We live in a world where global warming, also called climate change, is a genuine concern. As icebergs melt, sea levels rise and life for those in low tide areas changes drastically, not to mention the effect on animal life. Imagine a future where global warming became so bad that humans needed to build colonies under water to survive. While it would be incredible to shed light on the mysterious unexplored ocean depths, I would be terrified despite being with all of civilization. Now imagine you are alone, no other humans; just you and the underwater species that have had thousands more years to evolve. That is the setting for the appropriately titled The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human. As the last person alive returning from a failed space mission, you explore the ruins of this former thriving underwater civilization. That is, if you can upgrade your submarine enough and destroy all the grotesque sea monsters in your way.

Concept:

Since you are the only remaining human, the story unfolds through message tapes that you discover on your journey. These shed lights onto what was going on and are always worth seeking out and reading. Aquatic Adventure can probably be best described as a Metroid-vania style game. You have a map broken up into grids and a mini-map on screen that shows a more exact layout of each section. You are free to explore at your leisure but very quickly you will find obstacles that you cannot yet pass. Whether it is rusty pipes that spew toxic chemicals or some thick obstructive vines, you will need the appropriate ability to pass. How do you get these abilities you ask? They are earned by defeating the unique and very hard boss fights, of course! Upgrades to things like your subs hull and weapon recharge speed make the process easier. But with no display on the map showing their location, it’s up to your natural instincts to find them. Explore, fight and learn the truth are your goals, but it’s the degree of difficulty that many will find most daunting.

Gameplay:

The way Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human plays is quite simple and easy to navigate. The submarine can move in all directions and does so fluidly. Using the right thumbstick you can aim your harpoon gun attached to the bottom of the submarine and shoot. Enemies, switches, crates and even friendly fish can all be speared and sliced. The only caveat is that you cannot shoot a full 360 degrees around your sub, only the area below the bottom half. It won’t take you long to discover that your regular harpoon shot is not powerful and won’t go very far. You can hold down the right trigger and it will charge a more powerful shot, but this takes longer to do. The second weapon you will acquire is the saw that is used for cutting through vines and slicing enemies. Other items I earned were a stronger engine, hull shield, lamp and a thruster that allows me to zoom quickly in short bursts. Unlocking new upgrades allows you to backtrack to earlier areas and pass any obstacles that once blocked the way. Moving and shooting feels good but there are moments where the camera zooms out and it becomes harder to move precisely and occasionally see your character amongst the level background. Once you have completed the game on normal you can play again on hardcore mode. There are also achievement incentives for completing hardcore mode and playing the game without upgrading (yikes!).

 

Presentation:

Aquatic Adventure has a highly detailed pixel style and great use of foreground and background in nearly every area. The constant movement of plant and animal life makes every location feel alive. The bosses are especially detailed whether it was The Tranquil, a gigantic octopus or the Proud Fathers, a pair of seahorses that shoot clusters of their babies at you. The music fits perfectly during the tranquil moments of exploration, only to kick into high gear when you stumble upon a monstrous boss. Playing on the original Xbox One leaves a bit to be desired, which is a theme I’m seeing more frequently. There is a delay every time you pause and unpause the game. While it may sound trivial it was incredibly annoying; and sometimes I wasn’t sure if I missed the button press, which led to another press and more miscues. This might be less of an issue on Xbox One X, but they remain an issue for the original Xbox One. Don’t expect the game to point you in the right direction, as it leaves all the exploration and figuring out to the player. I can see how some players will be turned off by the lack of hand holding, since you sometimes wonder if you are missing an upgrade critical to a boss fight or whether you are doing them in the correct order. Never the less, through persistence I managed to defeat bosses and make progress, although I can see some players giving up early.

Final Take:

The Aquatic Adventure of the last human is a love it or hate it type game that provides equal parts rage and elation. It leaves the exploration and navigating to the player, which I found to be a welcome change. Thankfully there are maps and fast travel stations that ease the burden of traversal. Every single boss fight, even the first one, will likely take multiple tries. Like Dark Souls, there is a fairness to the battles that requires you to be disciplined and calculating with your game plan. Dying often can quickly lead to frustration, but I found that the feeling of eventual success made the struggles worthwhile. Players looking for a more streamlined or casual experience might want to dive elsewhere in the marketplace.

 

Rating: 7/10

 

Written by: Jordan650

Gamertag: Jordan650

 

Positives:

+Unique art style and beautiful bosses

+ Challenging battles lead to incredible satisfaction

+ Fast travel makes exploration quicker and easier

 

Negatives:

-Long load times on original Xbox One

-Delay in resuming the game from a paused state

-Occasional feelings of being lost

 

Ethics Statement: The reviewer spent approximately five hours exploring the futuristic ocean waters and earned 7 of the 21 achievements.

 

A review copy was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

 

You can purchase  The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human from the Xbox Store here

 

Release Date: Thursday, January 18, 2018

Price: $14.99

Download size: 302.43 MB