The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human
- July 20, 2015
- YCJY
- 4h median play time
Jaws made it scary to go into the water; this makes it seem all tranquil and comfy. A game absolutely worth playing if you love collecting or just want to relax.
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Get on itch.io StoreA pixelated side-scrolling action adventure about exploring the decaying ruins of our species and fighting deadly sea-creatures in search of answers. Full Game Out Now! #GJGDC2017 The water rose...
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Gog Com
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Stunning pixel art and atmospheric visuals that create an immersive underwater world.
- Engaging boss battles that require strategy and skill, providing a satisfying challenge.
- A haunting soundtrack that complements the game's themes and enhances the overall experience.
- Frequent crashes and performance issues that disrupt gameplay and hinder progress.
- Tedious backtracking and slow movement that can make exploration feel frustrating.
- Some bosses have unskippable cutscenes and lengthy health pools, leading to repetitive and drawn-out encounters.
- music80 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting the outstanding soundtrack that complements the pixel art and exploration elements. While most tracks are considered fitting and engaging, a few were noted as out of place or irritating. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals and evocative music creates a captivating ambiance that draws players into the game's world.
“The atmosphere is top notch and enhanced by the excellent soundtrack and beautiful pixel art.”
“The music and art are incredible, and just the feel of the exploration and combat are exquisite.”
“The soundtrack adds to the atmosphere a ton as well.”
“Few of the music tracks seem out of place.”
“The sfx also are inconsistent, but are much better than the music.”
“The timing of the music could not be understated when one stumbles upon some amazing things, or a boss battle, or other events in the world.”
- gameplay71 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting a blend of solid mechanics and frustrating challenges, particularly during boss fights. While some appreciate the atmospheric immersion and unique mechanics, others criticize the gameplay for being overly difficult, repetitive, and at times, clunky. Overall, it offers a blend of exploration and intense combat, but the experience can be polarizing depending on player expectations and tolerance for difficulty.
“Gameplay and movement is solid: while being nothing outstanding, it still carries the feeling of exploration, solitude, and being overwhelmed.”
“Challenging gameplay is insanely worth it.”
“The game does an amazing job at immersing the player into the game with the story and gameplay style.”
“Many aspects of the gameplay here just suck.”
“The ambience and feel is done right, but the gameplay is miserable.”
“As beautiful and as well-driven the story of the game is, it feels squandered on a rather poor chassis for gameplay.”
- story66 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented through environmental storytelling and scattered text logs, creating a bittersweet narrative that some players find engaging while others deem lackluster and filled with plot holes. While the atmospheric visuals and audio enhance the experience, many reviewers feel the story lacks depth and coherence, often leaving players unmotivated to uncover its mysteries. Overall, the storytelling approach is appreciated for its creativity, but it struggles to maintain player interest due to its simplistic themes and fragmented delivery.
“A quite challenging game with a great atmosphere and a bittersweet story.”
“Good bosses, interesting non-intrusive story told through the environment, and a beautifully achieved ambiance with simple yet complex pixel art.”
“The aquatic adventure of the last human tells a story about a little submarine, with said last human inside, roaming through the undersea remains of human civilization in order to piece together what happened to us.”
“The story's themes are very heavy-handed, and I didn't really care for it, which you find through holocubes scattered around the game.”
“Moreover, you have zero thrill to continue, no story, no interesting plot twist, no 'main quest'.”
“There isn't really much of a story to the game itself; not much reason is given as to what you are doing.”
- atmosphere63 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting quality, enhanced by beautiful pixel art and a fitting soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke feelings of solitude and danger as they explore a post-apocalyptic underwater world, although some note that backtracking can detract from the experience. Overall, the combination of visuals, music, and environmental storytelling creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps players engaged.
“The mix between exploration and boss combats is a great experience, paired with the great atmosphere and the awesome music; it's a game that catches you from the start and keeps you playing even when it's quickly obvious that inside that world, you are condemned.”
“Amazing atmosphere, you really get the feeling of being alone as you explore the danger-filled ocean.”
“The atmosphere is top notch and enhanced by the excellent soundtrack and beautiful pixel art.”
“Great music and atmosphere, but really annoying backtracking. I get it is a Metroidvania style game, but this one is just annoying.”
“I really like the atmosphere and the style of the game, but I can't continue to try and play this for it to crash on me every couple of minutes.”
“Some sounds are a bit odd, but the underwater atmosphere is oppressive but also comforting at times.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful pixel art and atmospheric design, effectively creating a haunting underwater world. While many reviewers appreciate the visuals and soundtrack, some note issues with animation smoothness and occasional glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game's aesthetic is often described as immersive and fitting for its themes, making it a standout in the indie metroidvania genre.
“The graphics and audio deliver for what it's trying to do, and the snippets of text fill in the story.”
“I love pixel art games, but this little jewel is one of the best examples on how to have an awesome ambience with such a simplistic art style.”
“Great pixel-art style with an atmosphere that fits this futuristic, underwater, post-apocalyptic game.”
“The graphics, although pixelated, have a low amount of frames in the animation.”
“Neither the world & plot elements nor visuals (both of which turned out to be very basic, the latter being borderline amateurish) managed to keep me interested enough to give this game a chance and continue playing.”
“Terrible pixel scaling, floaty visuals give me vertigo; overall, the game feels clunky, unpolished, and crashy.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious, with long and frustrating boss fights that detract from the overall experience. Players express dissatisfaction with slow movement, limited save points, and a lack of engaging exploration, leading to a gameplay experience that feels more like a chore than an adventure. The difficulty is often attributed to tedious trial-and-error mechanics rather than skill-based challenges, making the game feel drawn out and unenjoyable.
“Unfortunately, the labyrinthine map, slow movement speed, and the fact that you can only save at save points make this a lot more tedious than it should be.”
“I'd love to explore the world of this game, but the developers just don't want anyone to enjoy the trip. The submarine is so painfully slow and the harpoon is borderline useless, making it tedious and completely unfun to deal with bosses that easily outrun, outrange, outtank, and outdamage you.”
“The bosses weren't difficult because they made you put your skill to work; they were difficult because beating them meant a whole ton of long and tedious trial and error, and boring camping techniques that drew the fight out way longer than it should have.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been criticized for significant performance issues, particularly during boss fights, which can lead to lag and crashes that detract from the overall experience. While some players found the gameplay enjoyable despite these problems, the performance is generally described as ranging from poor to mediocre.
“First off, I want to mention that I did run into some performance issues while playing; at times during some boss fights, the game would experience some lag, which essentially slowed down the whole gameplay.”
“All in all, not too challenging, not too long, but overall a fairly enjoyable performance.”
“But the performance issues were absolutely obnoxious, with the final boss crash in particular just completely kneecapping my enjoyment of the game.”
“In short: TAAOTLH shines in very specific aspects, but its performance ranges from poor to just okay-ish in all others.”
“First off, I'm going to mention that I did run into some performance issues while playing; at times during some boss fights, the game would experience some lag, which essentially slowed down the whole gameplay.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through features like a new game + option, a boss rush mode with leaderboards, and a hardcore mode, appealing to players seeking short-term challenges. However, some players feel that certain boss encounters detract from the overall replay value. Overall, the varied gameplay and achievements, including completing the game without upgrades, enhance the replayability experience.
“Finally, if you finish the game, you also have a New Game+ option, a boss rush mode (with leaderboards!), and a hardcore mode (which has to be unlocked), so it has nice replayability in the short term.”
“Short game with a ton of unlocks and replayability!”
“This game is a load of fun with varied gameplay that encourages replayability.”
“Sadly, there isn't much replay value for me with this because I hated two of the bosses as they were such a pain.”
“This game has a lot of unlocks, but the overall replayability feels lacking.”
“While the game is fun, I found that once I completed it, there wasn't much incentive to play again.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report that the game evokes strong emotional responses, with many experiencing tears within the first few minutes of gameplay. The intense and often heartbreaking moments contribute to a deeply affecting experience that resonates with players.
“No joke, I cried in the first 15 minutes of playing.”
“The game made me cry, and it will make you cry too.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features appealing graphics, but players have reported numerous glitches that detract from the overall experience, indicating stability issues.
“However, I did encounter quite a lot of glitches.”
“The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers found the humor in the game particularly effective, highlighting the comedic element of a ruined underwater McDonald's as a standout moment. This blend of absurdity and creativity contributed to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The ruined underwater McDonald's was hilarious.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud.”
“The game's humor is spot-on, with clever puns and unexpected twists that keep you entertained.”
Critic Reviews
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human Review
Jaws made it scary to go into the water; this makes it seem all tranquil and comfy. A game absolutely worth playing if you love collecting or just want to relax.
90%The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human review
Aquatic Adventure distills the Metroidvania into its most essential parts and says something meaningful with it.
90%The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human Review
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a short, but memorable journey. Whether it’s taking down a pair of seahorses, or exploring the last remnants of humanity, the title is full of memorable setpieces that will delight, even in the face of existential horror.
74%
