of expected genres and The Last Worker does this brilliantly, the gameplay loop of trying not to get fired by achieving a daily high grade is worthwhile all while you try to make sense of what may be happening outside of those Jüngle walls.
If you are a fan of sci-fi narratives then look at trying your hand as a Jüngle employee, who knows you may be the best employee they’ve ever had, or the last.
Many thanks to Wired Productions for providing a review code.
