In Other Waters
Developer Jump Over The Age Publisher Fellow Traveller Format PC (tested), Switch Release Out now
PC, Switch
Like the more elusive creatures you’ll find in the seas of exoplanet Gliese 677Cc, writer-designer Gareth Damian Martin’s debut game can be tricky to pin down. We could liken it to an aquatic Metroid Prime in which Samus Aran needs nothing more than her scan visor. Or perhaps it could best be described as a visual novel masquerading as a Metroidlike; certainly, text is especially crucial here. As an artificial intelligence guiding bioscientist-slash-biologist Ellery Vas, who’s here to document alien flora and fauna while searching for her missing colleague, your view of the world is limited: in the centre of a stylish interface, all you see is a wireframe topographic map pocked with simple shapes. What these look like through human eyes is relayed back to you by Vas, her messages combining scientific detail with awestruck fascination. Your imagination fills in the rest.
For a while, we’re forced to recalibrate our expectations. You’re not completely free to explore; instead, you ping the area to highlight environmental features and objects, choosing one for Vas to swim towards. And though you gain new abilities to bypass hazards and obstacles, whether it’s extra propulsion to withstand strong currents or lobbing gas-filled sacs to make a forest of tall stalks retract, the object you need is always nearby. With abundant samples of organic matter topping up your oxygen and power meters, your survival is never in doubt – although a couple of mazelike areas hurry you along in a way that discourages you from lingering on those delightful details.
It’s relatively easygoing, then: contemplative and calming, yet with a low-lying feeling of peril that goes with the territory. When it’s time to dive deeper, the sight of a silt bank or layered outcrop looming out of the black provokes a flutter of excitement and anticipation. The sound design does much of the heavy lifting, from the echoing whirrs and bleeps of your suit’s tech to a soft whoosh as something suddenly swims by at speed. Then you hear the acid crackle of toxic spores or pools of concentrated brine eating away at your O2 and you know it’s time to move on.
As you catalogue the plants and creatures, an event that occurred prior to your arrival is teased, though the reveal isn’t as satisfying as the build-up. What emerges is a familiar tale of corporate hubris, even if the setting gives it a distinctive edge. Regardless, this is a debut that brims with potential, with Martin proving himself an accomplished world-builder. By the time the story reaches its understated, affecting denouement, it’s clear Vas’s mission is far from over. Her creator’s, we hope, is only just beginning.