- Publisher: Private Division
- Release Date: May 23, 2023
- Also On: PC, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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May 23, 2023The surreal and decadent world of After Us is impressive: although it is not a large-caliber production, the developers of Piccolo Studio have been masters in using the means at their disposal to create impactful visual compositions. The mechanics aren’t innovative per se, but the chain of tools made available to the player, combined with a certain freedom granted during exploration, allows the action to settle on a good pace.
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Jul 29, 2024After Us stands as a thought-provoking testament to human responsibility, but it leaves untouched the broader canvas of nature's relentless force. Recognizing both sides of this environmental equation would have offered a more comprehensive perspective on the intricate dance between humanity and the natural world, underscoring the urgent need for responsible stewardship of our planet. The gameplay is serviceable and the game's length won't leave anyone asking for more, but the real showstopper is its gorgeous visuals and ambiance.
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May 23, 2023After Us demonstrates its strong personality with a title that plays at modifying its world to be more than just a responsive platformer.
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May 23, 2023Unreliable performance and some underdeveloped mechanics do hurt the impact and atmosphere of After Us, but its intriguing post-apocalyptic world and satisfying movement still make for a worthy adventure.
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May 24, 2023After Us is a stylish looking game with a very gloomy, but also realistic view of the future that awaits our consumer society. The level design is creative, the platforming is challenging using both horizontal and vertical route options, and the matching synth music enhances the surreal atmosphere. Yet After Us also drops a lot of stitches in the field of gameplay progression, character development and the story, so you don't miss much if you ignore this reality check.
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Jul 17, 2023Despite its immediate beauty, After Us doesn’t generate the emotional response I would hope for from a title in this genre. Perhaps if it were a bit shorter and more focused, I would have been more motivated to explore and rescue every spirit. Instead, the unpolished platforming and surplus of unnecessary collectibles diluted its intensity. Though there are certainly some memorable moments here, there are simply other titles in the genre that are much more successful at doing what After Us is attempting to accomplish.
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May 24, 2023After Us is a great platform with lots of abilities and freedom but it completely misses the point on its environmental stance by using an antiquated approach to the problem.
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May 26, 2023Gameplay-wise there’s not enough here to really grip and keep hold of you. This type of game has been done far better before.
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May 24, 2023Overall, this leaves After Us as a flawed but intriguing 3D platformer. Its moments of brilliance are great to behold, such as its varied, dreadful locales and those moments where its platforming truly clicks. However, its lack of character and story development and its more frustrating sections do mean that it's not a perfect game - but at the very least its heart is in the right place.
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May 23, 2023I liked After Us in the end, I appreciated the story it told and the imagery it used to tell it (even if most of it was as blunt as blunt gets). However, what could have felt like a two-hour conversation is bloated into a ten-hour lecture series due to overly large worlds with very little to do in them. It seems like there was an internal struggle between "brevity in storytelling" or "filling the world with collectibles," though unfortunately, the solution they reached was far from the most efficient. If you can stomach the slog, there's a beautiful, important message to be heard in After Us. Unfortunately, and ironically, it's buried in excess.
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Jun 16, 2023After Us presents a strong message about planet conservation and wildlife preservation. However, weak gameplay and hollow-level design make the game a running simulator rather than an engaging platformer.
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Jun 6, 2023There are beautiful moments in After Us worth seeing, but they’re buried in poorly directed levels featuring merely adequate gameplay. There’s not enough to consistently grab onto here to really hook most players. After Us has a lot in common with Piccolo Studios’ last narrative platformer but ultimately doesn’t offer the charm or consistently moving story that made that game so memorable.
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Jun 2, 2023After Us tries too hard.
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May 26, 2023After Us is gorgeous and has some important things to say about consumerism, but actually playing it isn't always fantastic.
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May 23, 2023With lofty ambitions and some great elements, After Us lets itself down in as many ways as it triumphs. Gorgeous art direction and an admirable anti-pollution message aren't enough to make up for tedious combat, performance issues, and open-ended level design that plays things a little too loose. If you're itching for an experience like this, there are better options out there, at the very least until After Us' performance issues are addressed. There's the core of an incredible experience here, but it's just not ready yet.
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May 23, 2023The gameplay is nothing special, and it isn't particularly trying to be. It exists as a framework to tell a story, and plenty of games have excelled with that mindset. But all it has to say is that pollution is bad and it's all your fault. It doesn't inspire change, it doesn't shock, it doesn't even highlight the plight of the animals we share this world with, becoming too wrapped up in casual visual metaphor than with showcasing the harsh reality of what we have done to this world. The bees are dying, but so is my patience.
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May 23, 2023After Us is difficult to recommend for its platforming alone, though its nature-focused kitsch gives way to gorgeous visuals as you breathe life back into its post-apocalyptic world. Some of its levels left a grin on my face, whereas others had me begging for sweet release from the inconsistent controls and directionless world. At least there’s a silver lining in that its beautiful art direction and entrancing musical score make for some really cool sequences. And yet I can’t help but feel like After Us is too heavy-handed about its environmentalist themes for a video game that hardly characterizes its protagonist and has literally no dialogue. By the end, I felt like I’d have done less environmental damage had I simply chosen to skip it.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 16 out of 30
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Mixed: 4 out of 30
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Negative: 10 out of 30
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May 25, 2023
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May 26, 2023
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May 31, 2023