The Last Gas Station – Indie Game Spotlight

The Last Gas Station, developed and published by Alawar, is available now on Steam.

Many years have passed, electric cars have taken over, and the world has grown less reliant on gas. You decide to become a gas station owner in the wilderness to supply the people who stick to the old ways. Establish trade, develop your business and uncover the secret of this strange place in the compact gas station simulator.

In the wilderness, they warn you not to go out at night, for reasons you’ll slowly discover for yourself. Perhaps some mysteries are best left alone?

Features:

• Modernise your gas station, introduce new technology to grow your business.
• Set up your store to serve the locals or customers passing by and become rich.
• Establish trade, you’ll stock shelves with drinks, sweets and snacks, upgrade and customise your store to attract people from all over.

The Last Gas Station feels similar to other titles in the simulator genre, where you set up shop and run a business. However, there is a lot more detail in this title with its design, story, and gameplay. First off, you are introduced to your gas station, which looks like a fixer-upper, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do: fix it up. Once you’ve learnt how to keep your place stocked and cars fueled, each day gets a little bit stranger. You’ll learn from customers, strange events, a cryptic website and voice memos.

As you progress, you’ll soon be upgrading things such as gas pumps and adding toilets. The place also needs decorating to look less run-down, and the game gives you a few nice options to make it nicer on the eye and less derelict. I was given many tasks to do; each of fun. With the gas, you have to fill it up to the correct point. Serving customers, you have to scan items and give correct change. I enjoyed the little mini games and narrative it never felt repetitive.

I loved the art style in The Last Gas Station; the pixelated retro style is always a win with me. Each of the animal characters you meet is designed in a unique way. I especially loved serving the goats and owls they’re pretty cute. True to the story, there aren’t many gas-powered cars left, but the ones you’ll see are all classics. It’s pretty interesting seeing them all, though I didn’t one electric car go past. The music accompanies the game well. In the daytime, the music’s uplifting, whereas at night it all becomes mysterious and tense.

Overall, I enjoyed The Last Gas Station; there’s a lot to love in its story and gameplay. It was a nice, relaxing loop of serving customers, filling up cars, then at night everything switched, and I liked that balance; it separates itself from other games of similar design. There’s a lot to love here. The Last Gas Station is available on Steam now and I highly recommend it.