Nowadays climate change is an unavoidable topic of discussion. Whether you're online on social media, or offline having a conversation with family and friends somebody will bring up their side of the argument. Personally I'm a climate change denier. I feel there's a more sinister cause behind the change in weather, and that while it does deal with humankind's interference I think it's more controlled than one might think, and purposefully so. Enter Brad's conspiracy theory of storm seeding. A deep seeded theory for a different time, and place ...
At the end of the day everybody including myself likes to throw their two cents worth in on the subject, and while the topic of climate change is interesting enough to entertain it all boils down to a lot of assumptions, and uncertainty. We just don't know for sure. The developers of this particular game take that very notion into account in an extreme yet not so far fetched way themselves. While there is little story handed to the player in "The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human" at the start the plot is hinted at continuously through a time referenced cinematic intro, and holo-deck recordings of a textual nature that allow the climatic demise of the human species to unfold in stride via a ambient Metroidvania experience.
When the game opens up we, the gamer, see a ship fly from Earth towards a wormhole during the Earth's future. The launch date into said void is 2971 AD to be exact. A time when Earth was flooded and frozen over due to the escalation of weather events, and it's surviving populous made to live in underwater cities as a last resort. The pilot enters the wormhole in search of a new place to live, but returns thousands of years later to a future Earth where humans were made extinct by their continued tampering of nature's creations. Seems they didn't learn their lesson the first time around, and thus the pilot of this story is left to find that out the hard way. Crash landing on the frozen watery planet the pilot dives deeper, and deeper ultimately discovering that he is the only human left, and that what lurks in the depths might just wipe out himself along with all of humanity's historical achievements.
As the gamer, and controller of this tale you take control of a returning spacecraft that turns into a submarine upon reentry of Earth's atmosphere. You start off with nothing but basic movement control as you solve the first series of puzzle elements in order to get the upgrades you need to advance onward to the end. The further you go along in the depths of Earth's ocean the more upgrades you'll be able to collect. These upgrades include hull (health meter) enhancements such as faster hull recovery, and more hull meter as well as various weapons and abilities that will help you make progress. There are 8 ship upgrades to collect including a harpoon, and thruster boost among other things. Leaving the rest of the hull specific upgrades numbering 26 in total. With each new upgrade you collect you will be able to backtrack, and move forward unlocking areas that are sealed off by different means. Both naturally, and in the man made sense. Some of the upgrades you find will be locked away until you get the ship add-on/ability needed to get to them, and some will be unlocked via boss fights against formidable aquatic creatures.
The boss fights within the game come complete with boss creatures that act, and react in a somewhat intelligent manner only giving into slight patterns via a sort of bullet hell style. Bosses each have a health meter, and once that health meter is fully depleted via weapon attack you will unlock a creature gallery entry for the main menu (Extras) listing. You'll also unlock one of the ship add-ons/upgrades that will help you in your descent into the watery abyss. While bosses, puzzles, and exploration are a crucial part of gameplay so is reading through the text of the holo-deck storage centers which will each disclose a little more textual information on what exactly lead to humanity's final days. These holo-deck entries are scattered about the named, and sectioned off environments much like the collectible upgrades are. It should also be noted that in your descent, which is guided by a Metroidvania style mini-map, and made easier via a fast travel station that gives you access to five key areas you'll encounter various hazards that can end your life rather quickly if you aren't prepared. Much of your traveling, and searching will be fairly linear in that you can't go down one direction without first doing what needs to be done in another. Very much like a side-scrolling Metroidvania.
Along with the story campaign you'll find that the game's "Extras" menu holds a "Boss Rush" mode for those looking to revisit the game's thrilling, and challenging boss battles. If memory serves me well I think there might also be a"New Game +" option. There is for certain a gallery menu listing where you can read creature entries further adding to this work of fiction's lore.
Visually, the game's presentation is a detailed and animated pixel masterpiece accented by a fitting ambient soundtrack that accents each area's feel. Along your journey you'll see some familiar, and not so familiar man made buildings and creations including a McDonald's restaurant and a televised NYC billboard showcasing news about a terrorist epidemic. The developer incorporated a lot of today's worldly concerns into this game's offered plight. They didn't just go on about climate change, but also delved into bio-engineering, and modern security measures among other things. Everything plaguing real life humankind to this day is pretty much captured in the fictional humanity's lingering establishment herein. It's a visually haunting, and thematic journey into the void that is the lack of humankind's caring. You could say it is a cautionary tale or even a future prediction should people in real life follow a similar path of destruction.
The Verdict ...
I loved this game despite it's extremely challenging boss battles. The idea of it fits well in regards to modern-day cultures' narratives, and the fascination thereof. It's an experience that makes you think about your own future as a part of the human collective, and gives you some slight insight on what could possibly become of us one day. The game plays smoothly, and in a somewhat linear fashion with the developer opening, and blocking off certain points only allowing for progress when key items are found. There is very little deviation from the game's mostly set path, and in being that way it acts more as a guided tour of one of humanity's possible futures. The only downside in the game's aquatic adventure is that the intro cutscene offers little explanation as to what is going on initially. Even with the holo-deck entry details are only ever hinted at, and never fully disclosed. Thus leaving a lot to the players' imagination. Not that that's an entirely bad thing. Without beating around the bush any longer I'm gonna go ahead, and give this game the go ahead. I think it's worthy of a playthrough, and at the indie pricing a decent buy.
At the end of the day everybody including myself likes to throw their two cents worth in on the subject, and while the topic of climate change is interesting enough to entertain it all boils down to a lot of assumptions, and uncertainty. We just don't know for sure. The developers of this particular game take that very notion into account in an extreme yet not so far fetched way themselves. While there is little story handed to the player in "The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human" at the start the plot is hinted at continuously through a time referenced cinematic intro, and holo-deck recordings of a textual nature that allow the climatic demise of the human species to unfold in stride via a ambient Metroidvania experience.
When the game opens up we, the gamer, see a ship fly from Earth towards a wormhole during the Earth's future. The launch date into said void is 2971 AD to be exact. A time when Earth was flooded and frozen over due to the escalation of weather events, and it's surviving populous made to live in underwater cities as a last resort. The pilot enters the wormhole in search of a new place to live, but returns thousands of years later to a future Earth where humans were made extinct by their continued tampering of nature's creations. Seems they didn't learn their lesson the first time around, and thus the pilot of this story is left to find that out the hard way. Crash landing on the frozen watery planet the pilot dives deeper, and deeper ultimately discovering that he is the only human left, and that what lurks in the depths might just wipe out himself along with all of humanity's historical achievements.
As the gamer, and controller of this tale you take control of a returning spacecraft that turns into a submarine upon reentry of Earth's atmosphere. You start off with nothing but basic movement control as you solve the first series of puzzle elements in order to get the upgrades you need to advance onward to the end. The further you go along in the depths of Earth's ocean the more upgrades you'll be able to collect. These upgrades include hull (health meter) enhancements such as faster hull recovery, and more hull meter as well as various weapons and abilities that will help you make progress. There are 8 ship upgrades to collect including a harpoon, and thruster boost among other things. Leaving the rest of the hull specific upgrades numbering 26 in total. With each new upgrade you collect you will be able to backtrack, and move forward unlocking areas that are sealed off by different means. Both naturally, and in the man made sense. Some of the upgrades you find will be locked away until you get the ship add-on/ability needed to get to them, and some will be unlocked via boss fights against formidable aquatic creatures.
The boss fights within the game come complete with boss creatures that act, and react in a somewhat intelligent manner only giving into slight patterns via a sort of bullet hell style. Bosses each have a health meter, and once that health meter is fully depleted via weapon attack you will unlock a creature gallery entry for the main menu (Extras) listing. You'll also unlock one of the ship add-ons/upgrades that will help you in your descent into the watery abyss. While bosses, puzzles, and exploration are a crucial part of gameplay so is reading through the text of the holo-deck storage centers which will each disclose a little more textual information on what exactly lead to humanity's final days. These holo-deck entries are scattered about the named, and sectioned off environments much like the collectible upgrades are. It should also be noted that in your descent, which is guided by a Metroidvania style mini-map, and made easier via a fast travel station that gives you access to five key areas you'll encounter various hazards that can end your life rather quickly if you aren't prepared. Much of your traveling, and searching will be fairly linear in that you can't go down one direction without first doing what needs to be done in another. Very much like a side-scrolling Metroidvania.
Along with the story campaign you'll find that the game's "Extras" menu holds a "Boss Rush" mode for those looking to revisit the game's thrilling, and challenging boss battles. If memory serves me well I think there might also be a"New Game +" option. There is for certain a gallery menu listing where you can read creature entries further adding to this work of fiction's lore.
Visually, the game's presentation is a detailed and animated pixel masterpiece accented by a fitting ambient soundtrack that accents each area's feel. Along your journey you'll see some familiar, and not so familiar man made buildings and creations including a McDonald's restaurant and a televised NYC billboard showcasing news about a terrorist epidemic. The developer incorporated a lot of today's worldly concerns into this game's offered plight. They didn't just go on about climate change, but also delved into bio-engineering, and modern security measures among other things. Everything plaguing real life humankind to this day is pretty much captured in the fictional humanity's lingering establishment herein. It's a visually haunting, and thematic journey into the void that is the lack of humankind's caring. You could say it is a cautionary tale or even a future prediction should people in real life follow a similar path of destruction.
The Verdict ...
I loved this game despite it's extremely challenging boss battles. The idea of it fits well in regards to modern-day cultures' narratives, and the fascination thereof. It's an experience that makes you think about your own future as a part of the human collective, and gives you some slight insight on what could possibly become of us one day. The game plays smoothly, and in a somewhat linear fashion with the developer opening, and blocking off certain points only allowing for progress when key items are found. There is very little deviation from the game's mostly set path, and in being that way it acts more as a guided tour of one of humanity's possible futures. The only downside in the game's aquatic adventure is that the intro cutscene offers little explanation as to what is going on initially. Even with the holo-deck entry details are only ever hinted at, and never fully disclosed. Thus leaving a lot to the players' imagination. Not that that's an entirely bad thing. Without beating around the bush any longer I'm gonna go ahead, and give this game the go ahead. I think it's worthy of a playthrough, and at the indie pricing a decent buy.
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