Maroc - 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 25/Jan 00:01

I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival – Review

I Am Future describes itself as a cozy apocalypse survival game. It entered Early Access on 8 August 2023 and had its full release on 13 November 2024. Developed by Mandragora from Russia and published by tinyBuild, I Am Future offers relaxed crafting in a flooded post-apocalyptic city where players build a rooftop base. Discover in our review if You Are Future and ready to transform rooftop ruins into hopeful horizons! Story Technological progress, aided by a giant mega-corporation, has created a world where cow’s milk is a curiosity and almond milk is in fact the norm. Cryptocurrency is the only form of payment, and the waters abound with delicious mutated fish. The cataclysmic event that flooded this world is initially unclear but entirely unsurprising given these developments. Mandragora touches on a slew of issues, both ethically concerning and philosophically controversial. But rather than engaging in even the simplest discourse, these themes merely serve as explanations for game mechanics. At their worst, they are reduced to the butt of a joke and never revisited. We may have destroyed the world, but at least we can mine U-Coins and grow cheese trees on our rooftop! Our primary source of lore and history comes from our companions, who appear as sentient vending machines. Naturally, all the ethical and philosophical implications of uploading a human consciousness into a machine are quickly dismissed. Their personalities can only be described as simple, quirky, and one-dimensional. Earl, for example, is a smart fridge who likes cooking. He will give quests that teach you cooking recipes. In general, the game’s extremely upbeat and silly humor might easily put off most older players. We never could quite decide if the game was patronizing us or mocking the entire concept of cyberpunk. Graphics The game features bright and colorful cartoon graphics. Almost everything has a simple, rounded look, contributing to an overall cute and soft appearance. Like the overly cheery companions and silly writing, these inviting visuals contrast sharply with the apocalypse theme. Despite the clutter of scrap and broken objects, the environments are fairly readable. However, we completely overlooked the elevators at first. These are somewhat tucked away and don’t really read as interactable. Another point of criticism was some overly long animations. Relocating companions or moving your drone traps you in dull, uninteresting animations for around 10 seconds. The UI’s design is very much a mixed bag. Menus are pleasantly clear and readable, with colorfully rendered icons that are easy to distinguish. However, on more complex screens, real estate is wasted on oversized buttons and text boxes, while many lists would benefit from fitting more than a handful of items. Sound The music is pleasant and relaxing, with occasional tinges of melancholy, enhancing the cozy vibe and soft-apocalyptic mood. Calm guitars combine with keyboards during the day and a melancholic harmonica at night. Tool sounds are satisfying and convincing, withstanding even the thousands of times we hear them throughout a playthrough. However, some effects, like the slimy sound made by Electrosites, are mixed in a lackluster and directionless manner. Gameplay The core loop involves dismantling junk to clear paths and gather resources, then building or upgrading tools and buildings, allowing us to explore further. All the familiar crafting staples are present, including farming, fishing, cooking, creating and maintaining a power grid, and some simple (albeit buggy) automation. Additionally, players defend against Electrosites, mine cryptocurrency for trade, conduct drone expeditions, and interact with companions. I Am Future features dozens of mini-games. Every tool requires timing-based input, and some debris needs multiple tools to break down. Occasionally, appliances like microwaves are salvaged in a 3D multi-step tear-down, finding screws and removing components one by one. These are refreshing and rare enough not to overstay their welcome, unlike titles like PC Building Simulator. Not all mini-games are enjoyable. The fishing mini-game is dull, taking too long with too many clicks and lacking engagement or challenge. Improving relationships with companions also involves several highly unappealing examples. Cooking recipes are unlocked via experimentation in Chef Mode. This is really fun at first, but later recipes often require a mixture of brute-forcing and moon logic due to the vast array of somewhat unfamiliar ingredients. Where the game severely falls flat is its automation. Overall, the minions are buggy and lack usefulness. They struggle to be relevant and worth the investment due to their slow speed and limited carrying capacity. Builders can take real-life hours to complete simple tasks. Even worse, engineers are completely bugged and fail to refuel generators consistently. Albeit inefficiently, collectors pick up and store items while water carriers irrigate farm plots. They stand out positively for being “fine”. Mandragora released their game with many more poor design decisions. Progress often gets stuck due to rigid bottlenecks. Some early-game upgrades require unique items, while late-game demands exorbitant amounts of materials. Both feel unnecessarily frustrating. Sleeping only serves the purpose of passing the time to wait for the slow production of crucial resources. Many features lack hotkeys and some menus are convoluted. For instance, it’s very easy to miss the option to upgrade the crypto-miners, as the option for electrical connections is hidden in its sub-menu. We fell unconscious a couple of times because the softly pulsing health and hunger signals were drowned out by all the other notification symbols. And those easy-to-miss elevators? They have a steep repair cost but unfortunately lead to rather pointless areas with lots of bonus junk but rarely anything important. Conclusion I Am Future shines in its salvaging and exploration mechanics. There are always many tasks to complete, and planning your days is as approachable as it is rewarding. Sadly, the game falls short in several areas. Getting stuck in bottlenecks can be disappointing, and some bugs and poor design decisions are hard to overlook. The themes often clash with the goal of being in the “Cozy Game” genre. Clearly aimed at a younger audience, the humor and optimistic, cheery presentation may not appeal to everyone. Additionally, the game suffers greatly from buggy robotic minions and inefficient UI design. While I Am Future has a lot going for it, it ultimately lacks depth in gameplay, storytelling, and character development.