How Last Plague: Blight Learned from Project Zomboid, Don’t Starve

by

How Last Plague: Blight Learned from Project Zomboid, Don't Starve

As a seasoned gamer with countless hours spent navigating the treacherous landscapes of survival crafting games, I can confidently say that The Last Plague: Blight has piqued my interest like no other. Having cut my teeth on the unforgiving world of Project Zomboid and the relentless hunger of Don’t Starve, I find myself drawn to this newcomer with a top-down perspective that harkens back to those formative experiences.

Games like “The Last Plague: Blight,” which belong to the widely played survival crafting genre, have left a substantial impact through their unique approaches. While they generally fit the description suggested by their titles, games such as these have distinguished themselves via shifts in perspective, a focus on realism, and incorporation of game mechanics that create a relentless challenge for players trying to survive. In essence, “The Last Plague” stands out from its peers due to these distinct characteristics.

In a chat with Game Rant, the creator of “The Last Plague”, Sergei Bezborodko, shared his main influences in the survival crafting genre. These influential games include titles like “Project Zomboid”, “Don’t Starve”, and “The Long Dark”. Each game offers distinct characteristics that are noteworthy, and the unique mix of inspirations for “The Last Plague” suggests it will be a valuable addition to this genre as well.

The Last Plague’s Top Down Perspective Was Inspired by Don’t Starve and Project Zomboid

One common feature between games like Project Zomboid and Don’t Starve is their use of isometric perspectives, a viewpoint not often seen in this genre. As noted by Bezborodko, this bird’s-eye view of the world lends a unique survival gameplay experience, enabling players to monitor their surroundings and have an overview of their camp. Despite some challenges with distant visibility, this angle can add depth and realism to the gaming experience.

Previously, games such as “Project Zomboid” and “Don’t Starve” served as major motivators for me to find a similar gaming style. In particular, I’m captivated by games that offer a top-down view of an environment filled with houses, rooms, and villages, which instantly grab my interest.

[…]

Viewing things from an overhead or bird’s-eye view offers a distinct vantage point that allows you to assess your environment swiftly. This perspective enables you to identify the strong and weak points of your base or camp design, along with making it easier to prioritize potential threats and targets nearby.

Bezborodko mentioned that one primary objective for the game “The Last Plague” is to create an engaging experience for the players, and it’s impressive how immersive the game feels even when played in a top-down perspective, which is often considered less immersive than first-person view. By offering captivating and authentic gameplay, players can almost forget they are observing “The Last Plague” from above.

The Long Dark Inspired The Last Plague’s Realism and Silent Adversary

How Last Plague: Blight Learned from Project Zomboid, Don't Starve

When diving into The Last Plague, I found a sense of familiarity, having had some experience with games like Project Zomboid and Don’t Starve. Project Zomboid is this gripping simulator that plunges you into the heart of a zombie apocalypse survival, where every interaction feels strikingly real. The Last Plague, in many ways, echoes this immersive survival experience. As for Don’t Starve, its steadily escalating difficulty mirrors the relentless blight that creeps through The Last Plague, constantly driving you forward.

I’m particularly fond of games like ‘Project Zomboid,’ ‘Don’t Starve,’ and ‘The Long Dark.’ While ‘Don’t Starve’ offers a sense of constant pressure and the feeling that danger is closing in, ‘The Long Dark’ provides a more realistic survival experience with its chilling cold as a relentless adversary. What I crave is a game that combines the tense atmosphere of ‘Don’t Starve,’ the survival aspects of ‘Project Zomboid,’ and the realism of ‘The Long Dark.’

Fans of survival games might concur that finding oneself in the cold without adequate gear can be equally terrifying and nerve-wracking as encountering a horde of hostile creatures. However, this predicament is manageable through strategic planning and survival skills instead of relying on combat abilities. Offering a unique perspective and constant motivation for players to persevere, “The Last Plague” appears to be an engaging survival game that promises to keep players alive – and hooked – as long as possible.

The Last Plague: Blight enters Steam Early Access on October 3.

Read More

2024-09-25 13:23