izigame.me

A gorgeous and profound experience that while heavy handed in it's approach is still hauntingly captivating. After us does not hold back in showing you a surrealistic dystopian environmental canvas, depicting earth in the most extreme circumstance of human neglect. The game world is utterly massive and allows for enormous setpieces, such as heaps of thrash as far as the eye can see, or a massive cooling tower tangled in electric wires. Sunken cities caught in fishing nets or factories mass producing things that nobody is around to make use of anymore. Each location is memorable and telling of humanties shortcommings. We need to do better as a species, all of us... I know it sucks to get reminded of this when you're trying to escape reality in a game, but sometimes the truth can be harsh, confronting and dissapointing. I fully commend Piccolo for the bold approach but i very much enjoy the artistry of the project even more.
The game is just jaw droppingly gorgeous. The lighting, the textures, the designs, the shaders... The game is artistic all around, and reflecting on this art as you make your way through the game will be the deciding factor in wether or not this is a game for you. Do you enjoy a game that is light on gameplay but more of an experience that you go through? If yes then pick this up, if not then inform yourself some more before you write it of. I'll try to do my part in what comes next. The gameplay of after us consists of running around in a massive world by jumping, dashing and gliding through dilapitated cityscapes. The movement is actually pretty smooth, although it does sometimes feel a little bit inconsistent. I had a great time platforming around but milage may vary depending on how big of a 3D platforming fan you are.
There's also some light puzzle solving and combat elements but platforming is what you'll be doing most. There are about a hundred optional collectible animal souls you can find scattered around the world. The souls then get released in the hub area, which is pretty much the most beautiful area in the whole game. I held of on exploring this location until i had found every animal soul in the game. Seeing all these wonderful creatures roaming around, grazing, socializing, resting... It felt more rewarding than any level number in an rpg. Seeing what kind of new animal i had 'freed' was exciting as there's a large variety to discover. From manta rays, to giraffes, from scorpions to gorillas and from bizons to toucans. They selected a great variety of animals, each of them wonderfully animated as well.
The size of the world as said is all around enormous, i think it works well to create large vistas and setpieces but to some players the world may feel empty. I think this works well within the context of the game but it might not be for everyone. The soundtrack however probably will be for any and all music enthusiasts, unless you really hate synth. The soundtrack is more of a soundscape rather than actual music but it works very well to set a sober mood. There's no standout tracks necesarily but all of it works very well. The game itself also runs pretty well, with only the ocasional fps drops and no real major bugs as far as i know of. The game did sort of overstay it's welcome near the end, where it started feeling like it was dragging on for a few hours but in the end i'm glad i played this. I wouldn't replay this i think, but it will stick with me. I enjoyed my time with it and i think it's a work of art worth experiencing yourself.