Each of the eight spirit paths have a different theme, putting emphasis on a failing of humankind.

A gigantic junkyard filled with a never-ending sea of trash, where oil rains down constantly and pustules of thick black tar explode out of the ground.

An undersea monument to the (over)fishing industry with hundreds of rusty hooks dangling down from the surface, broken and battered boats left to rot, and mammoth ship propellers that send anything caught in their wake tumbling head over heels. Just a few examples of the multitude of visually stunning, yet distressing, levels on offer.

Then there are the thousands of giant stone effigies, scattered all over the world.
These towering, naked statues are what’s left over of humankind, frozen in place by a cataclysmic event. Some of the figures are visibly distressed, others worshipping oil towers or consumed with technology.

Not so subtle imagery of the failings of humanity.

Most are dead or dormant, though some will come at you with glowing red eyes, trying to devour your light.

It all paints a pretty bleak picture and can feel heavy-handed at times, but it’s a look at the worst-case scenario – which shouldn’t be comfortable, you shouldn’t feel secure. 

There is however a literal ray of hope for the world.

The bright white light that emanates from Gaia is in stark contrast to the rest of the environment. So too the trail of colourful vegetation that grows wherever she walks or the blanket of plant life that springs up when she unleashes a shock wave of power.

You can also choose to revisit the safety of the Ark at any time, the tranquility it offers giving much needed breathing room from the doom and gloom.

Gameplay

After Us is predominantly a platforming game, with a heavy focus on movement and exploration.

Within 10 minutes of starting the game you’re given access to a sprint, long jump, double jump, glide and air dash; and later in the first level, the ability to wall-run across certain surfaces and vine-surf along power lines and wires (which is very cool).

It’s clear the developers don’t want exploration and movement locked behind progression walls, this isn’t a metroid-vania.

Your main goal in the game is to rescue eight major animal spirits and return them to the Ark, so Mother’s lifeforce can begin the world anew.

Shortly after finding the first main spirit, your path will branch off and you’ll be able to make a few decisions as to the direction you want to go and which animal you want to save next.
Though as you have to collect all eight spirits to finish the game, I’m not sure why it matters what order you tackle them in at all.

In fact, because of the pathways I chose, my two least favourite levels ended up being the last levels I played, which put a bit of a downer on the ending of the game.

There are plenty of smaller spirits that need your help throughout the world as well, who’ll then begin to populate the wasteland, bringing some much-needed cheer to the landscape.
They’ll also show up back at the Ark, roaming around just waiting to be petted!
I had plenty of fun chasing cute little sausage dogs and trying to keep pace with galloping stallions, I did however choose NOT to pet the snakes.

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While the lion’s share of gameplay is platforming and exploring, there is a bit of combat thrown in there too. Surprise! Some of the Devourers are still alive! Well… Undead might be a better description. They shamble around like zombies and will attack Gaia when they notice her, trying to devour her radiance. You’ll have to keep your distance and cleanse their souls with a projectile of light if you want to survive.

The combat is pretty light, only really becoming a challenge when the Devourers show up in numbers or when they have an object covering their chest, blocking your projectile, requiring a tactical backstab to defeat.

Some Devourers will leave behind a memory that manifests as a sketched comic panel. Collecting panels will build a short side-story of life before the calamity.

You’ll need to explore thoroughly to find all of the memories and spirits, though helpfully Gaia has the ability to sing, which will send out little flickers of light that zero-in on nearby wayward souls and memories.

There‘s some pretty inspired level design in the game. I really loved a sequence of birdcages I had to jump between to work my way higher toward the eagle spirit. Platforming up a broken down Ferris wheel to rescue the spirit at the top was challenging and fun.

And my absolute favourite was an underwater level, believe it or not, quite a feat in gaming! Gaia’s floatiness was even more suited to under-the-sea traversal and the frantic chase sequence at the end of the level was both terrifying and thrilling.

Funnily enough, my least favourite level was also an underwater one!

Gaia has to make her way through a sunken ship that’s very maze-like, and using her singing ability to find spirits and memories was next to useless as it was directing me through walls that I couldn’t figure out how to get around. The level probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t trying to get all the collectibles, however up until that point they’d been pretty easy to find, so the confusing step up in challenge was frustrating, to say the least.

Performance

During my dozen or so hours with the game, I only really ran into one noticeable bug, though it was quite pervasive. When playing, my screen would occasionally freeze for a few seconds and then start again like nothing had happened. This happened about 20 times throughout my play-through, and while it wasn’t game-breaking by any means, it’s still worth noting.

Other than that, the game ran great for me. Hopefully, the screen freezes will be addressed in a day one patch or soon thereafter.

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Audio

The music is spot on in terms of tone and emotion. Ethereal resonance gives the Ark a mystical energy, while ominous bass and droning synth sets a dark mood for the ruined world of the Devourers.
It fits in perfectly with the ambient sounds of the world and really helps set the tone of the game.

Sound effects are also well implemented; whether it’s the twinkling swoosh of your dash, the melodic notes of Gaia’s singing, or the whir of a buzzsaw trying to slice you in half!

There is no voiced dialogue in the game, just some brief text when Mother speaks to Gaia.
In my preview, I said that for a game like this it works as it’s more about the message than the character of Gaia herself. While this still stands true, after finishing the game, I think a voice for Gaia and Mother would’ve endeared me to them a little more and made the ending more impactful.

Themes

After Us has strong ecological themes, which can be laid on a little thick in places.
It’s tackling the destructive relationship between mankind and nature, in what is almost a guided tour of human failings.

It’s packed full of thought-provoking imagery. Melting ice caps. Polluted oceans. Air choked with toxic gas and ash. Forests logged into fields of stumps.

Heavy stuff. Important stuff.

However, After Us takes the route of showing the worst-case scenarios and the utter depths of human greed, which can be confronting and make the game feel like a bit of a guilt trip. Though maybe that is the desired effect.

In that sense the themes feel a bit ‘all problems, no solutions‘. I felt it didn’t take that extra step to suggest what could’ve been done to prevent the calamity. Though that might be a bit unfair and monumental to lump onto a video game.

Having said that, I think everyone will connect with the themes on display on some level or another. You’d have to be blind, or closing your eyes really really tightly, to have missed the adverse effect we’ve had on the environment. 

There’s something deeply satisfying about traversing the desolation and making it just that little bit better. Blasting away oily goop with a shockwave, magically growing new trees around the wastelands, or rescuing the spirits of animals.