🌊 In Other Waters | Review | Nintendo Switch | "Explore This Underwater Odyssey With Me" 🌊 @InOtherWaters #GameDev #IndieGames

When you think of “In Other Waters” on the Nintendo Switch you should imagine a text adventure-style video game overlayed with a simple but elegant UI that is steeped in atmospheric light puzzle-solving mechanics along with an intriguing storyline and an emerging control system.

The game does not hold your hand and you are quite literally thrown into the deep end to try and work out what the hell is going on with some subtle suggestion from the xenobiologist you accompany. You’ll initially be tasked with working out how to work the suit that you occupy deep beneath the ocean waters. 

You’ll find yourself in a loop of traversing the sea bed and scanning the immediate area for samples and clues to try and work out what is inhabiting the area. 

The game world has the stylistic look of an underwater topographic map which gives you very simple details of the surrounding area and those details are fleshed out by the use of text descriptions given by the xenobiologist who is accompanying you on this journey.

My biggest tip for this game would be to plug in those earphones and soak up the atmospheric sound of the ocean bed as you try and unravel an intriguing mystery with this minimalist style video game.

The pace of the game is slow, methodical and tranquil as you move around sampling and scanning and it really does a great job of immersing you into this world and also makes you really pay attention to the text descriptions that pop up in your HUD.

My initial issue with the game though was the lack of a sufficient tutorial which led to me getting stuck on how to take a sample from the sea bed. It meant that I had to watch a playthrough video and try and get clues from that on how to take a sample. But once you overcome these initial teething problems then this game really comes into its own with its foreboding atmosphere.

There were also a few occasions where I found myself scratching my head as to what the next objective was. At that point, you only have text records to fall back on to try and unpick from the conversations what your next objective actually is. This can be quite tricky when you are looking at a topographic map that doesn’t necessarily show you much detail or give you many clues as to what your next move should be.

There is definitely a SOMA comparison in this game somewhere as you traverse a lonely underwater world with a companion who talks at you as you progress. It feels like a deconstructed version of SOMA with text adventure sensibilities.

Summary
This game is Part exploration, Part resource management interlaced with an intriguing story and it really manages to pull off transporting you to an underwater world of mystery and slight terror at what could be laying around the next corner as you traverse the otherworldy canyons and currents.

I’d recommend giving this chilled out adventure a go at the amazing price of £13 this needs to make its way into the library of gamers who enjoy exploring at their own pace.

Right, I’m off to scan a shattered atrium for glittering stalks and take some samples back to my waystation.

❄️ RATING: ICE COOL ❄️

Ratings Explained

ICE COOL (Great Game Recommended)

MELTING (Recommended with reservations, one to consider if you are a fan of the genre)

MELTED (Not A Recommended Purchase)