Private Division has announced the development of After Us, the new project by Piccolo Studio, a team based in Barcelona that in 2019 caught the attention of more than one thanks to the launch of Arise: A Simple Story. After Us, which has been presented along with a first trailer, does not yet have a release date, but we know that it will be available in 2023 with a version for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC via Steam in exchange for 29.99 euros.
After Us is presented as an “emotional journey” in which players put themselves in the shoes of Gaia, the spirit of life that aims to restore life on Earth. To fulfill her mission, Gaia must navigate platforming environments in an abstract world while she saves the souls of extinct animals. In addition to reviving the creatures after learning their final fate, our protagonist must also survive the confrontations against the Devourers, creatures covered in oil that roam the wasteland in search of the little life that remains.
“The last animals have perished, and the Mother has used all her Life Energy to save their souls, now trapped in their receptacles,” says the After Us synopsis. “Gaia’s mission is to rescue all souls and return them to the Ark of the Mother. Gaia’s abilities allow her to glide, jump, and boost to explore new areas and avoid deadly traps, while her special gifts give you the power to cleanse the world’s consuming oil, fight hungry Eaters, and free souls.”
After Us will offer a vast and surreal world in which Gaia must contemplate the desolate landscapes as a result of the destructive relationship between humans and nature “in a beautiful demonstration of abstract art.” Players will see everything from dying forests to the heart of ruined cities, to parched seas and polluted skies. Each environment will present new challenges and present different facets of the Devourers’ destruction. Meanwhile, Gaua will distribute life wherever she passes.
