The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human

 Xbox One
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. SpazioGames
    Jan 28, 2018
    75
    The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a contemplative metroidvania with good boss fights. It is a captivating adventure that mixes action and exploration through evocative scenarios that tells the story of our future extinction.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jan 21, 2018
    8
    I love a good Metroidvania and a good Metroidvania is a game that has it’s main mechanics and aspects working together flawlessly and that’sI love a good Metroidvania and a good Metroidvania is a game that has it’s main mechanics and aspects working together flawlessly and that’s exactly what you get with The Aquatic Adventure of The Last Human. Exploration plays a big part in this specific genre and thankfully this game allows you to explore in great detail and the best thing is that this game is at its most rewarding when doing this. The game has a number of different mechanics in play at the same time and they’ve all been done really well. This makes the game very fulfilling and this will no doubt appeal to a number of different gamer’s. The gameplay on the whole has been done really well and I was especially fond of the boss battles. The boss battles carry with them a distinct challenge and when you combine that with the clever design of them you end up becoming immersed with them quite a lot. I will say though that the challenging aspect of the game won’t be for everybody and I must admit that I myself did find it a tad too difficult at times. Something that really surprised me about this game was how enjoyable the story was. The story in the game is told in a clever way and this keeps things interesting and it also makes you want to discover more things about the story. In terms of length the game doesn’t offer you a great deal and that will disappoint some because if you’re anything like me then you will want a lot more, which in a way is a testament to how good the game is. The presentation side of the game is something that I really enjoyed. The visuals are spot on and I think the 8-bit art style fits the game’s theme very well. The same can also be said about the sound design used in the game and they really have done a wonderful job of capturing certain feelings. At the end of the day I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Aquatic Adventure of The Last Human and now I can see why. They’ve done everything pretty much to perfection and delivered on the areas you would expect in this specific genre. It is a little on the short side but your time with the game will be very rewarding and without a doubt this definitely makes the game a must buy.… Full Review »
  2. GBG_Jason
    Jan 19, 2018
    7
    Have you ever wondered what the world will be like once we are all gone? Will the planet be taken over by plant life? Or shrivel up and dieHave you ever wondered what the world will be like once we are all gone? Will the planet be taken over by plant life? Or shrivel up and die like a flower left on the mantle too long? In The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, the world has flooded and frozen over, with the remnants of the human race being left underwater in a number of bases, also referred to as Districts. You play the part of the last human survivor, who was lost in a black hole for an unknown period of time, only to return to our world human looking for answers as to what happened to your people.

    You’ll begin your journey in a very basic submarine. While it’s nothing spectacular at first, it does make exploration a fairly enjoyable experience and starts the player off with a true feeling of being alone. To be fair, you are alone, with the exception of the underwater wildlife that has inherited the planet after the extinction of humans. You’ll quickly start accumulating upgrades for the submarine, as well as logs that help you piece together what caused the extinction and serve as tutorials, informing the player of mechanics or controls.

    As far as mechanics go, this is a pretty straightforward Metrodvania title; although the boss battles are more akin to a bullet hell shooter than one of the classic games that inspired the genre. You’ll quickly gain access to a harpoon, which will allow you to shoot in 180 degrees of the lower part of your sub. While they do improve, the controls reminded me of the original Resident Evil’s tank style aiming during the early parts of the game. It takes a number of upgrades to get past this control scheme, making the first few boss battles a lot harder than they should be. These battles make up the bulk of the true gameplay, as the rest of your time will be spent shooting non-hostile wildlife or exploring the decent sized map.

    The boss encounters are punishingly difficult and typically require perseverance as well as a bit of trial and error. The first battle pits you against a large worm that took me around 20 attempts to finally beat, often dying with just a sliver of health left on his health bar. With the limited range of movement my weapon offered, it became a bit of a chore to stay above the creature while it ran through its cycle of attacks, some of which were one hit kills. All of the bosses feature attacks like this, and while they do come across as being a bit cheap, it never feels as if the game is being unfair, making each victory that much sweeter.

    The overall presentation is impressive, and the pixel art making up the backgrounds is simply beautiful. While I did find some areas hard to navigate due to the background being a similar color to the submarine, this was an occasional annoyance and only caused a few cheap deaths. Deaths can cause you to lose quite a bit of progress if you die outside of a boss encounter. While you will continue just outside of the boss’ area if you die in battle, dying in the main world will kick you back to your most recent hub visit. These hubs offer the option to quick travel around the map, but are few and far between.

    My biggest complaint with the game is map and lack of objectives on it. I often felt that I was going in circles and only stumbled upon the correct path by accident. Additionally, I was unable to find a method to view the entire map, outside of the boxy, vague information found at the hubs. With a map featuring multiple paths that run you in circles, it’s super easy to get lost. This does promote checking each and every corner of the map, but it never feels like you are truly progressing if you don’t find an upgrade or boss at the end of the path you choose.

    With a campaign that runs around 6 hours depending on how much you struggle with the boss battles and a boss rush mode that is unlocked upon completion, there is not much replayability offered with this title. Despite this as well as the other minor setbacks, The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a worthy addition to any Metrodvania fan’s collection.    … Full Review »
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