Those who played Last Stop would be forgiven for thinking it was from Telltale Games, but its absence of meaningful choices proves just how impressive Telltale’s titles were at their peak. Last Stop was made by Variable State, a UK-based developer whose previous work was the Twin Peaks-inspired game Virginia, and it was released last year. Where Virginia used a throwback lo-fi polygon style, Last Stop features stylized characters in realistic environments, evoking the aesthetic of most Telltale products. It was also a story-based experience, but where Telltale offered numerous branching choices in its games, players quickly discover in Last Stop that any choices are illusory. Aside from a single decision at the end which determines the ending, Last Stop's story is a one-way ride. While not a bad experience, it's more akin to a linear visual novel with limited gameplay segments rather than Telltale's classics.
Despite the announcement of the studio’s rebirth there is reason to be cautious about any new Telltale games. The new iteration of Telltale, currently working on The Wolf Among Us 2, does not employ the original staff that made the games that defined the studio. Some of those veteran developers are being offered contract work for the resurrected Telltale, but it is too soon to know if the belated sequel’s quality will match the original. There are many story-focused games created by indie developers, but the Annapurna-published Last Stop is one that feels the most like a Telltale product, at least superficially. The game’s aesthetic is the main driver for the comparison, but the format of combining short movement and puzzle solving sequences with dialogue choice-based interactions also add to the Telltale vibe. The game is split into episodes, like a Telltale series, and the combination of humor and gravitas also harkens to Telltale’s writing style.
Last Stop’s entirely original storyline does set it apart from Telltale works. Telltale's The Walking Dead is perfect for fans of the comic and TV series, just as fans of established franchises like Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Game of Thrones, can enjoy Telltale’s story-focused style alongside worlds and characters they are familiar with. Unlike those titles, Last Stop is an original IP. Tonally similar to the newer Doctor Who seasons, it explores the lives of people who become immersed in a secret world of science-fiction. Some story branches like John Smith’s are played for laughs, as it deals with a classic body swap scenario. The Meena Hughes story is more dire, as Hughes balances vying for a promotion at the sinister private military company she works for alongside keeping an affair secret from her family. Donna Adelke’s branch, the third of three, pushes mystery, as she and her young friends encounter a mysterious stranger who could be an angel, a demon, or an extraterrestrial.
Last Stop Feels Like An Homage To Telltale, Albeit A Less Ambitious One, Lacking Choice
The Tales From The Borderlands are continuing without Telltale, and with other studios like Don’t Nod stepping in to fill the gap in character choice-based adventures, it may be that the glory days of Telltale are in the past. Whether intentional or not, Last Stop feels like an homage, but its absence of true branching choices reminds players of the effort that went into crafting dynamically different courses through Telltale’s stories. The familiar reminders of “they will what you did” are absent from Last Stop. Episode recaps might feature a protagonist wearing a different set of clothes and saying different dialogue than what the player chose, making it starkly evident that their choices did not impact the flow of the plot.
There has been a resurgence in quality game storytelling recently. Other studios have filled the void left by Telltale, and the staggering scope and quality of writing in Disco Elysium alone raised the bar across the industry. While no games have approached Disco Elysium’s sprawling and daring storytelling, there are many more that follow the template Telltale laid out. A linear story like Last Stop has its place in gaming, but its illusory choices seem designed solely to keep the player’s hands busy. Creating dynamically different branches, where characters can die and major events can be altered, can be a monumental effort. Titles like Last Stop confirm video games have engaging stories to tell, but without letting players shape them, they fall short of the Telltale benchmark.