In Other Waters (2020)

Something I value highly in pieces of art is the atmosphere and environment they create, as well as the different ways that they create atmosphere. In Other Waters is basically a UI/menu game entirely (I don't know if there is a name for this type of game), but manages to create an immersive and beautiful atmosphere.

Much of the atmosphere is created by music and sound effects. There isn't much to look at visually, but the world still feels lively and fresh. Ellery is represented by a dot for the entire game but still has personality and we still feel connected to her, sharing her experience. I think the sameness of the visuals and music (though brilliant) makes the moments where music and visuals change very impactful. Descending into the depths is exciting because I spent the whole of the game in the bright and lively environment near the surface. And this whole time all I'm looking at is a relief map and moving dots.

I already forget parts of the story and would struggle to name any of the creatures. that doesn't mean that the story is bad or the environment uninteresting; it reminded me a lot of the environment and scanner logs in Subnautica. But in Subnautica you get a lot more than just logs to tell you about the environment. The environment in In Other Waters feels almost as lively without doing nearly as much. Creatures are represented by moving dots.

The main impression that I'm left with after playing In Other Waters is of the atmosphere. Subnautica only became my favorite game a few months after I played it when I heard music from it and was struck by the impression that it's atmosphere had on my memory. I realized how invested and immersed I had been in the world. A similar thing happened with In Other Waters. the atmosphere is so good that my memory of the game is essentially a flashback to the immersion I felt when playing it.

Some moments were annoying, like when I was trying to read a log or description of the place I had travelled to but I was being rushed by the toxic water or power running out. the game thrives on establishing an environment so moments that stopped me from experiencing that environment were upsetting. I want to read all the logs and absorb every piece of environment that I can. I want to play Citizen Sleeper now

I wouldn't normally have picked up a game like this, but having played (and loved) Citizen Sleeper it seemed like a safe bet that there would be more to it than met the eye.

And there is. The thrill of discovery as you enter each new area for the first time is shockingly visceral for a game rendered in monochromatic topographical maps, and the story, it turns out, is a compelling mystery with a strong (if necessarily obvious) message. And Amos Roddy's music and sound design once again lend the whole thing the perfect ambience.

Where I stumbled was in the gameplay itself, and the larger vision the game has beyond its main storyline. The main problem is that the mechanics were clearly designed for PC, and on Switch they often felt clunky, even unresponsive (the Switch once again revealing its performance limitations). As much as I like the idea of just throwing a bunch of button prompts on screen and letting the player figure it out for themselves, once I'd done that I was mostly just annoyed at having to use a handful of buttons to cycle through menus that were clearly designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard.

Then there's the marine biology of it all. And I just...I just don't care that much about marine biology. So what's supposed to be the main part of the game, learning about the various lifeforms and collecting samples, I found kind of tedious and boring. And the sidequests to find the additional samples you need to complete various taxonomy entries are especially annoying because the game only lets you access the dive map from the base, not while you're actually in the water looking for the damn thing, so I have no way of knowing if I've gone too far or took a wrong turn or what.

But that's kind of on me, right? I played a marine biology game despite not being that into marine biology, so I'm not going to punish the game for that. And like I said, the story and even some of the exploration were really compelling (to the point that when I was exploring the Bloom, the Abyss, and the abandoned Baikal facilities I sometimes even forgot I was just looking at a topographical map and felt like I was actually seeing the environment being described, which is an impressive achievement; also those Baikal facilities had big Horizon Zero Dawn energy and I mean that in the best possible way).

So it's definitely not a bad game, and all told I'd say I mostly enjoyed it. But I went into it wanting to enjoy it, so if you're not already invested and the marine biology of it all doesn't interest you, you might bounce off. Also maybe don't play on Switch.

p.s. I did enjoy reading A Study Of Gliese 667Cc, which kind of lets you get a lot of the science without having to do all the work, and has some beautiful illustrations. It also serves as an epilogue to the game that some might find a little more satisfying than the in-game ending, though honestly I don't think I actually needed it, and it still doesn't answer the main plot question I had, which is "what about the Artificers?"

p.p.s. I really can't say why I have such a hard time getting invested in eco-fiction, but for whatever reason it generally just does not resonate with me emotionally, even though intellectually I'm totally on board. Probably I just don't spend enough time outside?

p.p.p.s. Would be hilarious if I'm completely wrong and the mechanics were actually designed for Switch and then those limitations were abandoned for PC. I mean, I don't think I am, because it's not like you couldn't replicate the effect with keyboard if you really wanted to. But it would be funny.

p.p.p.p.s. I appreciate that the game lets you roleplay a bit even though you don't know anything about yourself or the world (to start with, anyway), it helps make the dialogue sections a little more interesting.

p.p.p.p.p.s. I definitely noticed the telltale signs of "this game was written by one person" a lot more here than in Citizen Sleeper, but I'd probably just chalk that up to this having come first. The fact that it's less noticeable in the later game just shows Martin's getting better at their craft. Which makes me even more excited for CS2. For which I was already quite excited.

What a beautiful, beautiful game. Pretty much perfection. One of the most unique gameplay's I've had the pleasure of experiencing in a very long time, and an emotional storyline that hits a bit too close to home. They managed to highlight humanity's selfishness and greed with an amazing sci-fi take on aliens and articifial intelligence.

Do yourself a favour, sit down, play this in one go with headphones on (because the soundtrack is truely a masterpiece in itself) and get lost in this gorgeous world, you won't regret it!