Tips for playing as teenagers and maniacs, including the Soul Separator, Cleaver and the Giant; analysis of gameplay and game features; differences from other multiplayer horror games
Initially, the release of Last Year: The Nightmare was slated for 2016, after which there were several postponements, but finally the game made it to the Discord counter . Your attention is a full-fledged slasher in the style of the 90s, saturated with murder, bloodlust and horror, developed on the Unreal Engine .
Nevertheless, today the project is at the beginning of its journey. Few maps available and only one game mode. Unfortunately, there is currently no full training system that Dead By Daylight and Friday the 13th: The Game can boast of .
This means that you will have to learn everything on your own, from personal experience. Another option is to read our manual with a breakdown of mechanics, tips and tricks for beginners. Below you will learn how to communicate with teammates, craft, survive as students or kill as a maniac.
The gameplay is based on an asymmetric multiplayer mode for six players. The asymmetry is due to the fact that the two opposing sides have different numbers: five stereotypical American teenagers try to survive while they are being hunted by a real psychopath. Regardless of the character chosen, the events take place from a first-person perspective.
Each character in Last Year: The Nightmare has a specific role to play. If we consider students, then some of them will understand medicine, others have the necessary technical skills, and others have an athletic physique, so they can help weaker partners. The key to survival is the cooperation of survivors, skillful use of each hero’s strengths, and the gathering of the resources needed to create homemade weapons.
Combat mainly uses melee weapons , however, it is possible to create more sophisticated destruction tools, including explosives collected in the chemistry class.
Various abilities are available to assassins. While the Soul Separator prefers to drag victims to secluded places and choke them, the more aggressive Cleaver uses knives, machetes, and even saws. In addition, the so-called Predator mode is available to maniacs, which allows them to become invisible and almost elusive for a potential victim. The main goal of the youth is to survive the ongoing nightmare, and the killer’s task is to shed as much blood as possible.
Deathmatch takes place in a variety of locations, from East Side High School to a shopping mall or summer camp. On each map, in random places, useful objects and various shelters are scattered, as well as points ideal for an ambush.
The nightmare begins
Cleaver, one of the killers
The events take place on Halloween night 1996. A group of teenagers wake up in a gloomy place that is a dark reflection of their real town, Forest Hills. Many will immediately recall the film franchise “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. Making their way through the cafeteria of the East Side School, they soon realize that they have been hunted by a supernatural force that takes the form of formidable assassins. Pursued by a ruthless maniac, the teenagers decide to unite to fight back and try to survive in this terrifying anomaly, which they have come to call the Nightmare.
Five survivors, one killer
Six players take part in each individual Last Year: The Nightmare duel. Five gamers choose survivors and character class, while one of them takes on the role of a lone assassin. There are currently three maniacs available, each featuring a unique playstyle, signature weaponry, and target destruction tactics.
Predator Mode
Survivors must remember that they cannot feel safe anywhere. Moving around the map, the maniac can become completely invisible, so it is important to carefully plan attacks. On the other hand, the killer cannot attack his victims in Predator mode, but is able to set traps, track targets and plan future attacks. After all, no one forbids mocking their prey.
How to play survivors
Choose a character class, collect scrap metal, craft items and weapons, and then develop a collective strategy that will increase your chances of survival. Players can sneak, shortcuts through different areas.
How to enable general voice chat
Last Year: The Nightmare is currently exclusive to Discord, so many gamers are struggling to figure out how to enable or disable certain options that everyone knows on Steam .
Desired option in Discord
Discord has a Click-to-Talk feature that will let all survivors hear your every sneeze, but, oddly enough, it’s not that easy to find. When the game is active, press Shift and the ~ (tilde) key to open the Discord overlay. In the upper right corner of the screen, find a small icon with a “cog”. It is located above your Discord username. Go to voice settings, then select this option at the bottom.
How to open the crafting wheel
In addition to the “Click to Talk” option, the most common question many gamers have is related to the crafting system. The Keybindings page doesn’t provide information on how to open the crafting wheel, but it’s fairly straightforward to do. Hold and hold RMB .
Be careful, as errors occur in the game that leave the crafting menu on the screen. The news is very bad, especially if the killer is nearby. Press RMB until the menu disappears. In the near future, the developers promise to fix this.
How to survive
If you want to increase your chances of survival, then try to stay in a group with other teens. Unlike other asymmetric multiplayer horror games, a well-coordinated group of survivors will be able to defeat a seemingly gigantic and indomitable maniac, triggering a cooldown before reappearing.
This teen can wield melee weapons
You can use turrets, flashes and the skills of “stormtroopers” characters , which can attack the enemy with a pry bar or pipe. In simple terms, coordinated action means that some characters distract the maniac while the medic heals them. Ideally, the assassin should be forced to chase one specific character, moving through the bookcases, dining room furniture and other obstacles, while the rest of the team can rest and heal.
Always move as a whole squad and try to keep up with your group , distracted by collecting various objects scattered across the map, including computer hacking floppy disks or burners needed to cut through locked doors. After reaching the final goal, it is important to remember that survivors are given a limited amount of time to get to the last door, so it is important to stick together even then.
So far, only three maps are available in the game, so exploring each of them is not a difficult task. Take a look at the same Dead by Daylight and try to figure out the proposed levels. It is unlikely that you will succeed even after a week of playing. As you explore the Last Year: The Nightmare maps, look for small holes in the floor that allow you to quickly move between levels. There are such slices in the main nodes of the locations – the library, the gym and the tower. The assassin cannot take advantage of them, so your team has a quick way to avoid the pursuer. Close the door to the room behind you to slow down the killer even more.
A serious caveat to point out here: always stay away from the vents if the Soul Separator is chasing you. He can hide right in them and jump out at the most unexpected moment. The same goes for skylights in the ceiling that Cleaver uses. It seems that many players still haven’t figured it out, but the Giant can destroy certain walls.
Finally, don’t forget that murdered teenagers reappear in closets. Follow in the group to their cry, and then open the cabinets, allowing them to respawn. You want to make sure that your team is as complete as possible for as long as possible playing time. After all, your chances of survival depend on this!
How to play the killer
As any hitman, you can enter and exit Predator mode at any time if there are no survivors in line of sight. This means that you can turn a corner, throw a trap and appear if there are no other gamers nearby.
However, while in Predator Mode, you cannot go through locked doors. Eventually, you will need to get out of it to do this. In physical reality, the killer moves much more slowly.
Murderer, one of the killers
This will likely change soon, but for now, here are some of the best places to set traps:
- in front of passages to areas with important objects– for example, computers or locked doors;
- on the upper floors of stairsleading to important areas, including locked doors and the top of the library;
- corridor fork edgesand other blind spots;
- next to the cabinetswhere survivors spawn (one of the best places to kill).
How to play as the Soul Separator
The Murderer is the fastest and most stealthy assassin, so if you prefer to quickly pursue goals, then this will be the best option. Note that strangling requires holding the survivor in place instead of repeatedly attacking with a weapon.
Features:
- The whole face of the maniac is wrapped in bloody bandages.
- The most common sound is insane laughter.
- The main weapon is huge scissors.
- Judging by the badges and emblem on the vest, it is most likely that he was once in the military.
- Drags survivors across the ground using its chain.
- Using a chain, it can capture survivors located at a distance.
How to play as Cleaver
The Slasher has average stats compared to the other two maniacs. He has decent speed, good stamina, allowing him to swing his ax “left and right”. On the other hand, he does not have the same stealth abilities as the Soul Separator.
Features:
- The main weapon is an ax.
- Can ambush teenagers by jumping from roof windows and plunging his ax into them.
- Roughly speaking, there is a balance between the mobility of the Soul Separator, high health and the Giant’s damage.
How to play as the Giant
Finally, the Giant is the slowest killer, but if he is going to kill someone, then it is almost impossible to stop him. Large doors and gates are the Giant’s Achilles heel, as he passes through them more slowly than others. Survivors can run away from him through doors, closing them in their path. This is possible, for example, in the gym or library. Don’t get hung up on such characters. Ideally, you should look for easier prey.
Giant, one of the assassins
Regardless of the assassin you choose, you need to hope that the survivor team doesn’t interact with each other. The slightest inconsistency in their actions will lead to a series of murders.
Features:
- Kills targets with bare hands.
- Most likely, this is an escaped prisoner.
- The giant can ambush, destroying walls and instantly killing a teenager who is unlucky enough to be within reach.
- The most powerful assassin of the three available. At the same time – the slowest. Its ability to accelerate compensates for immobility.
- It can grab a survivor and knock it back at a distance, dealing huge damage, which can sometimes lead to a drop in health points to zero. An easy and desirable kill when playing as a Giant.
Thus, if in Dead by Daylight and other asymmetric horror games players can choose the tactics of the “lone wolf”, then in Last Year: The Nightmare this option will not work. Try to stay in a group, act as a team. Playing as a maniac, it is important to use all his strengths and unique abilities.
