REVIEW: ‘After Us’ Is A Picturesque Platformer (XSX)

The art of the 3D platformer seems lost in today’s age of gaming. Now, many games have platforming elements. But very few are truly platformers in heart, body, and soul. I was beyond excited when After Us, by Piccolo Studios and Private Division, was announced. Platformers and platformer collectatothons have always been my favorite games, and a new platformer was coming out for modern consoles? Sign me up! On top of previewing the first hour of the game, my excitement for the final release was quite high. Now after playing it in its entirety, After Us is now quite possibly one of my favorite platformers ever.

After Us is a story of what happens if we as humans keep going down the path we’re heading – the end of our entire world. Through sheer selfishness, we killed our planet, and every living creature has died. But there is hope. Mother, the creator of life, has protected the innocent souls of animals who didn’t have a say in what we as humans did. With her minimal strength, Mother sends Gaia, a young spirit of the earth, on a quest to explore a destroyed Earth, save those spirits, and bring them back to her. With Gaia saving and releasing those trapped spirits, Mother may have the strength to bring life back to our desolate world once again. But this isn’t a peaceful journey. Gaia will quickly learn about sacrifice, face human greedy remnants, and feel and experience the fates of greater spirits.

This game is very grim and not for those who cannot stomach witnessing animal abuse. After Us shows dark scenes and hits emotionally regularly. For instance, the very first greater animal soul saved involves the death of the last dog. A lone Dachshund trying to feed her pups in her dying moments. Another has Gaia living through a Deer’s last moments, being hunted to extinction. But it isn’t just a tale of darkness. It is one of hope. One that we have learned time and again in our Earth’s billion years of history. Life finds a way. Regardless of what we as humans do, life will find a way to outlive us. But if we do change our ways, we as humans can find a way to live in harmony with the creatures living their lives on our beautiful blue marble.

As for the gameplay, After Us shines with its environments. Each area is a different “sector” of what adds to our existence. For instance, one area is a landfill, another is a dilapidated cityscape, then there is also a farm with barren lands. It’s all a different look at the destruction we are causing to different environments and to ourselves. Plus, it’s a look at what we as a species will leave behind as our legacy. What makes these areas so interesting is how detailed they are in their own ways. They each feel distinctive from the last, and they’re all surprisingly fun to explore. On top of that, they each give Gaia a new way to explore their environments. For example, the over-forested forest region allows Gaia to grow ghost trees. When Gaia runs into one of these trees, she gets flung into the air and can dash a long distance to a new location. Plus, they each bring their own risks.

Combat is minimal, but it does feel daring. Every now and then, remnants of humans, or Devourers, spring to life. They just want the last remnants of life on the earth and will attack Gaia for it with their remaining strength. Gaia can use her powers of light and life to fight back and send these devourers to rest. They’re never difficult, but they do put up a fight. Instead of being a challenge, they feel like they just add to the narrative of the area they’re residing in. For example, in the dump, hordes of devourers who resemble kids will pop out of massive amounts of trash. What are they doing there? Were they hiding there to try to find anything to survive? Then there are the devourers in the city, all who are distracted by televisions. They could be a threat. But if you find ways to turn new TVs on, they get distracted and ignore you completely. It’s a level of environmental storytelling that feels rare for just how deep it is.

Beyond combat, the platforming and puzzles of the levels felt fantastic. Jumping, dashing, gliding, and some level-specific mechanics, like the aforementioned tree dash, felt great to control. There was rarely any clunkiness about helping Gaia explore this world. Everything  Gaia was told to do, she did with little resistance. It all felt natural in this world. Plus the platforming played really nicely with the environmental puzzles. To top it all off, the puzzles felt natural for the areas they were in too. But where this game really became a top platformer was the “boss battle” areas.

There are no real boss battles where you’re fighting a big enemy. Rather, they feel like a test of what you’ve learned up to that point. I don’t want to spoil these moments because they feel so special and add to the overall story being told in those areas. Just there are some breathtaking moments portrayed in these portions that you should really experience for yourself.

After Us is a grim yet hopeful tale of what the future of humanity and our planet looks like, given our current actions. Within its dark moments shine a fantastic platformer that shouldn’t be missed. It not only carries a strong message, but it also shows what is possible for the platformer genre on modern consoles. With cinematic jaw-dropping moments, clever puzzles, and surprisingly deep environmental storytelling, After Us feels like it has it all. This game isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. If you can stomach some of the horrific moments that cap each area’s end, you will find quite possibly one of the greatest platformers made for the modern era of gaming.

After Us is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.