0 
0 I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survivor is exactly what the title says – a relaxing survival game in a lonely world. With development by Mandragora (Skyhill) and publishing by tinyBuild (Hello Neighbor, Graveyard Keeper), the game just took on its full release on November 13th. It is currently only available via Steam on PC.
Experience Coziness on the Rooftops in I Am Future
I actually had a chance to play around in I Am Future back during some beta testing prior to it going into early access in August of last year. I was eager to take a look and see how things are shaping up now that its 1.0 release is here. Checking in on a game you haven’t thought to play since much earlier in development is always interesting. Now that I’m thinking of it, I’m sure I’ve got a nice list of games from early release previews that I should look over. How about you? Any EA or pre-release games you may have taken a peek at but haven’t been to since? Or maybe some you’ve returned to to find that the game is significantly different than you remember? Check out my thoughts on this one below!
Gameplay
I Am Future places the player in the shoes of seemingly the last human inhabitant on Earth. Awaking from a long nap and suffering from some degree of amnesia, collect whatever clues you can about what led to your current situation. With everyone gone, the rooftops provide a fortuitous amount of scrap for resources to build for your needs. Be wary of the electrosite parasites though, and dangerous vegetation that also abounds! Oh and also that mysterious voice…
A simple cast of friendly characters joins you in a curious way so you don’t feel quite so alone. How you’ll interact with those characters in I Am Future also evolves over time. So just as you’re building a workable living space, you’re also building relationships! This was something new I hadn’t seen when I last spent time in the game and was an interesting find. I also was able to get a couple of the game’s automation feature, minions, up and running. Unfortunately they seem to be just as brain-dead at times as they were last time I paid a visit.
As in near every game with a survival tag, gathering resources to build necessary items and means to survive play a large role in I Am Future. The part I feel where the game shines and separates it from most other survival games is the gathering mechanic. You need a specific type of tool to disassemble or gather – that’s a given. But the actual mechanic in which you use the tool is the kicker. Each tool has its own way of demonstrating the work being done. For example, when having to saw an item you hold right then left. Whereas with the drill you hold down – but not too long or you’ll overheat it. It’s a simple thing that’s different from just tapping or holding E/F or mouse button.
I Am Future suffers the same pitfalls as many others in the genre. The primary one being the balance between gathering resources and rewarding progress. It isn’t by far the worst, but it still became tedious and felt less rewarding at times for the amount of time I had to invest in gathering. Sufficient storage space also is a bane of mine alongside travel speed. The space was fairly easy to overcome but the one-speed character made for some long runs. I’m crossing my fingers that there’s a teleporter or something to help speed me along to unlock in my future.
Graphics & Audio
The graphics in I Am Future are great in quality and aesthetic. Being on PC and also verified for Steam Deck, I spent a fair amount of time going back and forth for my experience. Graphics overall appear better (and quite gorgeous) on my desktop but they certainly didn’t look terrible on the Steam Deck. The only real possible graphics issue was a lag occurring, making it skip a few frames and throw off the fishing mechanic. I also enjoy the style of the game art. It works well with the perspective and genre.
I Am Future‘s audio is also just as cozy as the gameplay. The tracks most noticeable are those that signify the change between times of day. Others also set apart the different activities as you experience them. The game also includes a suite of sound effects that make it possible to listen to audio cues if you’re like me and tend to multi-task while gaming.
Longevity
The longevity of survival type games tends to boil down to the type of player you are. If you’re someone that enjoys min/maxing things and trying out different “builds”, I don’t think I Am Future is quite the game for you. There are a solid 47 achievements available and you’re able to adjust just how cozy you want your game to be though. I’m uncertain at this time how long the main storyline takes to complete. Given how things are progressing, I estimate I’ll be putting in at least a few more hours if not more. After that’s said and done though I don’t know that I’d come back to it.
Final Thoughts
Overall I Am Future is what it claims to be – a cozy apocalypse survival game. Along with that though come some pitfalls common to others in the genre, including balancing resource management, rewarding progress, and automation. Some quality of life improvements, to help with the tedium of resource gathering and automation feature, would do wonders for the game. Needless to say, if you enjoy the genre this game is worthy of your time to check it out.
I Am Future: Cozy Apocalypse Survival deserves the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
