Do you wish there were more apocalyptic games with an existential examination of society and climate change? Then you should check out The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, a metroidvania-like action/adventure game by indie game studio, YCJY, who are based in Sweden. The story goes that the player is the last human, returning to Earth after a failed space mission, only to discover that humanity is dead and gone, and the world covered in water. Inspiration for The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human was drawn from such movie classics as Planet of the Apes and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human

The campaign video is rather intriguing, as the entire thing is animated pixel art of the programmer and graphic artist discussing their game and showcasing gameplay. The video does open with some talking, but it’s brief and informative, lasting under a minute. After that, they show what The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human entails. The game is a 2D sidescroller where you you sail around in this underwater sea vessel. Sometimes you have to fight off hostile sea creatures, and other times you’re exploring the waterlogged ruins of humanity in search of answers. YCJY also emphasized simple, but dynamic gameplay on their campaign page, stating, “We wanted the weapons and tools to be concrete and definitive. They should feel intuitive and natural in their uses so that progression is not halted by overly complex mechanics.” The music for The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human also sounds really good. They provide two track examples, one an ambient track from an area called the Seaweed Forest, and another being a darker, more aggressive theme for the first boss battle.

Overall, I really don’t see this campaign failing. Of course, I’ve been wrong before, but YCJY is only asking for kr52,000 SEK (or for us non-Swedish folks: $6,347.) At the time of this article’s creation, they already have $1,797 with 29 more days to go. As for an estimated release time, YCJY came across as very cautious when they said they thought they could release The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human this July. August, if any stretch goals are met.

Track the progress of the Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.

About the Author

Amanda French

Amanda French first cut her gaming teeth by playing such classics as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Super Mario World at the ripe age of four. From there spawned a lifelong love of video games, particularly narrative heavy adventures and open world games. A creative writing graduate of Full Sail University, Amanda writes fiction novels in her spare time. You can find her work at the Independent Author Network under the pseudonym, Illise Montoya. Amanda’s all-time favorite games include Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 2, and Tekken 5. She lives on the California coast with her husband and young baby son.

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