Last Stitch Goodnight

Hey game developers, we need to talk. I love that you are giving us a steady flow of unique horror games and hope that you keep it up, but there's one thing you're doing that has to stop. I'm not here to tell you how to write a story or dictate what monster to use, but please, I'm begging you, set your game somewhere other than a spooky mansion. We've been there way too many times. I don't care if Resident Evil did it; it's time to find a new setting. Literally any other setting. Trust me; your audience will thank you.

At first glance, I thought Last Stitch Goodnight was going to be one of those games that avoided this obnoxious trend. I mean, the title screen showed off a large house, but the game begins in what appears to be a typical hospital. That's not the most original setting, but at least it's something different. Unfortunately, I was wrong, and this game quickly devolves into a disappointing slog through yet another haunted mansion. Too bad the lame setting isn't the only thing keeping Last Stitch Goodnight from being a great horror game.

The good news is that a bearded doctor was able to revive our hero after a near-fatal accident. Unfortunately, the bad news is that this isn't your typical surgeon, and we quickly find ourselves locked away in an underground cell with no connection to the outside world. To make matters worse, the doctor is conducting a series of medical experiments, and you're his next guinea pig. Thankfully, a friendly face leaves a screw driver that will help our hero escape, but this is really only the beginning of what will turn out to be a night fraught with peril.

Despite my reservations about the mansion setting, there's no reason why this setup couldn't turn into something compelling. And, for a while, it certainly looked like that's what was going to happen. We basically wander around the convoluted location searching every room, picking up items, unlocking doors and fighting bosses. We eventually learn what kind of horrors are being perpetrated at this facility and will stop at nothing to escape.

At its core, Last Stitch Goodnight is a slow-moving variation on the Metroidvania sub-genre. As we search the winding halls, we'll meet up with a number of characters who don't want to immediately kill us. They'll teach the hero how to climb ledges, dash through obstacles and even freeze water. All this will open up new parts of the mansion and get them one step closer to escaping. But before that can happen, you'll need to fight through all kinds of guards, monsters and robots in a mad attempt to keep breathing.

What sets this game apart from the many, many Castlevania-style adventures we've seen over the last twenty years is that it feels like more of a 2D brawler. In fact, I found myself wanting to compare the combat to something like Kung Fu Master or Vigilante, games that limited your movement and forced you to go one-on-one with each bad guy. I'm not opposed to this style of action, but was frustrated by how stiff the controls were in Last Stitch Goodnight. It often seems like you're doing little more than walking up to a bad guy and mashing buttons until they're dead. Sometimes you'll have to duck to avoid a projectile or use strategy to dodge attacks, but the gameplay made it hard to avoid getting hit. It's usually easier to just walk up to the bad guy and take a little damage, since health items are usually pretty easy to find.

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The bosses are the exception to this rule, as they require a lot more thought and puzzle solving to take down. Most of the bosses will require our hero to interact with the background and use his new-found abilities to chip away at the health. While occasionally frustrating, these fights are by far the best thing about Last Stitch Goodnight. I like the way the game makes use of the large variety of weapons and special abilities, and puzzling out the solutions can be a lot of fun at times. I did run into an issue where a boss wouldn't appear for whatever reason, but it seems the developer has addressed this bug and it should be good to go at release.

While the gameplay left me a little cold, I will say that this game is filled with good ideas. I like the way the story unfolds and how everything ties together, especially in the last act. I'm also a big fan of the way every weapon has a dual purpose and how you'll need to use each one to solve puzzles around the mansion. And while on the topic, it's probably worth mentioning that the game is long and filled with secrets to uncover. This is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but I likely would have been more engaged if it had better fight mechanics.

Last Stitch Goodnight is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, I like the exploration and boss battles. But the good things are largely overshadowed by the stiff gameplay and repetitive fights. This is an interesting take on the Metroidvania sub-genre that is filled with interesting ideas that didn't always work for me. Last Stitch Goodnight can't decide if it wants to be an exciting action game or a scary horror experience, and it ends up being neither.