Video Game Review: In Other Waters

In Other Waters

Fellow Traveler

Adventure

Nintendo Switch

Two of the things that make humankind unique are our curiosity and intelligence to act on it. Today, we use space travel to learn about the world outside ours. As Greg Camp once said, there is indeed so much to do and so much to see. Humanity has progressed so far in our pursuit of knowledge that we now look to the stars for answers. In Other Waters puts you in the shoes of artificial intelligence designed to guide the main character of the story, Ellery Vas, through a distant planet’s depths. While it may be unusual for players to be someone other than the main character, it perfectly fits this narrative. This game exhibits the human spirit to explore strange spaces and gain knowledge. As such, jumping in with an open mind is ideal.

In Other Waters is the first project by independent game developer Jump Over The Age. Starting out on Kickstarter, the concept reached its funding goal and then some. It was published by Fellow Traveller who is known for its selection of story-driven games with unique gameplay mechanics. Very few games come to mind when I play the game because everything is so distinct. Your set goal is to explore these alien waters, discover, and learn as much as you can about it. As an AI helping the main character navigate this new and mysterious world, you decide where to go and what to do to achieve your goal. Players may get overwhelmed at times because of the information overload. In those cases, it’s best to take a breath and approach your goal in smaller steps.

The game starts out with calming music which ends abruptly with a screen that reads “error detected.” This grabs the player’s attention very well. Trust me, you will NEED to give this text-heavy game your attention because there’s a lot of reading involved. There are many puzzles like figuring out how to open barriers or where to collect species samples. Solving them often involves looking back at the information you already have on hand. If you’re stuck, take a little time to read up on your research so far.

The controls are highly intuitive. Any cat curious enough will be able to figure things out without even paying attention to the tutorial. They’re also adaptable to however the player prefers to play whether it’s by using buttons or the touchscreen. When docked, you can only use the controllers which is completely fine. But using both in combination on handheld mode is highly recommended. It feels like piloting your own submarine. Who doesn’t want that?

Making water exploration the main concept of the game is interesting to me. Like outer space, the vast majority of Earth’s oceans remain a mystery. There’s a constant sense of curiosity and calmness of varying degrees throughout the game. I entered it not knowing anything and left it wanting to know more. Admittedly, that’s partially my fault because I’m not much of a completionist or a reader. Adventurer’s more worth their salt, however, will also stay hungry for information once the journey is over. Thee extra bits of information are mechanically inconsequential, but good for a little mind tickle if you please. It was pleasantly surprised to see the story unravel. I expected to be relaxed and just making new discoveries to contribute to the world’s collective knowledge, but instead, I got a different kind of mystery that kept me invested. All I can say without spoiling it is that it was nice to play detective a bit as well.

Shifts in music, color, and dialogue indicate atmospheric changes. Limited visuals can be disadvantageous for some games, but it works here because we’re supposed to see the world as a user interface. The simple and overall minimalist design makes the game easy to process mentally. That’s good for people who can’t put it down. Optionally, you can read about the wildlife in the library and even see sketches of them. You can unlock more files to read about the wildlife by being more thorough with your snooping around. It’s amazing how visual the game yet leaves a lot to the imagination.

Some say video games are the ultimate form of media due to the interactivity and combination of various art forms. From storytelling to scoring, In Other Waters strongly supports this claim. Anyone who enjoys learning and adventure will enjoy this game. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination so make sure to take your time with this and play as comfortably as you can for the best experience. Zone out if you have to. There’s no rush. Planet Gliese 677Cc isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I find it suitable for all ages because of the easy controls and universal message. Just make sure you play alone to amplify what I assume is the intended feeling of isolation. In Other Waters is a great way to unwind at the end of any day, good or bad.