In Other Waters

Last updated

In Other Waters
In Other Waters Cover Art.jpg
Developer(s) Jump Over the Age
Publisher(s) Fellow Traveller
Designer(s) Gareth Damian Martin
Writer(s) Gareth Damian Martin
Composer(s) Amos Roddy
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
macOS
Nintendo Switch
Release3 April 2020
Genre(s) Adventure game
Mode(s) Single-player

In Other Waters is a 2020 adventure game for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch. Players take on the role of an AI that assists a xenobiologist in exploring an alien world.

Contents

Gameplay

Ellery Vas, a xenobiologist employed by an interplanetary mining corporation, arrives on alien planet Gliese 667 Cc. Players control an artificial intelligence Ellery depends on to monitor her life support, collect and analyze samples, and manage the goals she sets for the mission. Players cannot directly interact with the world itself but receive feedback from Ellery based on her observations. [2]

Development

Jump Over the Age is a one-person studio based in London. [3] Gareth Damian Martin did most of the game development themself. Although they had experience in the industry, they are self-taught in developing games in Unity. Martin said they wanted to create a world using text and the game's user interface rather than direct experience. The initial idea came when Martin combined three interests: diving, climate change and video games. [1]

Reception

On Metacritic, the PC version received mixed reviews, and the Switch version received positive reviews. [12] [13] Alice Bell of Rock Paper Shotgun called it a "very meditative" game that is "possibly exactly what you need right now". Bell wrote that, even when uncovering dark secrets about the planet, it "remains calming and lovely". [14] Also describing it as "meditative", Eurogamer 's reviewer, Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, recommended the game for its "hypnotic art, otherworldly audio and captivating writing". [2] Rachel Watts of PC Gamer called it "a gentle and engrossing underwater sci-fi game that will have you thinking about more than what lies beneath the waves". [15] Writing for Game Informer , Matthew Kato said that it "succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game" because of the lack of puzzles and repetitive gameplay. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Outer Wilds</i> 2019 video game

Outer Wilds is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game features the player character exploring a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that ends with the sun going supernova. The player explores the system on foot and in a small spacecraft, investigating the alien ruins of the Nomai and finding their history and the cause of the time loop.

<i>Subnautica</i> 2018 video game

Subnautica is an action-adventure survival game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The player controls Ryley Robinson, the only survivor of a spaceship crash on an alien oceanic planet, which they are free to explore. The main objectives are to find essential resources, survive the local flora and fauna, and find a way to escape the planet.

<i>Ashen</i> (2018 video game) 2018 video game

Ashen is an action role-playing game developed by New Zealand studio A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive.

Gonner is a roguelike video game developed by Art in Heart and published by Raw Fury. It was released on October 12, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux. A Nintendo Switch version of the game was scheduled for release on June 8, 2017, but was delayed to June 29, 2017. The game has been described as a "shooter" version of Spelunky.

<i>The Escapists 2</i> 2017 strategy role-playing video game

The Escapists 2 is a strategy role-playing video game developed by Mouldy Toof Studios and published by Team17. It is the sequel to The Escapists (2015) and it was released worldwide for Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in August 2017. Nintendo Switch and mobile phones versions were released in 2018 and 2019, both iOS and Android respectively.

<i>Far: Lone Sails</i> 2018 video game

Far: Lone Sails is an exploration adventure videogame developed by the Swiss development company Okomotive. The game was released for Windows and macOS in May 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in April 2019, for Nintendo Switch in August 2019, and for Android and iOS in October 2020. A sequel, Far: Changing Tides, was released in March 2022.

<i>The Shrouded Isle</i> 2017 video game

The Shrouded Isle is a management simulation video game developed and published by Kitfox Games.

<i>Anodyne 2: Return to Dust</i> 2019 video game

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is an action-adventure game developed by Analgesic Productions. It has the central mechanic of exploring a 3D overworld with graphics inspired by the fifth generation of video game consoles, and shrinking into the bodies of the game's characters to fight enemies and solve puzzles in 2D dungeons.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus</i> 2018 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Bulwark Studios and published by Kasedo Games for the PC in November 2018. It is based on Games Workshop's tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000.

<i>The Falconeer</i> 2020 video game

The Falconeer is a 2020 aerial combat video game developed by Tomas Sala and published by Wired Productions. It was released on November 10, 2020 for Windows, Xbox One and as a launch title for Xbox Series X/S. A version for Amazon Luna was made available on June 17, 2021. It received both good and mixed reviews upon release, with outlets praising its uncompromising vision and homage to the niche dogfighting genre, while the same elements were looked upon less kindly by other reviewers.

<i>HyperParasite</i> 2019 video game

HyperParasite is a roguelike shooter video game developed and published by Troglobytes Games. Early prototypes of the game were distributed through Steam's early access program in 2019. The game was released on 3 April 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which was followed by a physical release for the Switch on 19 February 2021. The game received generally positive reviews, earning praise for its uniqueness and design and criticism for its difficulty.

<i>Lonely Mountains: Downhill</i> 2019 video game

Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a 2019 sports video game developed by German developer Megagon Industries and published by Thunderful. The game is a third-person biking game, where the player tries to complete courses on different mountains. The game was released on October 23, 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A Nintendo Switch port was released in May 2020.

<i>Far: Changing Tides</i> 2022 video game

Far: Changing Tides is a 2022 adventure puzzle video game developed by Okomotive and published by Frontier Foundry. The game is the successor to Far: Lone Sails (2018), and it was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S in March 2022.

<i>Wytchwood</i> 2021 video game

Wytchwood is an adventure video game developed by Alientrap and published by Whitethorn Games and Whisper Games for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was released on December 9, 2021.

<i>Silt</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Silt is a surreal underwater puzzle-adventure indie horror game developed by Spiral Circus and published by Fireshine Games for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, in which the player controls a deep-sea diver who can possess the diverse marine life that enters their vicinity. It was released on June 1, 2022.

<i>Card Shark</i> 2022 video game

Card Shark is an action-adventure game developed by Nerial and published by Devolver Digital. The game was released for macOS, Windows, and Nintendo Switch on June 2, 2022. Based and set in 18th century France, the game follows a mute peasant who assists Comte de Saint Germain to con gamblers from various parlors as they pursue a Royal rumor called "The Twelve Bottles of Milk".

<i>KeyWe</i> 2021 video game

KeyWe is a 2021 puzzle-platform video game developed by Stonewheat & Sons and published by Sold Out. The game was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on August 31, later releasing on September 28 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S ports were released on December 16. KeyWe follows Jeff and Debra, two kiwis working at the Bungalow Basin Telepost Office. KeyWe was prototyped during the 2018 Global Game Jam. Grant Gessel, the technical artist, took inspiration from Going Postal, a story by Terry Pratchett. Rare games such as Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day inspired KeyWe's art style. KeyWe received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Aliens: Dark Descent</i> 2023 real time strategy video game

Aliens: Dark Descent is a real-time tactics video game developed by Tindalos Interactive in collaboration with Disney's 20th Century Games and published by Focus Entertainment. Set in the Alien universe, the game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 20, 2023. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

<i>Star Renegades</i> 2020 video game

Star Renegades is a tactical role-playing game developed by Massive Damage and published in 2020 by Raw Fury. It combines influences from JRPGs and roguelite games.

<i>Airborne Kingdom</i> 2020 video game

Airborne Kingdom is a city-building video game developed by The Wandering Band. Players build and maintain a mobile, flying city. It was released for Windows and macOS in 2020, and Freedom Games published ports to consoles in late 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 Byrnes, Emily (March 3, 2020). "Interview With The Mind Behind In Other Waters: Gareth Damian Martin". GameSpace.com. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (May 4, 2020). "In Other Waters review - an ocean sanctuary for the meditative explorer". Eurogamer . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  3. "Gareth Damian Martin". Twitter . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  4. "In Other Waters Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  5. Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (April 2, 2020). "In Other Waters review - an ocean sanctuary for the meditative explorer". Eurogamer . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  6. Kato, Matthew (April 3, 2020). "In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge". Game Informer . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  7. Wildgoose, David (April 3, 2020). "In Other Waters Review". GameSpot . Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  8. L'avis de (April 15, 2020). "Test In Other Waters : une plongée abstraite au coeur d'un océan alien". Jeuxvideo.com . Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  9. Gipp, Stuart (April 14, 2021). "In Other Waters Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  10. DeWitte, Joel (April 14, 2021). "In Other Waters (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  11. Watts, Rachel (April 1, 2020). "In Other Waters review". PC Gamer . Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  12. "In Other Waters (PC)". Metacritic . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. "In Other Waters (Switch)". Metacritic . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. Bell, Alice (May 31, 2020). "Wot I Think: In Other Waters". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. Watts, Rachel (April 1, 2020). "In Other Waters review". PC Gamer . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. Kato, Matthew (March 31, 2020). "In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge". GameInformer . Retrieved April 20, 2021.

Further reading