Last Stop

Last Stop, the supernatural "anthology drama" from Virginia developer Variable State, finally has a release date, and will be making its way to Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC on 22nd July. Last Stop is described as a game about "secret lives, the ties that bind, and how magic can be found in the mundane", and follows the interweaving, supernaturally tinged tales of three separate characters in modern day London. There's Donna, a "spaced-out high-schooler who feels trapped by her stifling home life"; John, an "overworked middle-aged single dad" who's "burdened with debt and the pressures of being an only parent"; plus Meera, a "ruthlessly ambitious professional who struggles to find the same satisfaction with her family that she does in the thrill of her work." Read more

Annapurna Interactive, the unnervingly reliable publisher behind the likes of Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and What Remains of Edith Finch, has confirmed that three of its upcoming titles - Twelve Minutes, The Artful Escape, and Last Stop - will no longer release this year as originally planned, and are now scheduled to launch in 2021. Twelve Minutes is the darkly atmospheric work of Luis Antonio (who made the art for The Witness) and tells the story of a man who finds himself trapped in a time loop following a violent home invasion, with players attempting to change the outcome of events. The PC and Xbox game also has an all-star cast including Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe, and James McAvoy. As for The Artful Escape, it's a surreal rock opera platform adventure that charts the escapades of teenage guitar prodigy Francis Vendetti as he embarks on a cosmic journey to the psychedelic world of Glimmerdim in order to craft his stage persona. Music, unsurprisingly, plays a big part in the experience, and it's heading to Xbox One, PC , and Apple Arcade. Read more

Variable State, the team behind the critically-acclaimed Virginia, has been working on their next game. They wanted to share some insight behind what inspired Last Stop. Hi there from Variable State! In 2016 we released Virginia - a game which tells a story using common techniques found in cinema, such as editing, musical synchronicity, and drama told through actions rather than words. Since then we have been working on our next game, Last Stop, which has taken these ideas and built on them. Whereas Virginia was an entirely first person experience, played through the eyes of a single protagonist without any dialogue; Last Stop tells three interconnected stories, all with fully voice acted performances, and shot in a cinematic style. Giving ourselves the freedom to play with cinematography has brought new story telling opportunities. Cameras are placed in areas to best support the emotion and tone of the scene, bring out subtext, help get inside the character's headspace, or simply to create a beautiful shot! Our intention to game design has always been to give an experience where the player feels like they are inside a story – a good story, hopefully! To this end, along with b