MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus had the chance to preview the gameplay of the new survival MMO Last Oasis before its release and asked the developers some questions. The answers show great confidence in the new game.
What is Last Oasis? Last Oasis is an upcoming survival game that can roughly be described as “Wild Wild West meets ARK: Survival Evolved“. The premise is that the Earth has stopped rotating and the sun is now relentlessly burning everything.
The surviving humans, therefore, fight for survival in oases – the last patches on Earth where resources still exist. Since they are always fleeing from the sun, they have built various wooden runners to transport cargo, people, and even their own huts and buildings.
Because resources are desperately scarce, there is a constant struggle for them. Last Oasis relies on an intense PvP aspect. We have asked ourselves – and the developers – is this the right choice?
Hardcore PvP – Can it work?
This is how PvP works in Last Oasis: In principle, every player in Last Oasis can attack and kill any other player to take their collected resources. However, the game employs some special mechanics:
- Clans can occupy oases and take them under their protection – they act like the police, keeping brawlers in check.
- The combat system is heavily focused on melee combat and relies on skill – blocks and attacks must connect. Thus, a battle is not decided by the first hit but requires finesse.
- Clans benefit when players gather resources in their oases and receive a share – they have something to gain from protecting players.
Other games, such as Amazon’s New World, specifically avoid PvP and turn to PvE and open world instead. This allows them to achieve more success. Last Oasis, however, takes a different stance.
This is what the developers say: The developers, shortly after New World’s decision, mocked it with a cheeky tweet here. In light of this, we asked: Are you worried because you are still focusing on PvP?
In response to the question, Project Lead Florian Hofreither said:
Not at all. We don’t really want to make a game for the widest possible audience. We want to make a good game. There have been many good PvP games, but we see fewer and fewer of them. Our community likes that we remain true to ourselves and give our all. […]
It’s simply an immersive experience. If someone can’t attack me, that’s boring. But if he could attack me and doesn’t do it for certain reasons, because he might start a war, those are much better stories.
Our goal is PvP. Because that’s what we are good at, and that’s what we can balance well. And our community likes it precisely for that reason, so we stick with it.
In New World, fans have quarreled over the PvP split and accused each other. Last Oasis apparently does not fear this problem.
Where does the experience come from? The developers of Last Oasis previously worked on one of the largest MMO mods for Mount&Blade: Warband, the cRPG mod. From this work, they draw their expertise.
Mount&Blade is known for its combat systems and strategic battles. According to the developers, the mod was for a long time the largest and most popular multiplayer mod.
They stated in response to a question from another journalist who watched the presentation with us that Mount&Blade and the work on the mod had the greatest influence on the development of Last Oasis.
Is there also PvE?
Although the focus is on PvP, Last Oasis also offers some PvE content that we have already seen. There are NPC enemies, a primate species called Rupu. You can attack and loot their camps, for example, to obtain specific resources as adventurers or collectors.
According to the developers, you also have the option to simply become a trader. Invest early in the market and slowly build an empire to achieve greatness solely through trade – if that’s what you want.
In the tougher areas of the oases, huge boss enemies await, which you should only fight in a group with strong runners. The bosses are similar to monsters from Monster Hunter and reward you with rare and valuable resources.
Below, we have embedded gameplay that was shown to us, showcasing the battle against NPCs and the boss monster Okkam:
PvP focus for groups and solo
This is how team play works: In Last Oasis, players can form clans and occupy oases as such. The oases are hexagonal fields, and each oasis is its own server for up to 100 players.
The clans also take care of the politics in Last Oasis. They determine which oasis is safe for new players or PvE fans, where one can be declared fair game, or with which other clans they can forge large alliances.
This is roughly comparable to the corporations and alliances in EVE Online, which the developers have also indicated as a source of inspiration. It’s just not supposed to feel too much like “spreadsheets in space”.
Can it be done solo? Since players continually ask whether and which MMOs they could also play solo, that was part of our questions. Will there be huge clans fighting against each other? Small groups of looters? Or even solo or duo players sneaking around and robbing others? The Project Lead’s answer:
We’re already seeing with our testers that all of that is happening. We have people who simply walk around alone and sneak around or try a diplomatic approach. Many of them just talk to the clan leaders and become untouchables in their territories.
Then we have smaller groups that specialize in hunting or piracy. And we have huge wars. That’s what I like the most.
The clan I played with had a base, and we heard over voice chat that our friends were being attacked. […] We came to the rescue, but three other clans joined in as well. It was a mess, but it was hilarious.
When and where can I learn more?
Last Oasis releases on March 26 for PC on Steam. When asked if the game will also be released for the next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the developers said, “We are aware of it, but at the moment, a smooth release is more important.”
So far, Last Oasis has a good chance of being included in our list of the best survival games 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
