Last War: Survival Game is a strategy mobile game developed by FirstFun Games and published by FUNFLY, a subsidiary of FUNPLUS. Since its launch in 2023, it has quickly gained popularity worldwide, particularly generating significant buzz through its advertising campaigns. The most common scene players see in ads is a character sprinting through post-apocalyptic ruins, killing zombies, dodging obstacles left and right, and picking up weapons or upgrade items. This gameplay resembles a fast-paced action-running game, often referred to as the “Run” style. However, upon downloading the game, players discover this is merely a brief introductory segment and not the core content of the entire game.
The game's main gameplay follows a traditional SLG (strategy game) framework, where players establish a shelter in a city ravaged by a virus. They enhance their combat strength by constructing resource points, expanding territories, training troops, upgrading buildings, and recruiting heroes. You must allocate resources wisely to maintain fuel, food, and metal production to support troop operations while defending against zombie attacks and player raids. This design draws from popular mobile games like “Top War” and “State of Survival,” emphasizing long-term resource management and alliance cooperation rather than short-term action-based gameplay.
So, what exactly is the “Run” gameplay? It exists in several specific stages of the game, most commonly during the opening story tutorial or chapter transition animations. When players first enter the game, there is a segment where they can control the protagonist to run through the streets, move left and right to pick up bullets or coins, and kill zombies ahead. This segment is indeed as shown in the ads, with simple controls and a tense pace, but it typically lasts no more than two minutes. In subsequent story segments, this “running mode” may occasionally appear in the form of mini-games, but such instances are extremely rare. More often, it serves as a transitional cinematic sequence that cannot be freely replayed.
In certain chapters, players can also experience gameplay modes called “Frontline Breakthrough” or “Clearing Missions,” where they control a hero to advance through ruins, clear enemy obstacles, and collect weapons or enhancement items. These mini-levels are essentially a combination of tower defense, click-to-shoot, or light action mechanics. While they offer higher interactivity, they remain peripheral content within the game's overall structure. They are not part of the core gameplay loop, unlike traditional running games that feature continuous levels, progression systems, and high replayability.
The core appeal of the game lies in strategic planning and character development. Players can recruit SSR and SR-tier heroes through a gacha system, each with unique skills and class specializations—some excel in defense, others focus on damage output, and some provide bonuses during resource collection. Battles are primarily automated; after setting up your formation, you can leave the game to fight on its own, adjusting positions and skill combinations based on level configurations to maximize efficiency. This is the mainstream combat mode in most SLG mobile games. While manual controls are available in certain boss levels or event dungeons, these controls remain relatively simple and cannot compare to those of true action-based running games.
It is worth noting that the alliance system plays a decisive role in the mid-to-late game. You can join powerful cross-border alliances to participate in PVP battles, collaborate to attack world bosses, and occupy important strongholds or resource zones. This gameplay requires players to be active online, coordinate resources promptly, and focus on strategic deployment and teamwork. In this gameplay system, Run-style controls are almost nonexistent, and the overall game pace transitions from quick mastery in the early stages to long-term commitment.
Returning to the Run gameplay itself, from a mechanical design perspective, it shares some superficial similarities with classic running games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run—players control their character to move along a three-lane path, jump, or collect items. However, the key difference is that the Run segment in Last War lacks a continuous progression system, does not feature difficulty-tiered level challenges, and does not support scoring or character ability cultivation. It is merely a temporary visual stimulus or newbie tutorial added to the game to quickly capture players' interest.
This also explains why the ads for Last War: Survival Game sparked significant controversy online. Many players assumed the “Run” mode depicted in the ads indicated a tense, action-packed game, only to discover upon download that it was primarily a strategy mobile game focused on building and idle combat, leading to a significant disconnect. While this approach successfully attracted a large number of downloads and did engage some players in the game's complex strategic systems, it often led to disappointment for users who simply preferred action-based running gameplay.
The “Run” gameplay does exist in *Last War: Survival Game*, but it is only a small part of a few levels, more like a transitional visual experience or an advertising tool rather than the core gameplay of the entire game. What truly keeps players engaged long-term are the systematic strategic mechanisms such as base building, resource allocation, hero cultivation, and alliance PVP. If you are seeking a pure action-based running and jumping game, this title may not be your first choice; however, if you are open to rich SLG cultivation and social interaction elements, *Last War* is still worth a try.