"Let's get started with yet another hellish game of the week, folks—The Last Adventure. And let me tell you, this one's guaranteed to make you hate this channel even more than you already do. Yep, that's right.

I mean, just like this guy in the chat who's probably hammering his keyboard right now, screaming 'F*** YOU' in all caps. Yep, right back at you, mate. F*** you too.

Oh, here's an interesting question from the peanut gallery: 'Have you played this game before this livestream?' Yes, morons, of course I have. Do I look like an idiot? (Don't answer that.) I'm not about to go live with a fresh game and let you vultures feast on my humiliation. Nuh-uh. Not giving you that satisfaction.

And just to make this clear, you ungrateful lot—while I'm playing, I'm not reading your chats. So scream into the void all you want. Keep it to yourselves. Got it? Cool. Now, let's get into the introduction of the game...

Oh, and one more thing—if you're expecting anything other than an intro video, you can f*** right off. Seriously, it's just an intro. Deal with it.

What is The Last Adventure?

The Last Adventure is a console RPG for the SuperNS1 system, released sometime in the far-off year of 20XX (for those keeping track, it's after The Last World 3 but before The Last World 5 and The Bubble, because clearly, naming conventions are for losers).

It's your run-of-the-mill fantasy RPG where you pick a hero, roam a generic fantasy world called Arcadia, and hunt for mysterious runes that are supposed to grant immense power and leadership or something. Sounds thrilling, doesn't it?

The system is simple enough to suck you in but just interesting enough to make you wonder why you're wasting your time. Replay value? Technically, sure. There are seven characters, or Scions, to choose from, each with slightly different stats, equipment, and spells. You can even befriend one of the other Scions and team up, though let's be honest—you'll probably just hate them too.

The translation? Decent for an Nsync RPG, which means you'll only occasionally wonder what the hell the developers were smoking. The storyline? Generic as hell, with a few twists and a uniquely awful ending that'll make you want to hurl the game out the nearest window if you haven't already reached that point.

Also, and of foremost importance, this game is hard as balls. Like, rip-your-hair-out, throw-your-controller, scream-into-a-pillow hard. Which, let's face it, is probably the only reason anyone remembers this game at all."

Who is Responsible for This Madness?

Mandis (before their merger with Dubio). You may have heard of them. This is not necessarily the hardest RPG they ever released, but it's pretty damn close.

Okay, So It's Hard?

In as few words as possible: Yes.

This game is notorious for its difficulty. Grinding experience levels is absolutely required, many bosses (and especially the other Scions) are ruthlessly hard and scale to your level to boot, and the gear you need is never available when you actually need it.

To top it off, there are parts of the game where, unless you have been grinding properly, victory against even the weakest monsters is basically impossible. In at least one potential encounter, it's literally impossible. That's right, mess this up, and you cannot win this game. And no, it's not a bug—it's just that hard.

Oh, and speaking of bugs, let's not forget this gem: thanks to a glitch, experience is ridiculously hard to acquire, and the game caps your level lower than it's supposed to. So even if you grind until your thumbs fall off, you're never going to quite be where you need to be.

So How Does It Work?

Like any traditional RPG, it starts with your character. The game conveniently offers us a choice from the seven Scions, running the gamut of fantasy races: humans, elves, dwarves, demons, an alien, and even a robot. Really.

In fact, let's meet them right now!

-------First Scion------

Name: Darion

Species: Human

Class: Generic Fighter

Overview

Darion is the "baseline" character of The Last Adventure. Average in pretty much every way, he's not hard to use and is fairly well-balanced for any purpose. He can equip most of the heaviest armor and strongest weapons, so upgrading his equipment will be important. His stat development is also quite ordinary and not too deficient in any area.

Spoilers

There's really not much to spoil. Darion is pretty average, but he does get some magic, and he's not terrible with it, which puts him pretty high up on the list of heavy-armor characters. He learns healing spells and fire magic primarily, which is actually incredibly nice. His MP is generally lacking, and all his stats raise fairly evenly across the board, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

Difficulty

Average to Moderately Tough

Stats

HP: 16 MP: 4 Power: 4 

Guard: 4 Magic: 3 Speed: 3

Weapon: 2 Defend: 1 EX: 21

-------Second Scion------

Name: Berric

Species: Dwarf

Class: Generic Fighter With Beard

Overview

Berric is a dwarf, and like any self-respecting dwarf, he loves armor, axes, beer, and absolutely despises casting magic spells.

Spoilers

Berric boasts the highest natural attack power and decent defense, and he can equip an impressively broad range of gear. If you're looking for a physical powerhouse, he's one of the best options. However, he's an abysmal spellcaster, at least offensively. While he learns a couple of attack spells, they're pretty lackluster compared to his sheer physical strength, which is immense.

He does, however, learn some healing spells and a defense buff that stacks beautifully with his armor, making him extremely durable. Unlike other physical-focused characters like Axion and Zorvek, Berric actually upgrades his gear, which makes him slightly weaker in the early game but gives him the potential to catch up—or even surpass—his competition as the game progresses.

Difficulty

Average

Stats

HP: 18 MP: 3 Power: 4 

Guard: 5 Magic: 3 Speed: 3

Weapon: 2 Defend: 1 EX: 24

-------Third Scion------

Name: Lyrel

Species: Elf

Class: Token Female

Overview

Lyrel is a spellcaster with abysmal physical prowess. Oh, and she's also the game's only woman. Not pointing fingers here, Mandis, but the optics are... something. Anyway, Lyrel takes up the mantle of the Black Mage—a badass spellcaster who's all about blowing shit up with her magic.

Spoilers

Lyrel doesn't bother with fire attack spells, leaning heavily on ice magic instead. Not that it makes much difference—ice still freezes enemies and keeps the destruction rolling. Her gear options are laughably limited, meaning she'll feel like a liability early on, but she comes into her own eventually.

Lyrel boasts the most MP by far, and her spell roster includes healing, buffing, and some truly devastating attack magic. The downside? She absolutely must rely on buffs to survive any significant damage. The good news is her speed is impressive, so if she levels up ahead of her enemies, she can obliterate them before they get a chance to retaliate.

However, being so dependent on MP comes with its risks, and she's a tough character to manage. On the bright side, pairing her with Alric could make her ridiculously overpowered. Assuming, of course, that you manage to get that far without pulling your hair out.

Difficulty

Very Hard

Stats

HP: 14 MP: 16 Power: 3 

Guard: 3 Magic: 4 Speed: 4

Weapon: 1 Defend: 1 EX: 18

-------Forth Scion------

Name: Zorvek

Species: Alien (no mention of what kind)

Class: Naked

Overview

Zorvek is an alien, though nobody in Arcadia seems to care one way or another. There's no confirmation on whether he's from another planet or just stuck here indefinitely after overstaying his student visa. Thanks to the massive spikes on his arms, Zorvek doesn't bother with much equipment—because, really, how do you even wear a shirt with those things?

Spoilers

Zorvek is a total powerhouse. He trades almost all of his spellcasting potential for exceptional attack power and defense. That's a good thing, too, since most of his power comes from leveling up rather than upgrading gear. Speaking of gear, he has almost none—so don't expect to shop your way to victory with him.

On the bright side, Zorvek gains absurd amounts of HP with each level, making him a tank. But while he can take a hit, he also gets hit pretty hard, and his inability to heal himself is a glaring weakness. His spells are best ignored—he doesn't have anything worthwhile, and his MP and magic stats are laughable.

Zorvek thrives with a partner like Alric to keep him alive, but here's the kicker: Zorvek is a lone wolf. He'll rarely team up with other characters, making him a tricky choice unless you're playing as him. If you are playing as him, though, he's an unstoppable beast.

Difficulty

Moderately Hard

Stats

HP: 20 MP: 2 Power: 5 

Guard: 7 Magic: 2 Speed: 4

Weapon: 2 Defend: 2 EX: 12

-------Fifth Scion------

Name: Axion

Species: Tetujin (that's Japanese for "robot")

Class: Robot

Overview

Axion is a ROBOT. AXION SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. AXION PUNCHES THINGS AND HAS LASERS. AXION DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE HUMAN CONCEPT OF PANTS.

Spoilers

As an ancient, eons-old robot, Axion struggles to find suitable equipment, but he conveniently starts with one of the best loadouts in the game. He's one of the rare characters who doesn't keel over the moment the game begins, allowing him to play aggressively and grind harder and longer.

However, Axion isn't as straightforward as he seems. His magic stats are subpar, so his laser and thunder spells don't pack much of a punch. On top of that, his amazing starting equipment won't last forever, and finding upgrades is a slow process. This makes Axion deceptively challenging—he's a beast early on but much harder to manage as the game progresses.

Difficulty

Average Early, Hard Late

Stats

HP: 18 MP: 3 Power: 5 

Guard: 6 Magic: 3 Speed: 3

Weapon: 5 Defend: 10 EX: 30

-------Sixth Scion------

Name: Alric

Species: Human

Class: Pope Hat

Overview

Alric is the healer guy. His equipment sucks just as much as Lyrel's, but he does have slightly better natural physical stats. Fortunately, what he lacks in durability, he makes up for with his magic, which is top-tier.

Spoilers

Alric becomes the best character in the game at level 42 when he learns the Elixir spell. Thanks to what can only be described as an act of divine oversight, Elixir restores its target's HP and MP to full, and here's the kicker: the MP used to cast Elixir is deducted BEFORE the MP is restored. Translation? Alric becomes completely invincible against anything that can't one-shot him.

If you're up against him? Well, you're screwed. You'll never beat him. Ever. And if he happens to swipe your rune? Forget it—you'll never get it back. Seriously, just restart your game and cry it out.

That said, he's absolute hell to level up early on, but as an ally, Alric is the MVP. Without question, he's the best Scion to team up with. If you don't pick him, expect me to try to ally with him anyway. This game is already soul-crushing, and having an invincible priest on your side is the only way to keep your sanity.

Oh, and yes, he has other spells, but who cares? At level 42, he becomes IMMORTAL.

Difficulty

Impossible Early, Immortal Late

Stats

HP: 15 MP: 10 Power: 4 

Guard: 4 Magic: 4 Speed: 4

Weapon: 1 Defend: 1 EX: 20

-------Seventh Scion------

Name: Damian

Species: Demon

Class: Overrated

Overview

Damian is for some reason the cool and popular scion. He's a dick, he's evil, and he's focused pretty heavily on dealing physical or magical damage. His stats are balanced like Darion's, and he can use a decent selection of equipment (better than Lyrel and Alric, worse than Darion and Berric).

Spoilers

Damian is really overrated. He's got a good mix of spells but his balanced stats mean he won't hit as hard as Lyrel with them, he can't heal at all, and his buffs come fairly late. His biggest problem is defense, which is nearly as bad as the mages. Damian is also, you know, a DEMON, so Alric will hate him and most of the other Apprentices don't care for him either, which limits the ally options. That's a problem because, like other non-healing characters, he really needs an ally.

Difficulty

Pretty Hard. No matter how cool people think he looks, Damian is the bitch for most of the game.

Stats

HP: 16 MP: 10 Power: 4 

Guard: 4 Magic: 3 Speed: 4

Weapon: 1 Defend: 1 EX: 24

General Warning

As a general warning, The Last Adventure mostly wastes you with massive physical damage, which is why the low-defense Scions are harder to work with early on. Magic plays a big role in boss fights, though. Relying on MP can be tough since money is scarce—and you'll lose most of it if you die. Unless you're clever, of course.

About This Stream

Okay, here's the deal: there's a video here, and I might do some more videos as we go along for Scion and boss fights. But for the most part, this journey will be told through prerecorded video's and commentary. Why? Because this game has an assload of grinding, and while I'm going to do the grinding, I'm not going to make you sit through it all. Trust me, The Last Adventure isn't really playable without grinding anyway.

This game doesn't have a ton of interactive bits outside of the major question of character selection (and yes, the name—feel free to suggest something if you want). That said, I might take some input for minor decisions as they come up. Mostly, though, this will just be a journey through RPG hell, complete with all the insanity that comes with it. Oh, and I'll be doing my absolute best to break every little piece of the game's system, even if it's not as exploitable as some others.

I will also be trying to set up certain events, such as unwinnable Scion battles and horrific deaths to random monsters, to demonstrate just how easily this game can be lost. Also I may try to win.

The Major Thing

The big question right now: which character are we going with? This choice pretty much decides how hard the game is (from "fairly hard" to "fuck you guys")—and how much I'm going to hate you for making me play it.

 Once that's decided, we can explore the first town, step outside, and be killed over and over by birds.

So, strap in, folks—it's time to prepare yourself for an epic adventure!