The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human Review

Popular videogames have almost reached a point of self-parody. Rife with big explosions, big guns, and ridiculous hypermasculine caricatures deemed the main character; it's enough to give you testosterone poisoning. Other than that, though, these games are never quiet, never gentle; which is why The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, a 2D adventure title, may just be water in the desert for all of you sick of all the noise in games, seeking a little peace and quiet. In this game, it's just you and the vast sea, surveying what's left after a cataclysmic event wipes out humanity, with you as the sole survivor.

To that end, a key facet of this game is exploration. Aquatic Adventure is not especially linear due to its setting: all humans have been wiped out, which gives you a fantastic opportunity to venture forward and discover for yourself exactly what happened to the earth. This will mean many diverging paths to take, and tasks to be completed, but in any order the player sees fit, allowing for a very open-ended game that truly feels like your adventure.

As such, collection becomes a huge part of the game at large. You'll land in the deep, dark sea in a large, submarine-like protective vessel, and it will be your job to hunt out upgrades, such as a stronger hull or a more powerful harpoon. While the game does have a series of events to follow in any order, it's likely that finding everything this game has to offer will monopolise your time with it.

“The game at large”, to return to the start of the last paragraph, is not a phrase used lightly; the scale of the game is huge. This may seem obvious for a game set in the vast reaches of the sea, but the sheer scale of water to traverse is quite incredible. Through the course of The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, you'll find yourself going through murky caves, pipe systems, and coral reefs, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot in terms of locations and cool little spots to discover throughout the game, making the experience oddly gentle.

Of course, the game will invoke action scenes in the form of boss battles, which provide a lovely tempo change for the game, and are guaranteed to make your blood run just as you were getting used to the peace and quiet of the salty depths. These are standard videogame fare: either hit the weak point or attack when their back is turned, but it's not the encounters themselves, it's their placement within the game that really makes it all work. They're there to disrupt the peace and the tranquillity you were enjoying while discovering what everything means in this strange new world.

The loneliness of the setting is perfectly portrayed through the musical score provided by Karl Flodin. Sailing through the bottom of the sea, save for a few harmless fish and boss monsters, will be lonely, and this is a theme that the composer has evoked wonderfully, making for a chilling yet very lovely experience as you sail through the bottom of the sea.

The game can be played by keyboard and mouse, but to get the most out of The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, you'll absolutely want a controller. The vessel moves with the left stick, and your harpoon moves with the right; this is a complex arrangement that demands nothing less than a joypad; using the keyboard feels much too awkward.

This game is an absolute treat, for the unparalleled exploration, and the absolute state of peace one will find through this game. Most games strive to have an atmosphere, whether it be dark, brooding, happy, or perhaps to be more explosive and flamboyant. This game stands head and shoulders above other games because it doesn't have an atmosphere, it has ambience. Sliding into this game is like sliding into a silk coat, it is comfortable in a way that some games never achieve. If you're willing to both reduce your blood pressure and play one of the most calming, expansive, and lovely games out there today, this is the one.