The action RPG Last Epoch has been in Early Access on Steam for a while and has received positive reviews. However, the developers do not want to rush the last steps toward the release – even if the competition suddenly hastens.
This is Last Epoch: Since spring 2019, Last Epoch has been available in Early Access on Steam and initially looked a bit like a mix of Diablo and Path of Exile.
However, the ARPG from the developers of Eleventh Hour Games has its unique features. One of them is the time travel mechanic, which you will use to navigate through the game.
You can choose a base class for your character and then specialize into over 15 master classes. Additionally, you can customize your skills and, of course, constantly be on the lookout for better loot.
This is what it looks like on Steam: Looking at the game’s reviews, a positive picture emerges. The reviews are overall “very positive”, with 86% of the 3,570 reviews so far in the positive category. It is described there as a good but not overly complex ARPG. Players who are comfortable with Diablo and Path of Exile should find a strong option here as well.
One criticism of the game was the graphics, but there has been an update since then. Additionally, some bugs and errors disrupt the experience, but commentators primarily attribute these to Early Access.
The testing phase is expected to leave early access in 2021. However, how long the last step will take was left open by Game Director Judd Cobler in an interview with SegmentNext.
Last Epoch – The “next big action RPG”?
This is what Cobler says: In the interview, the developer reports that currently about 50 team members from Eleventh Hour Games are working on Last Epoch. Among other things, they are currently focusing heavily on multiplayer elements: “Players can chat in the city hubs, show off their equipment, use a unique trading system or team up with 3 other travelers to defeat the dangers that await in Eterra,” says Cobler.
Thanks to the currently positive feedback, the studio is now in a position not to rush into a full release: “We are fortunate to have the resources to release Last Epoch when it meets our high standards. In the meantime, we will continue to release regular content patches at the quality level our community expects from us.”
One of the features already available in beta is controller support – and a console port is at least being considered. However, this is said to be added to the roadmap only after the launch: “We are not actively working on console ports yet.”
This is how Cobler views the competition: In the interview, Cobler is asked about the games Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 – and whether they are trying to release Last Epoch fully before these two competitors: “That is not a specific goal of ours. We believe that Last Epoch will receive better reviews, have more reliable servers, and will have the most successful launch if we focus on a high-quality release and stay true to our mission of creating the next big action RPG.”
They have also not heard anything concrete about the release dates of the two competitors but are looking forward to playing them as fans. At least Diablo 4 is not expected to be released in 2021. They apparently do not want to hide from either Diablo or Path of Exile: “As a team, we learn a lot from competing with other games, and ultimately, Last Epoch will be better for it. We sincerely believe that we have some of the best system designs of all ARPGs on the market today.”
With Last Epoch, they are confident that they can establish themselves in the ARPG market. Are you looking for alternatives in the genre? Then you can find a total of 8 exciting hack and slashes for 2021 here.
