I Am Future Review (PC) – Future Perfect

I Am Future: Cosy Apocolypse Sim is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s in the future, it’s cosy, it’s apocalyptic, it’s a sim. You’re probably reading this like.. Okay? So let’s get into it. I Am Future unfolds in a post-apocalyptic world, where you — the player — wake up on a rooftop surrounded by a derelict city overtaken by nature. You’ve awoken from your cryosleep and humanity has seemingly vanished. You are alone. The remnants of civilization are scattered across the rooftop hinting that something much more hideous may have occurred here. 

Survival With A Smile

As the protagonist, you need to navigate the rooftop, slowly piecing together the events that a) led you to the rooftop and b) figuring out what on Earth happened here. The rooftop becomes your safe haven, your sanctuary, and you better start getting things in order ’cause you are hungry! You also have a metal arm. I should mention this now before it suddenly pops into conversation later on and you’re like hang on what? But yes. Post-apocalyptic, rooftop, robot arm! 

Okay, I have had my fair share of cosy sims in the last few years, I remember at one point feeling fatigued and needing to fill my gaming hours with anything but. I had no expectations for I Am Future, not because I didn’t think it would be good. Simply because I hadn’t heard of it prior.  I need to really convey to anyone reading this, that the development team of I Am Future are utter geniuses and clearly individuals who have lived and breathed the cosy simulator life before.

As you start scavenging everything you find, you’ll collect materials that unlock the ability to make this rooftop your new home. Anything you touch can be broken down… Eventually. If you’ve ever dipped into the world of Dysmantle or Wytchwood you will know what I mean as reasons beyond your control dictate how much you can do straight away. As you continue to gather resources, you’ll also need to eat, sleep and grow your own food for overall survival. 

The Future Is Rosy

I Am Future has that instant satisfaction of being a cosy base-building haven. You end up in this Matryoshka doll of systems that sees you collecting, gathering, growing, upgrading, fishing, and overall decorating your rooftop; it’s a collection of busy work that’ll have you lost for hours. The game doesn’t just do this simply either.

Pretty early on, you’ll find a talking fridge named Earl who tries to help you out. He quickly becomes your sentient companion who adds so much personality and humour to your journey of survival.  Earl isn’t alone though as you’ll meet other sentient appliances to interact with, helping you slowly piece together the journey of how you ended up on the rooftop in the first place. 

Exploration is a pure joy in I Am Future, it doesn’t take long until you realise the sheer scope of what is to come for the rest of the game. I am 20+ hours in, and I know for sure I have yet to scratch the surface of what there is to explore. Beyond your own rooftop, you eventually come across a mechanical contraption that allows you to explore areas in the post-apocalyptic world. From fallen planes, to fairgrounds and random junkyards, all of which aid you in collecting important upgraded loot which helps you unlock more of the elements you encounter early on. 

A World Worth Rebuilding

I Am Future has set the tone for all cosy games in the future. Every single time I thought I had caught it out with a flaw, I Am Future would soon show me it had thought of it. Those top 5 bugbears of the cosy sim world, such as inventory management, repetition, lacking clear goals, or slow progress are ALL accounted for and not present.

Inventory storage is everywhere and makes sense. Once you start building your resources, such as electricity, or needing a workbench to upgrade that robot arm of yours you can start to cut into stronger metals as well as hold inventory in those various machines. This means that you don’t have to keep stock of everything and feel overwhelmed with various metals, objects, and trinkets that are all required to upgrade your materials for easy living. 

I Am Future also has this satisfying dismantling feature, where larger objects such as left behind kettles, microwaves, walkmans etc. can be manually dismantled to collect their various parts for upgrading. It’s slightly educational, and I’ve never had the urge to dismantle a kettle until now! I think if you asked me to do it, I probably could. 

Dismantling The Past

If you love cosy, but you’re perhaps looking for something a bit more challenging, I Am Future has concocted the perfect formula for stretching the cosy genre ever so slightly; all the whilst not veering off into a different genre completely. Players can add an extra slice of challenge with hunger and sleep mechanics. You have an energy bar (which – another bugbear of mine is in other games, this depletes far too quickly) and a hunger bar.

If you start to starve, you will start to lose energy, so keeping up the snacks is vital to staying conscious! Another great thing about this is that you can even eat for energy, so if you play the game right, you may never need to recoup energy meaning you can keep going for as long as possible. 

When night time comes, as I Am Future follows a day/night cycle; apocalyptic caterpillars will come and munch on your garden. Should you not spray them away with bug spray, poisonous flowers will take their place in the day and you’ll need to dispose of them. If this isn’t your thing, and you prefer to just plod around, doing your business, cleaning your rooftop, then that’s totally okay and you can turn off these survival aspects in the menu.

I can see, even 20 hours in, there are also many other critters that may come to visit me that I have not encountered so if you thought the game is short and sweet, you would be mistaken. There are hours upon hours of content, and every time I thought I had reached something to saturation, another hidden door, place, or upgrade yielded me into a whole new space or slice of story to uncover. 

The Apocalypse, Reimagined

Visually, I Am Future ditches the grey and dull tones associated with post-apocalypse settings. Instead, we have vibrant greens, warm yellows, and deep reds, that ooze optimism in your journey to stay alive. The art style leans into a charming, slightly exaggerated, cartoon aesthetic. Forcing a familiar feeling with the best cosy sims out there like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and The Sims; injecting fun into what would be a very depressing story otherwise.

The mixture of nature and remnants of human technology blend harmoniously and set off a visual contrast that makes you even more curious to keep searching, cleaning and organising your space. The sentient machines you come across are friendly, fun and have just the right charm to be designed with personality. Soft lighting makes the rooftop feel homely. I also came across no technical difficulties whatsoever. The movement and camera controls are smooth, putting everything in mechanical order. 

Sound design is important within any cosy simulator, and the soundtrack is so relaxing I often notice it completely disappear when I am lost within the hours I have played. The environmental ambience and subtle shifts in score mean I never catch or get bored of earworms. The foley from all the buildings is satisfying and the whole sound goes for a minimal yet effective approach. 

Living the Rooftop Dream

From the moment I played I Am Future, I was hooked. It’s joyful, immersive, and scratches every itch I have in my brain about tidying, sorting, collecting, and upgrading my tools to create my rooftop haven. I said it earlier, but I just can not contain my excitement that I was consistently made to feel that the devs have seen and listened to every annoying trope of the genre, and thought ‘Not in this game’. Every aspect feels like it was made with love and care, and respect not only for the genre but every player out there who dives in. 

Even after hours of play, it’s the kind of game I foresee myself losing many more hours to. I have only scratched the surface and I am continuously curious about what’s around the corner. It isn’t solely about survival. It’s about joy, and rebuilding, and just all your hopefully favourite elements of what makes a cosy sim, a cosy sim. This game is also around £10 on Steam right now and it is worth every penny and more. 

I have been writing for Finger Guns now for at least three years. I am yet to award any game a 10/10. Until now. I Am Future deserves every ounce of praise it’s given. The game is a genre masterpiece. It feels like a love letter to anyone who considers themselves a part of the cosy community.  Thank you, Mandragora! 

I Am Future is available now on PC via Steam (review platform).

Developer: Mandragora
Publisher: tinyBuild

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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