Planet Of The Apes: Last Frontier First Look – No Easy Answers

Earlier this summer, we talked about The Imaginarium working on a new Planet of the Apes game that ties in with the film trilogy, but leaning more on side characters and a huge storytelling arc that helps build upon the universe the movies created. But little did we realize that Last Frontier would have a whole lot of impact, especially for something that resembles, for lack of better terminology, an “interactive movie”. The studio recently invited me up to take a look at the game in action.

The game definitely has a storytelling side to it, much like Telltale’s releases in the past. But unlike those games giving you a high level of interaction, this one’s more about decision making, and then seeing how things unfold based upon the choices you go with. They’re not always easy answers, as sometimes it means betraying someone’s feelings in favor of doing the right – or wrong – thing. But that’s what makes Last Frontier stand out so much – it makes you feel guilt or pride from your decisions, leading up to a number of different endings included within the game.

Dealing With Apes And Humans

Last Frontier follows both sides of the story, with events that tie in between the second and third films. It deals with both the apes and their search for resources (while dealing with any humans that get in the way, either violently or peacefully), as well as the humans, who are just trying to get by and getting any answers they can about potential ape ambushes. It’s great to see how both sides eventually blend together, even if it’s not always in the name of peace.

For instance, with your ape character, you actually have to be careful with your choices. On the one hand, you have an older brother that looks to you in leadership, but also demands that you show said leadership with your decisions. On the other is a more timid ape who’s a bit on the thinking side, but also worrisome when it comes to his decisions. Do you side with your brother and chastise the less powerful ape when he tries to call off a crucial operation? Or do you try and calm the smaller ally and possibly create a rift between you and your kin?

Wait, Multiplayer?!

Humans don’t exactly have it much easier. During a certain scenario, you find yourself in an underground bunker, watching as your teammates beat a chained-up orangutan to get information, to the near brink of death. Do you allow the beatings to continue, or do you show compassion and try to calm things down, with the possibility of pissing off one of your captains? Again, there’s no easy way, but a way must be chosen.

The game can be played either with your controller or your smart phone (exclusively on the PlayStation 4 via PlayLink), and it’s great to see the interaction between the two when it comes to choices that you make. What’s more, there’s an interesting party element with the game, as you can have multiple players join in and make their decisions, with the majority that gets the votes winning out in the end. That may not sit well with everyone in the group, but it makes for a unique style of multiplayer you don’t expect from a game of this kind.

Apes. Together. Strong?

Although the game is still a work in progress – and it showed from some of the graphical hiccups that took place during the demo – The Imaginarium has done a great job replicating the looks of the film when it comes to character models, as well as the dark nature of where humanity has gone, and the war that could be coming as a result. The voice acting is pretty ideal as well, with both humans and apes sounding excellent, providing a bit of nuance to an already well-written script, based upon what I’ve seen thus far.

While the whole “interactive movie” idea may not be everyone’s cup of tea – some people are probably going, “What, not a multiplayer game featuring apes with guns?!” – Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier is loyal to the themes of the film, while at the same time setting out its own path when it comes to telling a story. The presentation looks great so far, and the gameplay, though simple, opens up a ton of possibilities as far as which ending you’re heading towards, good or bad.

You’ll want to get your hands on these damn dirty apes when Last Frontier arrives later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC.