Last Flag is a fun take on the old children’s game, Capture the Flag. Add a dash of 2026 gaming, and you have a strategic character progression shooter coming to take all your attention.

Mac and Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons), the co-founders of Night Street Games, have given us an exciting new 5v5 hero shooter that strays from oversaturated modes, battle royales, and extractions. Last Flag offers one game mode, a sweet capture-the-flag shooter that gives off a 1970s-1980s game show look, which, in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air.

But is this enough to keep fans happy and lobbies full? Let’s take a deeper dive into the uniqueness of this game and what might still need some work. Let’s start with the flag; this is no Halo Blood Gulch, a flag at each end of an open field. This game offers so much more, though, a set of 3 stages.

As a unique twist at the start of every match, each team, at random, has one player selected to physically hide the flag during this brief 60-second window. You choose the location anywhere on your side of the map. The power and responsibility are a lot. Where do I hide it? Is here ok? Is this too obvious? These are some of the thoughts that came to mind during my first few games!

You may wonder, what about the other 4 players on your team? Well, lucky for us, they also have a job: to find and kill 10 golden robots for our team’s starter cash.

After both flags are hidden and 60 seconds are up, the curtain falls, and the game begins. Now you’re not just running aimlessly around looking for a flag; the flag’s location can be found over time by radar.

Imagine between 2 locations, there are 3 radio towers in a line; each one scans a portion of the opposing team’s map, showing you where the flag is not, little by little. Now, whether it scans yours or your enemies’ depends on who controls it, while also offering a spawn point and a healing point for the one in control.

You have spent the last 20 minutes fighting it out with your enemy, taking towers, cranking headshots, and running for your life. Now comes the end. The towers have scanned the flag, but it’s not over yet! Taking the flag comes with its own challenges. You are hit with a medium stamina bar, and all your abilities become locked. Managing this can be quite difficult, especially if you are a slower-type character.

You’ve managed to get the flag back to your base, but it’s still not over. Now you have to hold that point for 60 seconds, giving a window of opportunity to the enemy team to take back their flag and deny you the win.

Last Flag will give you immediate access to 9 different playable characters with a plethora of different abilities to help you in your match. From Banshee with her epic bow shots and piercing damage, to my personal favourite, a scout that could clip your wings from half a map away. Such a wide variety of playable characters suiting most play styles, with melee and stealth characters to help when you need to be up close and personal.

Now I feel I need to also mention that this game somewhat gives off a MOBA vibe, with cash bots around the map that you can kill for money to help upgrade your abilities and make yourself stronger during a match. The good thing, though, is that the money is shared across the whole team, so it’s worthwhile to shoot a couple as you go.

I was quite impressed with the audio from Last Flag. Not only were sounds clear and directional, like being able to hear an invisible enemy’s footsteps, but the music – chef’s kiss! I am usually forever turning down games’ music, as it’s always overwhelming and ear-blasting. 

During my time in the game, I was met with catchy music in the lobby, thrilling music in the game, and a song at the end that will be stuck in my head for days to come. I must add that during gameplay, your match will be narrated.

Imagine a 1970s radio announcer; it did somewhat remind me of an older game, Darwin Project, with its narration, but in a league of its own, it was very humorous and useful for your own gameplay. For example, if you haven’t upgraded yet, the announcer might say, “I wonder what they will use the money to upgrade next,” as if a gentle nod to remind you to spend your coins.

Now I have gone over the many exciting and fun things it offers, but on the other side, it does come with a few flaws that would leave you feeling frustrated.

Server stability is slightly rough to deal with, compounded by the ugly Dsync, making some moments almost monitor-smashing-worthy. I found myself adjusting gameplay to counter such details.

Although we have 9 playable characters at times, it can be hard to find suitable counters for certain team compositions. If you are “testing” a new character, this could break the team, so offering more characters could help in certain situations.

In conclusion, Last Flag is a fun and exciting game that offers a refreshing take on the 5v5 hero genre, with plenty of room for improvement. I believe this game has much potential with more cosmetics, bigger maps, and much more.

Written by: Matiyus