After Us

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 155 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
After Us Game Cover
A very different view of what the world is turning into with an incredibly touching story. Get your tissues ready.
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After Us is a platforming game where you play as Gaia, the Spirit of Life, in a desolate world. Your mission is to salvage the souls of extinct animals and revive them after learning their tragic fates, while avoiding dangerous oil-covered creatures. With an original soundtrack and the ability to restore life to the planet, this emotional journey aims to deliver a critique on the impact of humanity on nature.

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 155 reviews
gameplay19 positive mentions
optimization6 negative mentions
  • Visually stunning with breathtaking environments that effectively convey the game's themes of ecological collapse.
  • Engaging platforming mechanics that encourage exploration and creativity, with a variety of unique level designs.
  • A poignant narrative that addresses important environmental issues, leaving a lasting emotional impact on players.
  • Combat mechanics feel tacked on and lack depth, detracting from the overall experience.
  • Performance issues, including frame drops and optimization problems, can hinder gameplay and immersion.
  • The game's heavy-handed messaging can feel repetitive and overly simplistic, detracting from the narrative's potential depth.
  • gameplay62 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily focused on platforming, offering a mix of simple yet engaging mechanics that encourage exploration and skill mastery. While many players appreciate the distinct level designs and fluid movement, some find the gameplay can become repetitive and frustrating due to imprecise controls and a lack of variety in challenges. Overall, it delivers a visually stunning experience with a strong thematic message, though opinions vary on its depth and engagement.

    • “The gameplay is deceptively simple yet deeply engaging.”
    • “This approach allows for a satisfying exploration of its mechanics, encouraging players to creatively combine skills to overcome beautifully crafted challenges.”
    • “Its satisfying traversal challenges through gorgeously rendered wastelands provide plenty of engaging gameplay moments for platforming fans, though its relentlessly oppressive environments may prove too harsh for some.”
    • “But the gameplay is very basic, and sometimes just straight up boring.”
    • “The gameplay can get repetitive in places and the soundtrack (if you can call it that) isn't great.”
    • “However, weak gameplay and hollow-level design make the game a running simulator rather than an engaging platformer.”
  • story54 mentions

    The story is a poignant exploration of humanity's impact on nature, featuring themes of environmental restoration and the emotional journey of rescuing animal spirits in a dystopian world. While some players appreciate the atmospheric and visual storytelling, others find the narrative execution lacking, with repetitive elements and a thin plot that fails to engage deeply. Overall, the game is noted for its beautiful visuals and heartfelt themes, though it struggles with character development and immersive storytelling.

    • “A beautiful story about bringing back the remains of nature from a world that has long lost it.”
    • “Beautiful yet heartbreaking story of man's destructive nature and the fight of a lone spirit to save the last animal souls and bring life back to a dead world.”
    • “Set in a world that died, After Us is a great example of an industrial apocalypse story done correctly — standing strong in its story, visuals, and ambiance that breathe new life into the genre.”
    • “Most of the story aspects are pretty repetitive and on the nose, and while some of the levels are well designed, many of them are pretty frustrating and obtuse.”
    • “Everything is very much 'find animal souls and bring them here,' traversing a world full of broken down cars, destroyed highways, and oil spills, essentially the 'this is the result of human interference to the natural order' story.”
    • “After Us has a wordless story that doesn't effectively communicate its environmentalist themes and platforming that frustrates with unreliable controls, but it does look fantastic.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning artistry and immersive design, with many reviewers highlighting the unique and beautiful visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted that while the visuals are impressive, they can overshadow gameplay and lead to performance issues, such as lag and poor optimization. Overall, the game's aesthetic appeal is a significant draw, contributing to its charm and atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding its art style and technical execution.

    • “The visuals alone make 'After Us' a must-play for those who appreciate artistry in games.”
    • “The game's visuals are freaking amazing.”
    • “Set in a world that died, 'After Us' is a great example of an industrial apocalypse story done correctly — standing strong in its story, visuals, and ambiance that breathe new life into the genre.”
    • “This could be overlooked if the art style was more unique, but it just comes across as generic after the first couple of locations.”
    • “I do not recommend picking this game yet; the optimization is really horrible. It took almost 40 minutes to compile the shaders at the first launch... that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that even though it compiled shaders, you still only got poorly 40fps. If you change the graphic setting to slightly high, and even if you give in and change to lower graphics settings, the game still lags when switching scenes.”
    • “Visuals do not create an experience.”
  • music32 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the emotional and thematic elements of the experience, particularly through its evocative synth wave soundscapes. While some players found the soundtrack to be memorable and beautifully integrated with the visuals, others described it as forgettable or merely ambient, lacking distinctiveness. Overall, the music is appreciated for its atmospheric qualities, though opinions vary on its standalone impact.

    • “The artistic setting of each level is absolutely amazing including lighting, music, ambiance, pacing, mood.”
    • “Almost equally excellent is a beautiful soundtrack which is epic, somber, and mysterious all in one.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful, the music is fantastic, and the story is surreal.”
    • “Music is fine but forgettable.”
    • “Music is just background ambient sounds, barely noticeable if you don't try to actively listen for it.”
    • “The soundtrack is more of a soundscape rather than actual music but it works very well to set a sober mood.”
  • optimization15 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, low frame rates, and long shader compilation times. While some users experienced minimal issues, the general consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance gameplay and overall experience. As it stands, many recommend waiting for updates before purchasing.

    • “I have not run into the optimization problems that other players have, only a couple of minor bugs.”
    • “I didn't come across any of the optimization issues mentioned by others.”
    • “Needs optimization, but a good game otherwise.”
    • “This is a semi-indie game running the Unreal Engine, so it's not super optimized.”
    • “I do not recommend picking this game yet; the optimization is really horrible. It took almost 40 minutes to compile the shaders at the first launch... that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that even though it compiled shaders, you still only get poorly 40fps. If you change the graphic settings to slightly high, and even if you give in and change to lower graphics settings, the game still lags when switching scenes.”
    • “Great looking game, great soundtrack, warning parkour hardcore... that being said, it's so poorly optimized I missed many of my jumps and timing was horrible.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its surreal and chilling qualities, effectively blending dystopian themes with atmospheric storytelling that evokes a sense of unease and reflection on modern impacts. While some critiques mention that the political messages can feel overdone and the oppressive atmosphere may become grueling, the strong aesthetics and immersive environments contribute to a uniquely unsettling experience that resonates with players. Overall, the atmospheric design enhances the gameplay, making it a standout feature despite minor mechanical flaws.

    • “The surrealist atmosphere that deals in the modern day environment of how we impact everything is just... exemplary.”
    • “A chilling fever dream of dystopian hope, 'After Us' takes the mechanics of an atmospheric puzzle-platformer and uses them to create a beautifully unsettling experience that feels a little too real.”
    • “Very chill, atmospheric platformer.”
    • “While I feel its political message is a bit overcooked, that is also what makes the game so flavorful in terms of atmosphere, so it's hard to criticize it too much.”
    • “[Progression is unclear at times; the oppressive atmosphere becomes grueling after a while.]”
    • “[Interesting world, solid mechanics, but the atmosphere can feel overwhelming and heavy at times.]”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The game delivers a deeply emotional experience through its heartbreaking imagery of endangered animals and a poignant narrative about restoring a ruined planet. The soundtrack enhances the emotional weight of the story, which explores themes of sacrifice and healing as players navigate a beautifully crafted world filled with both uplifting and distressing moments. Overall, it offers a striking journey that resonates with players on a profound level, despite some gameplay shortcomings.

    • “A breathtakingly beautiful and emotional game.”
    • “Beautiful yet heartbreaking story of man's destructive nature and the fight of a lone spirit to save the last animal souls and bring life back to a dead world.”
    • “After Us is a somber, succinct, and surreal adventure with a compelling and emotional tale of sacrifice and healing, tied together by simple platforming gameplay that evolves with each distinct and beautiful new environment.”
  • stability4 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report minor glitches that do not significantly impact gameplay, some users experience more severe issues like stuttering, freezing, and crashing. Despite these problems, the game remains enjoyable for most.

    • “I want to play it more, but it stutters, freezes, and crashes on me.”
    • “Even with some small problems and glitches, it's a really fun game.”
    • “There are a few glitches here and there, but nothing major.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players appreciate the variety of movement mechanics, such as running, double jumping, and wall running, but find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to combat issues and a lack of structured level design. While the art direction and environmental themes are praised, they do not compensate for the overall grindy experience.

    • “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.”
    • “The grinding feels repetitive and lacks the excitement needed to keep players engaged.”
    • “After a while, the grind becomes a chore rather than a rewarding experience.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its sharp critique of humanity, effectively blending wit with social commentary. Players appreciate how the developers cleverly highlight serious themes through comedic elements.

    • “It's funny that the developers nail the criticism about humanity so hard...”
    • “The humor in this game is sharp and clever, making even the darkest moments light-hearted.”
    • “I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and absurd situations the characters found themselves in.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

Buy After Us

Play time

6hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
2-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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