The Last Federation

 PC
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 42
  3. Negative: 9 out of 42

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  1. Dejakritz
    Jan 2, 2015
    0
    Just like AI wars, I was excited to try this game, but could not get 20 minutes in due to the fact the text on the interface and in all interactive windows is far too hard to read on 1950x1080 resolution. The game developers response to these complaints is always the same: we have no plans to fix this so change your resolution. I don't know about you but I'm in the over 90% of players thatJust like AI wars, I was excited to try this game, but could not get 20 minutes in due to the fact the text on the interface and in all interactive windows is far too hard to read on 1950x1080 resolution. The game developers response to these complaints is always the same: we have no plans to fix this so change your resolution. I don't know about you but I'm in the over 90% of players that use an LCD monitor. Changing to a non-native resolution makes it blurry and in my case it also stretched the graphics out of aspect. Only consider this game if you are playing on a very old monitor or a laptop.… Expand
  2. Billick
    Apr 23, 2014
    8
    The Last Federation is an interesting strategy game where you play as a rogue mercenary trying to form a peaceful alliance between the different races in the solar system.

    Pros: + 8 races, each having unique traits and systems you can interact with + High relplayability - each game will play out differently + Lots of ways to interact with the various races (friendly actions,    The Last Federation is an interesting strategy game where you play as a rogue mercenary trying to form a peaceful alliance between the different races in the solar system.

    Pros:
    + 8 races, each having unique traits and systems you can interact with
    + High relplayability - each game will play out differently
    + Lots of ways to interact with the various races (friendly actions, backstabbing, direct combat, etc.). Each action has trade offs (passage of time, losing reputation, etc).
    + Good soundtrack.

    Cons:
    - Combat starts to feel kind of "samey" after a while. The same mission type will play out the same almost every time.
    - There are some lingering bugs and balance issues (a lot of these are currently being fixed though)
    - Graphics are pretty basic

    Overall I give it an 8/10 based on it's current state. I could go to 9/10 if the issues are cleaned up.    … Expand
  3. nas1m
    Apr 18, 2014
    9
    A deeply fun mix of nonetheless complementary genres (a tactical combat SHMUP provides the combat engine for a grand strategy 4X taking place in a simulated solar system of great depth) this game really breathes new life into the 4X genre - something I failed to see happen for me since MoO2.

    The setup is original (you are a single mercenary pulling the strings behind the scenes to unite    A deeply fun mix of nonetheless complementary genres (a tactical combat SHMUP provides the combat engine for a grand strategy 4X taking place in a simulated solar system of great depth) this game really breathes new life into the 4X genre - something I failed to see happen for me since MoO2.

    The setup is original (you are a single mercenary pulling the strings behind the scenes to unite the system - instead of being one of the planetary powers of the solar system), the eight races feel fresh (there is everything from insectoid killers to communist barn owls and capitalist robots) and the combat model is just an ingenious creation that I am fairly sure has not been done before - ever.

    Oh, and you are the last of a race of four-headed hydra dictators. What more is there to want? If you are into 4X games at all - go get it. You will not regret it!    … Expand
  4. Azurian
    Apr 19, 2014
    10
    "Pre-release, their alpha- and beta-testers, which are straight from a loyal core of the community, historically have very heavily influenced all of their games, always for the better imo.

    First impressions of TLF are: Great music (their best yet, possibly) Cool graphics (2d but perfectly suited to the game) Combat is incredibly unique, simple to get started but has the    "Pre-release, their alpha- and beta-testers, which are straight from a loyal core of the community, historically have very heavily influenced all of their games, always for the better imo.

    First impressions of TLF are:

    Great music (their best yet, possibly)

    Cool graphics (2d but perfectly suited to the game)

    Combat is incredibly unique, simple to get started but has the potential to become quite complex later on

    Frighteningly complex simulation underneath the hood--easily mitigated by a tutorial-esque approach (that is skippable later) and lots of useful optional data reports

    Feels like I'm caught in the middle of a Star Trek-like political situation in the middle of mostly uncharted space. Lots of political scheming behind the scenes and brazen destruction and capture of various factions' resources and such."    … Expand
  5. jmhoffer
    Oct 10, 2014
    3
    Normally I expect much more from indy games than this is able to deliver.

    At first, it seems like an interesting game. Unique idea (with a story that makes zero sense) and definitely unique and fun game play. The problem is, even at version 1.6+, it is buggy as all hell. Your outposts disappear for no reason, building outposts can cost you time and credit but the outpost won't build,    Normally I expect much more from indy games than this is able to deliver.

    At first, it seems like an interesting game. Unique idea (with a story that makes zero sense) and definitely unique and fun game play.

    The problem is, even at version 1.6+, it is buggy as all hell. Your outposts disappear for no reason, building outposts can cost you time and credit but the outpost won't build, overwhelmingly powerful fleets do next to no damage at times (or at all times, in some cases), weak as hell fleets can end up doing immense amounts of damage.

    Another thing that bothers me is that it is very, very easy for you to be surpassed, even if you're the technological powerhouse. You can't build nor capture military outposts, which multiply ship capabilities. The only way to get one is for a random event to occur. A depressurization kills everyone on board someone else's space station. The game tells you who this happened to but not where and you have to go from station to station. Once you find one that needs repairs, this is either a station you can repair and take over or a station that took damage and you can be friendly and repair it. If this is owned by an enemy and it was just slightly damaged, congratulations, you just helped your enemy instead of capturing a station.

    Overall, it's flaws and illogical attributes currently outweigh everything good about it, and by a fair margin. Even though I'd like to give this game a good score, I can't. The developers have a LOT of work to do before that happens.    … Expand
  6. Vasot
    Apr 20, 2014
    9
    One of the best indie strategy games i have played and it is truly original for the genre you have to be both good ta battles but also good at management to win this game
  7. steamvox
    Dec 14, 2014
    4
    needs major work still
    judging from ai fleet command they do still work on game after release though
    so hopefully all the issues with this will get ironed out
    but not really playable atm
  8. Matseb2611
    Jan 30, 2016
    9
    After having greatly enjoyed Bionic Dues by this developer, I've decided to try out this title and was generally impressed.

    The Last Federation has you play as an almost godly last survivor of an extinct alien race, who's now made it his mission to attempt to unify the remaining 8 alien races across the solar system (or unify as many as he can and destroy the rest!). To do this he has    After having greatly enjoyed Bionic Dues by this developer, I've decided to try out this title and was generally impressed.

    The Last Federation has you play as an almost godly last survivor of an extinct alien race, who's now made it his mission to attempt to unify the remaining 8 alien races across the solar system (or unify as many as he can and destroy the rest!). To do this he has to gain credit and influence with each race by doing tasks for them. There is a lot of alien politics involved, and each race is quite different to the others, meaning the same approach doesn't work for all the races.

    The game can be a bit hard to get into at first, as there's a lot of stuff suddenly being introduced at once. It can easily turn away some players, but I'd really recommend to keep playing, because eventually you get familiar with it all. The normal difficulty is pretty laid back and you have plenty of time to learn the ways and can afford to make errors.

    The combat sections have you partake in a sort of bullet hell spaceship battle. They might seem pretty difficulty at first, but again, they're actually a lot easier to grasp than they look. The battle is broken down into turns. You select where to go and which enemy to shoot at. The game then plays it out and you get to pick your next move. In addition to that, you can even change how much energy goes to your weapons, shields, and propulsion, as different situations require you to adjust it. For example if you get swarmed and start to suffer damage - divert more energy to shields. If you need to take something out fast - divert it to the weapons. And so on.

    Perhaps what I liked the most was how well-developed the lore and background on each alien race was. Each of them has their own political agenda and attitude to you and the other races. Some are diplomats and peacekeepers, whilst others are very warlike and territorial. I've had a lot of fun learning about each race and their likes and dislikes.

    Music in the game is also fantastic. Each race has its own unique theme music, which was a nice touch. The visuals are pretty simple though and a lot of the gameplay, particularly the political side of things, is text-based, whilst the combat looks like a regular space shooter. So that aspect might not appeal to some people. But don't let that put you off if you enjoy a good strategy and political intrigue.

    Just for those who are a bit unsure of how to start off and get going, here is some advice on methods that worked for me:

    1) Start off by giving space-faring tech to 2-3 races you find most trustworthy. Normally Andor, Skyllaxians, and Peltians are pretty reliable, though it is up to you! This will get you plenty of starting Credit and Influence early on.

    2) Start doing friendly tasks for those races and increase influence with them further. Cooperative Research is pretty good, as you can then gift this research to the other races and get free influence with them!

    3) Expanding Unused Area and Colonizing/Mining Moons is great for getting some quick Credit.

    4) Make sure to open up some Trade routes between the races you've allied with, so that they start to like each other as well (this is found in the Political page for each race, not in the Friendly Actions page).    … Expand
  9. ChoicestGames
    Feb 7, 2021
    6
    If you're looking for an indie sci-fi grand strategy title with turn-based tactical combat and interesting lore, The Last Federation seems to achieve this but if you're a fan of 4X titles like Master of Orion and was hoping to have more control over how you take over the galaxy without any grind or a steep learning curve, you'll be disappointed.
  10. routier1642
    Nov 2, 2018
    4
    I'm sure there are some good ideas in this game, but I could not get past the folksy prose, amateurish feel, and awful combat system which was by turns tedious and confusing. 2018 and it still seems underdeveloped.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. CalmDownTom
    Jun 24, 2014
    60
    Although The Last Federation has a lot going for it, the fact that it forces you to make choices every three seconds in combat is its Achilles heel.
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  2. Gamers' Temple
    Jun 24, 2014
    80
    Asteroids on 'roids - a fun combination of empire builder/tactical shooter with reasonable replayability.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Jun 5, 2014
    65
    The Last Federation in its current state would have been better off in Steam Early Access. Arcen Games continues to improve it after the release, but the idea of indirect control in a space strategy game sounds more fun than it actually is.
    Read full review
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