The Last Worker Reviews
Although The Last Worker's novel work-gameplay template & tangible proximity to its critiques earns some credit, it often fumbles with the delivery.
Even the game’s most effectively bleak ending, in which Jüngle’s founder, Josef Jüngle, is revealed to have been dead and automated for quite some time, is undercut by him still being very much alive in the other two endings. The Last Worker’s conclusions should feel earned—that is, a consequence of the protagonist’s decisions. Instead, they’re as easy and largely frivolous as just adding something to an online shopping cart.
What could've been a comical, perhaps novel, approach to tackling themes of corporatism, consumerism, activism and comfort in the familiar alike, The Last Worker instead can only muster up a mediocre clutter of half-baked ideas that rarely feel properly fleshed out.
Set in an Amazon-like fulfilment centre, this satirical adventure has interesting ideas but fails to adequately explore them
With a story that's as empty and meandering as its gameplay, The Last Worker is an ugly, tedious slog that I'm glad to be done with.
The Last Worker's comically exaggerated vision of the future of work is highly relevant. Yet its story focuses on showcasing the talents of its stellar voice cast at the expense of offering meaningful things to do, and its satirical punches rarely leave lasting bruises.