The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- YCJY
- Stage Clear Studios (Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
- YCJY (Windows, OS X, Linux)
- Digerati Distribution (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch)
| The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human | |
|---|---|
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| Developers |
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| Publishers |
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| Engine | GameMaker Studio |
| Platforms | Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| Release | Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X
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| Genre | Metroidvania |
| Mode | Single-player |
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a 2D metroidvania action-adventure video game. Developed by YCJY, the game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux in January 2016. Ports for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, developed by Stage Clear Studios, were released in January 2018, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in January 2019.
The game takes place in the far future. The player character returns to Earth following an extended trip in space to find that humans have become extinct. The ice caps have melted, the magnetic poles have shifted and mass sub-tectonic water reservoirs have been breached. Players must navigate through the drowned Earth in their submersible to piece together the story of humanity's downfall.
The game is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up presented in a pixel art style. The game is largely exploratory, and most of the sea life is non-threatening, however players encounter multiple boss monsters. In typical Metroidvania fashion, players can acquire upgrades to their submersible, and these upgrades allow the player to access more of the game world. Completing the main game unlocks a "Boss Rush" mode, where players face off against the game's bosses in succession.[1]
Development
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human was developed by YCJY, a Swedish development studio consisting of Josef Martinovsky and Christopher Andreasson. The soundtrack was composed by Karl Flodin.[2] The game was part funded through Kickstarter, raising 61,777 kr on the crowdfunding platform in 2015.[3]
YCJY did not set out to make a game dealing with climate change, but felt the theme was a natural fit for their underwater environments. Aside from the genre pioneers such as the Metroid and Castlevania series, YCJY also cite games such as Shadow of the Colossus, Teleglitch and the Dark Souls series as inspirations. The game's bosses, which can both dwarf the player character and defeat the player character in a few hits, were designed to make players feel insignificant and fragile. YCJY likened the contrast in mood and difficulty between the exploration and boss fights to the Pixies song "Tame", the loud and soft parts accentuating the other.[4][2][5]