Darkania Works and GrimTalin's indie title Last Days of Lazarus had a staggered launch this year, with versions already available for PC and the latest Xbox consoles and the PlayStation 5 version coming later this month. Some players have managed to experience the unsettling adventure already and will have noticed that the Eastern European Last Days of Lazarus has quite a rare setting when it comes to video games. While it's true that indie games like Last Days of Lazarus can get pretty creative with their settings, it's still a unique time period and location to explore.
Last Days of Lazarus utilizes Gothic inspirations and folkloric aspects to augment its historical setting, further adding originality to its relatively unexplored premise. With mysteries to solve, characters to size up and creepy locations to inspect, Last Days of Lazarus has plenty to pique players' interest. Other games might have similar time periods or crossover into the same territories, but Last Days of Lazarus definitely combines them in unique ways.
Last Days Of Lazarus' Location
The first-person, story-driven game is set during the post-Soviet era of Eastern Europe, which is already an intriguing proposition before players even get to dive into the story. With a mix of modern and historic elements, Last Days of Lazarus perfectly encapsulate the shifting tides during this tumultuous time for Eastern Europe, mirroring the rapid changes at the dawn of a new era. The story centers on the troubled Lazarus as he returns home following the death of his mother, coming back to his sister Lyudmila after a period of estrangement.
The disturbing family secrets that begin to emerge threaten everything that Lazarus thought he knew, and just as his country appears to fall apart, so too does his own sense of reality. With supernatural occurrences littered throughout the tale as Lazarus has his long-awaited homecoming, Last Days of Lazarus is reminiscent of Gone Home, another explorative game that sees a character returning home in intriguing circumstances. While both titles may take place at similar times and share a few narrative choices, there aren't many games that center on Last Days of Lazarus' setting.
Last Days Of Lazarus' Use Of History
Exploring the seismic changes and political shifts that occurred in the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Last Days of Lazarus uses this historic background to inform its own rich narrative. The game's many-layered mysteries, untrustworthy characters, and elements of investigation align with the tendency toward secrecy associated with the Soviet Union. Combining themes of religion, the occult, and tenuous politics, Last Days of Lazarus uses its unique setting to its full advantage.
Inspired by the developer's own country, Last Days of Lazarus joins only a handful of modern games set in Eastern Europe. Strongly shaped by local beliefs, actual historic events, and the very real struggles faced by communities following the move away from communism, Last Days of Lazarus feels singular and special. In areas steeped with propaganda and supernatural beliefs, it's easy to see how Lazarus can begin to question reality amidst the eerily beautiful environments.
There are plenty of games set towards the end of the last century, and many that feature the Soviet Union or its former regions, like a plethora of Call of Duty titles. However, not many of them explore this period in history with a specific focus on narrative, and Last Days of Lazarus manages to successfully marry all of these features to craft a memorable and undeniably unnerving tale.
Last Days of Lazurus is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S. It releases on November 29 for PS5.
