Last Year's Model

Last Year's Model subverts the typical platformer's relationship with level design by putting the player in charge of the stage layout before they ever attempt to jump through it. Developed and published by Mawberry Games, this action-indie title positions you as a construction unit facing its own obsolescence, forced to build a path to freedom using a finite set of mechanical tools. The game relies on a high-stakes resource economy where the same items you use to make a level easier are permanently drained from your inventory, creating a constant tension between immediate safety and long-term survival.

The release date for Last Year's Model is July 13, 2026, and the game is currently scheduled to launch on PC. You will spend your time alternating between a construction phase and an execution phase, placing spring blocks, pneumatic tubes, and portals to navigate hostile environments. Because you are essentially the architect of your own challenge, the difficulty is self-imposed, but the ticking clock and a limited supply of parts mean you cannot simply build a golden bridge to the exit every time. Choosing a difficult, skill-heavy route early on might be the only way to save your most versatile blocks for the brutal late-game stages.

Building for Survival on the July 13, 2026 Release Date

The core loop hinges on a high-risk drafting system. At the beginning of a run, you select from various builds that range from highly functional to deliberately awkward. As the lockdown intensifies, the cost of these builds increases, often forcing you into using "actively hostile" components just to have a platform to stand on. This creates a fascinating strategic layer where you aren't just testing your reflexes against a developer's set-piece, but testing your ability to manage a dwindling inventory of physics-based solutions. Whether the procedural scarcity of parts remains engaging or becomes frustrating over long sessions is the primary hurdle Mawberry Games must clear.

This is a game for players who enjoy the iterative perfection of a speedrunner but want the added mental load of a logistics manager. If you find standard platformers too predictable, the requirement to literalize your own path forward provides a fresh perspective on the genre. Those looking for a purely twitch-based experience may find the pause-and-plan construction phases a bit slow, but for anyone who likes their mechanical skill served with a side of resource management, this is a title to watch. Keep an eye out for the Last Year's Model release date this summer to see if you can outsmart your own architecture.