The year is 2022, the world is becoming ever more closely networked, appears much smaller than it was a hundred years ago, and is growing ever closer together. The global balance of power is getting more and more imbalanced, in favor of individual companies and groups of companies, at the expense of individual people. That, or something similar, is how The Last Worker, written by director Jörg Tittel, addresses modern capitalism, wrapped in a shell of cushioning humour. As the description suggests, the title represents a narrative single-player adventure. At gamescom we not only had the chance to slip into the role of the last worker, Kurt, but also to talk to Jörg afterwards about the project that was close to his heart . Find out what we can expect from The Last Worker later this year in this preview.
As Kurt, you spend most of your time in the nested department stores of the Jüngle company.
© Wired Production
Well, of course, the game doesn’t take place in 2022, it’s actually set in a realistic future. You take control of Kurt, the last worker in a fully automated factory of the giant corporation Jüngle, which is very reminiscent of the large corporations we know. One day, out-of-town activists want to get noticed and are able to contact Kurt. In the course of the story, a rebellion unfolds from within when Kurt learns about the rather dark side of the department store and initiates sabotage actions in order to paralyze Jüngle, at least for a short time. This department store is as big as the sunken city of Manhattan and makes it clear what influence Jüngle has in the modern world. The Last Worker presents you with three different endings, all of which, according to Jörg, “totally turned the perspective, the story,” and should guarantee replay value. While the game doesn’t have any role-playing elements or emotional quandaries with choices at the Packstation, all endings are unique and positive in their own way.
The playable demo consisted of two tutorial levels designed to introduce us to the gameplay. As Kurt, we started out in a machine that can move small packages from A to B, somewhat reminiscent of Half-Life’s Gravity Gun. As we followed our little hovering helper robot, which occasionally threw witty comments at us, we passed meter-high shelves full of individual packages that formed a tubed walkway. Everything seemed very cramped and gave little room for freedom. The oppressive feeling of The Last Worker was already suggested at the beginning, which the story is supposed to underpin. In the second level, we slipped into a more stealthy role, as we weren’t allowed to be seen by the spooking security robots while we were moving. With the machine that we, as Kurt, controlled, we were able to walk through the warehouse horizontally, of course, but also vertically, which in contrast to the otherwise very cramped corridors gave a certain degree of freedom to breathe. As the game progresses, you collect more tools; at the beginning, of course, by the Jüngle company, but later by the activists working outside. These then create a gameplay that consists of management and a pinch of arcade. Jörg and his team made it their goal to develop a game that also feels like it – the players shouldn’t get the feeling of doing work in their free time in The Last Worker after their own day at work.
In the demo we only had one tool at hand.
© Wired Production
The Last Worker comes from the forge of Wolf & Wood, an eight-strong team based in Newcastle, England. The ninth person in the group is Jörg Tittel, who provides support from London. Known for their work in VR – pioneers, as Jörg calls them – Wolf & Wood produced The Last Worker from the ground up for the Oculus Quest. There was a reason for that: While the Oculus Quest has the currently weakest mobile chip, the version should of course also run on the Nintendo Switch and look as wonderful as in virtual reality.
After our preview session, we can confirm the studio’s expectations: The characters and the world of The Last Worker look fantastic with the cel-shaded look on both the PC and the Nintendo Switch and the game runs smoothly. Auditory The Last Worker is supported by tones that don’t stand out very much, which also increase the oppressive feeling. These were penned by Oliver Kraus, who has already worked with Adele and Florence + the Machine, for example.