Gaming News This completely free horror video game that makes intelligent use of AI will immerse you in the past
Using AI to create video game or movie content is a hot topic. This fun, free-to-play video game has managed to gain traction thanks to its Photoshop AI-generated content. Players even give it excellent reviews.
Welcome to the 2000s
“You’ve always been a curious person, haven’t you?“. Last Seen Online introduces itself through this question addressed directly to the player steam. “That’s why you bought an old computer that you saw lying among piles of scrap metal at a flea market“We can read. “They didn’t even bother to format the computer before turning it on. You were curious. After all, a personal computer is an extension of a person’s soul, his secrets, his plans and his interactions“. Last Seen Online, developed by Sochin Studio, is described as “a psychological horror escape room based on the first Flash games”. As you understood by reading the lines of description, the user is asked to search through the files of a computer, solve puzzles and discover the secrets that the machine hides.
After receiving reviews “very positiveWith a 98% rating on Steam, Last Seen Online is the talk of the town for three reasons. The first is that the players who give it a chance love it. “A short and amazing experience“, “more entertaining and impactful than many AAA games that cost $30” we can read in a comment. The second is that the game is completely free. No dollars required for this adventure, unfortunately 100% in English. Finally, the third reason is that the developer used AI-generated content for the images in his application.
Good and bad AI
Like “Emily is Away” and “Hypnospace Outlaw,” the title of “Sochin Studio” reminds us of the early days of instant messaging, old versions of Windows, and images summarily compressed to take up as little space as possible. Last Seen Online displays many images as you progress. The game’s author warns on the Steam page of its creation that Photoshop’s generative AI was used to create fake photos. “These fake photos are created by the developer taking photos of themselves or blank scenes and then changing gender, age and clothing or inserting props or people” we can read on the corresponding page.
Usually the use of AI-generated content is highlighted by players, but this freely distributed project that has a lot to tell is being celebrated. With its strong themes (depression, childhood trauma, death), its clever puzzles, and its mischievous successes, Last Seen Online attracts almost exclusively good comments on Steam. “Yes, it’s a short experience, but it’s excellent. (…) I fell in love with it. It’s not that scary, but the ending makes me cry every time“ says one of the reviews. If you want to try the adventure, you do so at your own risk!
