The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck

I got the chance to preview The Last Kids on Earth: Hit the Deck! while it was in Early Access on Steam. This title is the second game based on the young-adult novel series of the same name and the Netflix show which currently has three seasons.

- Alana Dunitz

Since that preview, I have started to read the first book with my kids, and we watched the first episode of the show that covers the whole first book. They tell the story of Jack Sullivan and his friends; June, Dirk, and Quint, trying to survive in this Monster-Zombie Apocalypse on their own with no adults. Their hometown of Wakefield has been taken over by zombies and giant monsters, leaving only children behind.

The first game in The Last Kids on Earth game series called, Staff of Doom, was an action RPG that followed the story in the Netflix series. Hit the Deck! follows the events of the show/book but does something different and instead is a strategic, card-battling game. Starting the game, you get to select who you will play as from Jack Sullivan, June Del Toro, and Quint Baker; each character has their own unique weapon and abilities making them unique. Due to their own special traits, the characters do not simply feel like reskins of the same base model; each kid has their own deck of cards they will use to battle. When I previewed the game for my first playthrough, I selected the sword-wielding Jack. He has five hearts for HP, a teamwork ability that allows him to draw another card whenever he plays a teamwork card, and then, if he is not at max health, he will gain one strength. This time around I tried playing as June Del Toro, she was armed with a sharpened hockey stick that now resembles a spear.