After Us Review (HimuraMai)
There's been a lot of complaints with the optimisation. That seems to have been fixed - I haven't run into any problems. I know that is a logical fallacy, just because I don't have problems, doesn't mean you won't. So take that as it's potentially been fixed.
So first thoughts.
My first thought was Ori and the will of the wisp. The Blind forest as well, of course. But much more intrusively it immediately reminded me of Ori and the Will of the Wisp. Since it's new, I won't say more.
The far distance camera makes it hard to see exactly how far away she is to something she wants to reach
Too many cut scenes where cut scenes aren't necessary. I feel like I'm playing a movie and not a game at times.
By forcing me to return to the ark, you've broken the story progression and my immersion. What little you had in the first place.
Add salt to injury, I can't find an obvious way of returning to the game/story. Kinda like Super Mario or Journey, if there wasn't an obvious way of getting to the next level.
And levels there are. This is a 3d game, but I feel like despite that both Ori games are 2d, (same for Hollow Knight and the metrovenia genre) that they carry a lot more freedom. They might be 2d platformers, but they don't make me feel locked in. I felt a little more locked in this game. Especially compared to a game like HK which really encourages exploration. Most of the time, I felt it punished me for wanting to go places.
If you as a gamer is turned away by games like HK and Ori because they're 2d, and would prefer 3d, I would like to encourage you to try those out. Or if you haven't by some mystery, played Journey, play that instead. Or lost Ember.
I was hoping for the wow factor in three aspects.
1. Story. A good wow story, would be nice.
2. Good music. A good, varied music can change the feel of the environment.
3. Good environment. Stunning views, stunning lightning effects.
1. I can't really go into the story without spoiling the game. Somehow people don't like that too much. And despite it all, I haven't played the game for that long. So I would like to withhold some judgement until I'm further in.
2. The music pretty early on struck me as forgettable. Despite that I saw changing zones in location, there wasn't any time where I felt the music tried standing on its own. It felt very much like it relied on the scant characters to provide a nicer sound. Again, I withhold some judgement until I've played more of the game.
3. So far the game has seemed to rely on the character shining brightly to provide light, So it's all left to look dark, bleak and dreary. Yes, I get that it's supposed to look like that. But games like HK and Journey pulled of looking like dark and bleary without making me feel like I was squinting or straining my eyes to see. There are other ways of handling dark bleak and dreary other than making me feel like I have to squint. A point a lot of modern films are missing (partially because they're hiding something in that darkness. So what are you hiding?)
Anyway. The colours could be brighter. The environment more detailed. There should be more contrasts. Despite that it being pretty should be one its selling points, I feel somehow that it somewhat failed there. It isn't pretty enough in a way.
Take Journey for example, which is a very sandy world. The first time I played it, I was struck by how pretty the sand sparkled. How golden it looked. There was so much attention given to a relatively one coloured world. It's the same for HK. Hollow Knight does an amazing job of colours despite the fact that it's doing a lot - a lot of the same colours over and over again. Except for Green path/Queen's garden which looks like a paradise.
Maybe unfairly so, I didn't feel like After Us spent enough time on making amazing colours, on making amazing looking places. I haven't had my jaw drop yet. And I desperately wanted this game to do that.
Again. I haven't played through this game yet. I'm pointing that out a lot, but this can be quite negative.
After Us isn't a bad game. It isn't a horrible clunky game, If you're looking for a new game, and can afford the modest price (compared to 3A games) go play it. It's fun. For 90 minutes I've played it, I had a good time. It didn't blow me away, but that doesn't make it a bad game.