The Last Friend combines the lane-based strategy of a tower-defense game with the direct action of a beat ’em up, sending Alpha and an ever-growing army of rescued dogs across a colourful post-apocalyptic wasteland. Its wide variety of canine defenses, responsive combat, upgrades, challenges, and mission types make it consistently entertaining, but the low difficulty prevents the strategy from reaching its full potential. Late-game battles also suffer badly from visual clutter, with huge enemies, poison clouds, projectiles, and defenses making it difficult to see what is happening.

Gameplay: A clever and enjoyable mixture of tower defense and beat ’em up combat with plenty of dogs, upgrades, missions, and loadout options. It is much too easy for most of the campaign, while later battles can become frustratingly difficult to read.

Graphics: Colourful, polished cartoon artwork with charming dog designs and excellent animation.

Sound: Energetic music and satisfying combat effects suit the lighthearted post-apocalyptic action, even if the soundtrack itself is not especially memorable