The rooftops are not what they once were. Join others in I Am Future and make a name for yourself on waterfront property.
Post-apocalyptic games are not an easy endeavor to pursue. Mandragora, the developer of the open-world survival game Skyhill, is a veteran. I Am Future falls into a similar category, minus the undead creatures. In exchange for a post-World War III USA setting, developers transport users to a flooded future. Employ the use of ‘minions,’ farm across the roofs of dilapidated skyscrapers, and ensure crops are safe from techno-leeches.
Combining oneself with technology coincides with an event known as the ‘singularity’. This is a social event signifying humanity’s integration with technology. I Am Future, from Mandragora, shows us how that plays into humanity’s future. With society nothing more than a shell of what it once was, it is up to you to help turn the city into something habitable again.
The city of Cosmopolis has seen much better days. With its streets flooded and the front doors of every building completely inaccessible, humans must flee to the highest points they can find. Waking up on a roof, one has no recollection of previous events. There are no familiar faces, and one must rely on themselves for some time. As one begins to build, it becomes evident that Unicorp, a company specializing in biotech, may be behind the disaster.
Upon starting, I Am Future may or may not take forever to start up. This ‘glitch’, if it can even be called one, does not seem to affect gameplay. It is likely simply the game itself loading assets all at once. Despite knowing this may be the cause, it still instills a small bit of panic.
Before getting into the gameplay, we should get into the near story that exists as the backdrop for I Am Future. In this universe, as stated above, the company known as Unicorp is a major player.While upper management and any other employees seemed to be Mia, their equipment and technology lay strewn about the rooftops and the submerged streets of the city. Some of the technology that’s been left behind do not exist as simple appliances. Two of these appliances, one fridge and the other jukebox are actually sentient.
Offered by Unicorp, these individuals accepted a package that would trade their organic body for a more metallic one. In the case of the fridge, he participated in the company’s program so that his family could be financially secure. For the part of the jukebox, she shares that an infatuation with a man led to the choice of becoming a jukebox. Even hearing the backgrounds of these characters, I cannot say that I would make the same decisions they did. In fact, seeing the future they lie in makes it feel as though their decisions may have been a little short-sighted.
Diving into the I Am Future gameplay; it is always refreshing to see the w, a, s, and d movement controls. With a top-down perspective, seeing certain routes through the rooftops is much easier. There are many resources strewn about the rooftops of Cosmopolis. The most obvious resource is wood planks. Signified by what looks like a pile of wood, each, unfortunately, only represents one unit. Used for building most things on the roof-dwelling camp, it can also be made by supplying the mechanical press with organic matter. Each exchange will generate two units of wood.
Before ever getting started on anything else, as most gamers know, if there is a workbench blueprint, that should probably be built first. I’m ashamed to admit how long it took me to figure that out in I Am Future. Once the workbench is established, everything becomes a little easier. It provides access to resources that would otherwise not exist until found.
One of the more ironic parts of the I Am Future is plastic as a resource. In the title’s codex entry, one is presented with a history talking about how it once polluted all corners of the Earth. It is now, however, one of the most precious resources a person can have. It can be converted into empty bottles or contributed to a building project. It can also be used to create a substance that is only used in tech buildings. Because it is used for so many things, it is the easiest resource to run low on. Fishing can remedy this issue, but it can be time-consuming, depending on one’s outlook.
Whether one is fishing in real life or in a video game, it is supposed to be a relaxing activity. It really can be. In I Am Future, time seems to get suspended during the fishing mini-game. Now some might consider it an oversight. It can also be a visual metaphor for how many people see fishing as a pastime. Because it pauses time, it is useful for helping formulate a plan in the event there are scarce resources for building important structures.
A great deal of work must be done before the city of Cosmopolis can be beautified once more. In I Am Future, the play character wakes up to find what is called a cybernetic arm. Using this arm and various tools that attach to it, one must make an effort to survive. Some of the attachments include things such as a drill, an unpressurized extractor, and a rusty saw. These items can and must be upgraded eventually. A few of the upgrades are quite easy to get, making it a breeze to get basic structures built throughout the rooftop settlement.
Some of the blueprints in I Am Future that use plastic cannot be found until certain characters are found. The only way to do this is to repair the Unicorp Smart Tower. After doing so, a charging drone can be used to explore the flooded city of Cosmopolis. Initially, there are few locations one can visit. Two of the first are abandoned locations with scarce resources that can be picked up.
As an open-world survival title, there must always be a hunger meter. My character always seems to skirt the line between being satisfied and dying of hunger. Things in I Am Future, like organic matter, blueberries, lettuce, and bright flowers, can be eaten individually. One may combine them and find far more potent items that restore the hunger meter closer to 100.
There really is no need to panic and try to keep it at 100 constantly. Hunger trains relatively slowly in the game. With a steady rating of 60, it is possible to get numerous tasks done before ever having to eat again. This is a strategy I recommend only if one has a surplus of ingredients to create dishes in their fireplace or stove.
As important as ingredients are, they must also still be grown. After establishing a couple of garden plots, adding fertilizer and wood, and planting seeds, one can grow their food. Each crop will have its own designated time for growth; as far as the length of time for growth, the longest wait seems to be about 5 to 6 minutes. Once things are planted, simply water things a bit, and wait to harvest.
If one is going to have an extensive array of garden plots, it will be important to put up defenses. Leeches which are charged with electricity, are just one of the dangers that exist in the massive sunken city of Cosmopolis.
One of the biggest issues they pose is the utter destruction they can cause in a character’s settlement. If garden plots are plentiful, expect a plentiful number of leeches to make it a point to destroy your crops. These creatures can be dealt with one of two ways, maybe 3. Firstly, one can employ the use of bug pray that will poison the leeches until they poof into dust.
I Am Future also comes with its share of poisonous plants. At random times, small plants poisonous to the touch will burst into existence at random moments. More of an annoyance than a dire threat, they can also be eliminated with the poisonous spray that is used on the leeches. It is extremely important that these plants be taken out quickly once they are spotted.
If left too long to continue, they will begin spawning leeches. One can take these plants out with the poison spray, or they can pull them out by the root by hand. Taking these plants out by the root will affect the player character’s health by a random number of hit points.
I Am Future uses graphics that some might call cartoony. Sure, it looks a little more like it could be an animated show. But that is where part of the charm lies. Graphics being less intense provides a sense of relief at times. There’s no need to keep running to the medicine cabinet for visine.
As admirable as a dedication to a visually stunning game is, consistent breaks are very important. Sharing a visual aesthetic with many classic titles, I Am Future might be another PC title that touches on the nostalgia of veteran gamers.
One issue I find with the game is the way recipes are pinned to the top of the screen. Pick any structure that can be upgraded and hit the paperclip in the bottom right of the recipe card. Only one recipe at a time can be pinned to the top. It might be nice to have the ability to pin related recipes side-by-side.
No traditional voice lines exist in I Am Future. The NPCs do speak, however. The fridge will speak in mostly typical wee woo sounds. But the jukebox herself can occasionally be heard singing. Her voice also does sound a bit robotic, and maybe in MIDI format, but rest assured, she is simply better company. I appreciate the minimalist voice lines in I Am Future.
Still, it feels like there is something missing when it comes to finding journal entries for people that are nowhere to be found. Maybe in the future, if there is an update to the audio, they can add voice lines to two specific journal entries.
I Am Future is an extremely comprehensive open-world survival game. Where some may only have a handful of creations to offer, this title provides layer after layer for easy unlocking. Provided one is savvy when it comes to time management and resource management, creating a thriving rooftop farm can be done in short order.
This certainly isn’t a game that can be completed in a day. And that is 1 that can be recommended to someone that wants a simple point-and-click adventure. No, this is for the hardcore survival SIM player. If you’re looking for something that will keep you active and doubly occupied for hours upon hours, this is most certainly worth checking out.
