You can't save them

I’ve never been a big fan of horror games. It’s hard for me to stop myself from giving up on a game with a bunch of jump scares. I don’t have the best track record for getting through them.<br><br>Recently, though, I found out about one that really caught my attention. <br><br>*The Last Hope.*<br><br>I know, I know, that doesn’t sound like anything special, but it was pretty popular when it came out. And the idea behind the game was really unique. It was a horror game where it wasn’t about winning, it was about accepting your fate. Yeah, you read that right. And I know what you’re thinking: “But every horror game has a winning/losing state depending on your actions.” Not this one. The winning/losing state was based on how much story you got to see. <br><br>This particular game wasn’t about surviving, it was about surviving *long* enough to see all that you could. In *The Last Hope*, you don’t win. You lose, every time. And for me, at least, it made the horror that much more impactful than a game where you can escape.<br><br>In *The Last Hope*, you play an unnamed protagonist. A survivor, and you control the protagonist for fifteen minutes. You can do whatever you want for fifteen minutes, and that’s it. That’s all you get. And another thing: you can only save once in the game. One time. And once you’ve saved for the last time, you can’t save again. You can’t replay a segment over again because you messed up. You can’t do anything over again because it was a waste of time or you messed up. The moment you save for the last time, you can only go forward. You can’t replay anything from the beginning, so choose wisely when you save. <br><br>That’s right, you don’t have to replay after you die. The game just ends, and that’s it. But you can’t use an old save after that. And another thing: you can’t intentionally kill yourself in the game either. If you try, it’ll just force you to load your last save. The game knows when you’re wasting your time, and you can’t play around with that. If you try to drown yourself, the game will just load your last save. And another thing: you can’t try to escape the map either. If you try to do that, the game will just load another area in the map.<br><br>And don’t try to do anything else too, like purposely trap yourself in a room. That’s not allowed either. I’ve tried it, and it just doesn’t work. If you try to do something like that, the game will just load your last save. <br><br>What’s the story you get to see? I won’t get into that too much, because I don’t want to give it away. But I will say this: you play the protagonist, who starts out in his house. You can explore the house and figure out the protagonist’s name from various objects. But you can’t escape the house until you’ve found out what’s going on. <br><br>If you’re smart and resourceful, and you don’t waste time, you’ll be able to get out of the house, and then you can even get into the neighbor’s house. You can explore the world a little, stop by the supermarket, get some supplies. You can do all sorts of things, but don’t waste your time. Because fifteen minutes is all you have. And don’t try to do anything that wastes time either. The game knows when you’re dawdling, or spending too much time on something.<br><br>And I’ll tell you one thing: it ends with the protagonist seeing an important event. An event that you’ll only see if you play your cards right and manage your time well. Do you want to see it? Well, I’m not going to spoil it for you here, but I will say that fifteen minutes is not enough to see it all. Look it up if you want. But I will say one thing: this game has changed the way I see horror. From now on, every time I play a horror game, I’m going to remember this and how it made me feel.<br><br>Now, I’ve played horror games before. I’m not a complete newbie to horror games, but this one changes my whole perspective on horror. Horror isn’t about trying to escape. It’s about enjoying your last moments. The last few minutes of your life before it ends. <br><br>And that’s what this game is. It’s about accepting your fate. The fate that you’re going to die no matter what you do. But it’s about seeing how much you can see before you die. <br><br>This game has really changed the way I see horror, and I’m not alone. Look up the reviews for it, and you’ll see other people who feel the same way. Horror isn’t about winning. It’s about losing. But it’s about how well you can lose. How long you can drag it out. How much you can see before you die.<br><br>I’ll probably play it again too, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see the ending. And another thing: I don’t think I’m ever going to play horror the same way again. From now on, I’m always going to remember this game and how it taught me to see horror in a completely different way. <br><br>So, if you get the chance to play it, do it.