# Werewolf: The Last Warrior - Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCG25-52p38
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/vCG25-52p38
Generated: 2025-10-27T18:02:39.413+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) concludes his Monster Madness review by declaring the NES game Werewolf: The Last Warrior to be a terrible experience due to its cheap design, punishing difficulty, and constant, unfair hazards like mandatory water exposure and instant death pits, ultimately smashing the cartridge in disgust.

**Key Points:**
- The AVGN rates Werewolf: The Last Warrior as a bad game, citing it as an example of frustrating game design that forces unnatural player actions.
- The game features unfair mechanics such as mandatory water exposure for the werewolf form, which kills the character instantly, and hidden pits that result in immediate death.
- The boss fights are criticized; for instance, the first boss, who resembles Juggernaut, is beaten by exploiting the game's mechanics, not skill.
- The game is excessively punishing, resetting the player to the start of the stage (or losing a life) upon death, with only five continues available.
- The AVGN points out the ironic inclusion of a sign saying "DON'T KNOCK" when the gameplay often requires actions (like jumping down holes) that contradict simple instructions.
- The final boss, Magneto, is defeated by exploiting a glitch involving the game's physics, requiring the player to jump diagonally into a pit to bypass the fight.
- The video concludes with the AVGN destroying the game cartridge after finishing his review, rating the experience as worse than other infamously bad games he has reviewed.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The AVGN introduces the game Werewolf: The Last Warrior as part of his Halloween movie/game marathon, surrounded by VHS tapes and Halloween decorations.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-00-05.png)

**Context:** The video is a review of the 1990 NES game Werewolf: The Last Warrior, presented by James Rolfe in his Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) persona, timed around Halloween. The AVGN critiques the game's design, mechanics, and overall playability, contrasting it with his expectations for a horror-themed title.

## Detailed Analysis

The AVGN reviews the NES game Werewolf: The Last Warrior, labeling it a terrible game filled with cheap design choices. He highlights the game's unfairness, particularly in Stage 1 where the werewolf form is instantly killed by water, forcing the player to rely on the human form despite the game's theme. The game mechanics are criticized for frustrating trial-and-error platforming, such as mandatory leaps over pits or rappelling down broken ladders. The first boss fight, against a Juggernaut-like character, is won by exploiting the game's mechanics rather than skill. In Stage 4, the player must memorize precise jump timings to avoid instant-death laser hazards, and in Stage 5, the player is forced to use a backwards jump to avoid a pit, a counter-intuitive mechanic. The final boss fight against Magneto is won by glitching through the floor using a diagonal jump. The AVGN expresses constant frustration, noting the game gives only five continues and features arbitrary difficulty spikes, such as instant-death pits and a sign warning 'DON'T KNOCK' when knocking/entering is necessary. Concluding the review, the AVGN states that the game is worse than other famously bad games he has covered and symbolically destroys the cartridge.

### Game Introduction & Theme

- The AVGN reviews Werewolf: The Last Warrior for Halloween, noting its premise involves a hero who turns into a werewolf to fight Dr. Faryan and his bio-monsters
- The hero's human name is Warwolf, but he becomes Werewolf after receiving powers from the Great Spirit.

### Gameplay Mechanics & Difficulty

- The game requires precise, often counter-intuitive movements, like knowing when to back-flip or precisely time jumps to avoid instant-death pits and lasers (e.g., Stage 5)
- The water is an instant kill for the werewolf form, forcing the player to switch back to human form in aquatic stages.

### Boss Fights

- The first boss fight against a Juggernaut-like character is won by exploiting the game's mechanics rather than direct combat
- The final boss, Magneto, is defeated by deliberately jumping into a pit to glitch through the floor and skip the fight.

### Critique of Design Flaws

- The game features cheap design elements like constant enemy aggression, mandatory trial-and-error platforming, and seemingly arbitrary 'DON'T KNOCK' signs that contradict necessary actions
- The game offers only five continues, making the high difficulty extremely punitive.

### Conclusion & Destruction

- The AVGN concludes the game is far worse than expected, comparing its flaws unfavorably to other bad games like Superman 64 and Mario is Missing
- The review ends with the AVGN destroying the NES cartridge in frustration.

![Screenshot at 00:01: AVGN setting the scene surrounded by horror VHS tapes, preparing for his Halloween reviews.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-00-01.png)
![Screenshot at 00:06: The title screen for Cinemassacre's Monster Madness event, featuring a gothic cemetery cross.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-00-06.png)
![Screenshot at 00:17: The AVGN introduces the sponsor, Surfshark VPN, displaying its logo on the screen behind him.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-00-17.png)
![Screenshot at 01:49: AVGN in black and white, holding the NES cartridge for Werewolf: The Last Warrior and a silver wolf-head cane.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-01-49.png)
![Screenshot at 02:15: The title screen for Werewolf: The Last Warrior, copyrighted 1990 by Data East Corp.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-02-15.png)
![Screenshot at 02:24: Opening dialogue crawl describing the villain, Dr. Faryan, and the hero, Werewolf.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-02-24.png)
![Screenshot at 03:01: Gameplay segment showing the confusing controls where B jumps and A attacks, which the AVGN states are swapped from standard NES conventions.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-03-01.png)
![Screenshot at 03:44: Gameplay showing the persistent 'DON'T KNOCK' sign in the jungle stage, which the AVGN mocks.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-03-44.png)
![Screenshot at 04:44: The AVGN's frustration peaks when he realizes the game's logic \(e.g., the mandatory water segments\) makes no sense.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-04-44.png)
![Screenshot at 06:03: Gameplay showing the laser-filled room in Stage 5, demonstrating the unfair instant-death hazards.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-06-03.png)
![Screenshot at 08:46: The game hints at underwater sections where the human form dies, reinforcing the unfair design.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-08-46.png)
![Screenshot at 10:45: The game displays the next stage, 'Mad City,' and the next boss, 'Iron Head,' who resembles Magneto.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-10-45.png)
![Screenshot at 12:29: The AVGN reacts with shock and horror to the game's extremely difficult or nonsensical mechanics.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-12-29.png)
![Screenshot at 13:52: The Great Spirit character appears to deliver cryptic warnings about water being the werewolf's natural enemy.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-13-52.png)
![Screenshot at 15:46: The AVGN is shown in full werewolf makeup, complete with fangs and claws, reacting to a difficult game moment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-15-46.png)
![Screenshot at 19:49: The final cutscene showing the werewolf hero holding the American flag, defeating the final boss \(implied to be Magneto/a clone\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/vCG25-52p38/00-19-49.png)
