When humanity comes to an end, what will be left of the Earth? That’s the question that Piccolo Studio’s platform adventure title, After Us, seeks to answer. As Gaia, the spirit of life, you are tasked with sprinting, jumping, flying and smashing your way through the surreal and barren planet while freeing the souls of extinct animals. Along the way, you’ll encounter the Monstrous Devourers, countless heartbreaking moments, and plenty of dark but beautiful landscapes.
During our hands-on experience with the game, we encountered all of this in addition to a wonderfully unique and expressive gameplay core that proved After Us to be a great addition to the platforming pantheon.
A unique power kit
Bring life back to the world: Gaia is the Spirit of Life, endowed with the ability to bring beauty back to a world consumed by a dark void. Pressing L2 fires a boomerang-like orb of light, used to retrieve lost souls, attack enemies, and even turn simple wires into crushable green rails. Holding down L2 charges Light and, upon release, releases a burst of Light energy that replaces goop-covered impassable land with grass and wildlife that are safe to cross.
Fight the darkness with life: Not only is Gaia’s power used to bring greenery back into the world and unlock secrets, but it can also be used to defeat dark hordes of enemies. The Devourers, oil-covered monstrosities that trap souls, lurk beyond many nooks. To free the trapped souls, Gaia must use her boomerang-shaped spirit ball to fight back while using her awesome movement options to dodge their attacks.
Platform in a post-human world
Free and expressive platform: Gaia can jump to different heights, double jump, dash through the air, float, wall run, and rail across the world. Having all of this in place allows players to express themselves freely regardless of the challenge. Those who master these movement options must never stop moving during the journey to release animal spirits.
An open-world platforming journey: You don’t have to stick to a single path when introspecting in After Us. The world is masterfully designed and encourages completing tasks the way you want. Want to use your airdash to reach a floating car to jump over a dangerous street? Or have you seen a remote island that you would rather take a detour to? Which direction you take to explore this platforming wasteland is up to you.
Challenges galore: Each corner is a new test to face and it is up to you to triumph over each of them. This includes puzzle platforming challenges where you must put your platforming skills to the test in tandem with Gaia’s special life force powers.
Many require combining Gaia’s movement and attack options – like leaping across a large space while perfectly timing a burst of energy to create a plant-covered path. Other challenges have players reacting to their surroundings to create rail-grinding and wall-racing opportunities. Just be prepared for plastic bags that seek to stop your momentum and impede your progress.
An emotional journey
You can pet the dog, cat, raccoon, horse and more: After Us is a game with a message that we are responsible for the innocent animals of the planet. Not only is Gaia’s job to free the trapped spirits of extinct creatures on the planet, but she can comfort them with a pet using the DualSense controller’s touchpad once they are rescued.
There will be tears: After Us presents players with a unique vision of a post-human Earth. You’ll find statues of humans who once were, presenting a visual of their final moments. This characteristic is shared by some animals, some of which have died due to simple loneliness and sadness. Freeing these souls not only gives a bittersweet ending to a sad story, but it also gives you a glimpse into their memories before the world ended. Yet another ride on the emotional rollercoaster.
A beautifully empty world: Although thematically dark, the surreal world of After Us is filled with beautiful visuals that will have you pausing to enjoy. From floating roads to post-apocalyptic cities resembling Babylon and crumbling buildings that signify a civilization that once was, the world around Gaia and her mission make venturing into this sad world a joy.
The journey to save the last spirits on Earth begins when After Us releases May 23, 2023 for PS5.
