BEYOND BLUE

Worth dipping a toe into

Developer E-Line Media, Blue Planet II producer BBC Studios, and OceanX Media (the production arm of the ocean exploration initiative) have partnered to create a unique beast. It doesn’t glow with the bioluminescence of a deep-sea discovery, nor does it always elegantly glide along the currents, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of ocean-ados’ attention.

Playing as Dr Mirai Soto in what is best described as an interactive docudrama, you explore underwater biomes through a series of dives. Far under the waves, you scan and catalogue live specimens while tracking a pod of whales. Your exploration is rewarded with bite-sized, real-world documentary clips that breeze through interviews with ocean experts and present the subject matter with an infectious, wide-eyed enthusiasm.

BIG DRIP

Unfortunately, the in-game art direction doesn’t quite stack up against the breathtaking reality of these clips. The underwater environments you explore as Mirai often feel sparse and, for lack of a better term, washed out in comparison. What elevates these areas and goes some way to selling the awe you’re supposed to feel are the animations and voice performances. Seeing a whale rise from the depths, swimming beside a tiny, awestruck Mirai, is a tableau we aren’t tired of seeing.

A thread of human drama is loosely woven through Mirai’s dives, knitting together the whales’ pod dilemmas with the Sotos’ trials and tribulations. For the most part, the story serves as breathing room between the science, but as its threads draw together in the concluding dive of the expedition we find ourselves choking up. This owes in large part to the voice talent, with lead actress, film maker, and vlogger Anna Akana deftly zigzagging between being an upbeat, deep sea livestreamer and emotional phone calls where words aren’t enough.

What remains compelling throughout is the science. While we would’ve liked a more in-depth look at the subject matter, though what’s here is a worthy, accessible introduction to oceanography and some of the concerns the field faces. If anyone needs us, we’ll be in the sub enjoying Mirai’s excellent playlist and watching the ocean drift by.

VERDICT

A refreshing dip. Things don’t look as impressive under this virtual sea as they do in the video clips, but there’s still plenty to keep you gently bobbing along. Jess Kinghorn