In Other Waters is a 2020 adventure game for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch. Players take on the role of an AI that assists a xenobiologist in exploring an alien world.
| In Other Waters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Jump Over the Age |
| Publisher(s) | Fellow Traveller |
| Designer(s) | Gareth Damian Martin |
| Writer(s) | Gareth Damian Martin |
| Composer(s) | Amos Roddy |
| Engine | Unity[1] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows macOS Nintendo Switch |
| Release | 3 April 2020 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editEllery Vas, a xenobiologist employed by an interplanetary mining corporation, arrives on alien planet Gliese 667 Cc. Players control an artificial intelligence Ellery depends on to monitor her life support, collect and analyze samples, and manage the goals she sets for the mission. Players cannot directly interact with the world itself but receive feedback from Ellery based on her observations.[2]
Development
editJump Over the Age is a one-person studio based in London.[3] Gareth Damian Martin did most of the game development themself. Although they had experience in the industry, they are self-taught in developing games in Unity. Martin said they wanted to create a world using text and the game's user interface rather than direct experience. The initial idea came when Martin combined three interests: diving, climate change and video games.[1]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 74/100[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 7/10 |
| Eurogamer | Recommended[5] |
| Game Informer | 6.25/10[6] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[8] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[11] |
| Nintendo Life | 9/10[10] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9.5/10[9] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 80/100[7] |
On Metacritic, the PC version received mixed reviews, and the Switch version received positive reviews.[12][13] Alice Bell of Rock Paper Shotgun called it a "very meditative" game that is "possibly exactly what you need right now". Bell wrote that, even when uncovering dark secrets about the planet, it "remains calming and lovely".[14] Also describing it as "meditative", Eurogamer's reviewer, Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, recommended the game for its "hypnotic art, otherworldly audio and captivating writing".[2] Rachel Watts of PC Gamer called it "a gentle and engrossing underwater sci-fi game that will have you thinking about more than what lies beneath the waves".[15] Writing for Game Informer, Matthew Kato said that it "succeeds more as an exercise in world building than as an exciting adventure game" because of the lack of puzzles and repetitive gameplay.[16]
See also
edit- List of underwater science fiction works
- Citizen Sleeper – the developer's next game
References
edit- ^ a b Byrnes, Emily (March 3, 2020). "Interview With The Mind Behind In Other Waters: Gareth Damian Martin". GameSpace.com. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (May 4, 2020). "In Other Waters review - an ocean sanctuary for the meditative explorer". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "Gareth Damian Martin". Twitter. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "In Other Waters Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (April 2, 2020). "In Other Waters review - an ocean sanctuary for the meditative explorer". Eurogamer. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Kato, Matthew (April 3, 2020). "In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Watts, Rachel (April 1, 2020). "In Other Waters review". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- ^ Wildgoose, David (April 3, 2020). "In Other Waters Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ DeWitte, Joel (April 14, 2021). "In Other Waters (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Gipp, Stuart (April 14, 2021). "In Other Waters Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ L'avis de (April 15, 2020). "Test In Other Waters : une plongée abstraite au coeur d'un océan alien". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ "In Other Waters (PC)". Metacritic. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ "In Other Waters (Switch)". Metacritic. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Bell, Alice (May 31, 2020). "Wot I Think: In Other Waters". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Watts, Rachel (April 1, 2020). "In Other Waters review". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Kato, Matthew (March 31, 2020). "In Other Waters Review – The Pursuit Of Knowledge". GameInformer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
Further reading
edit- Chalk, Andy (April 3, 2020). "Sci-fi exploration game In Other Waters is out today". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Clayton, Natalie (February 8, 2020). "In Other Waters invites you to map out alien seas this Spring". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Cox, Matt (February 8, 2018). "In Other Waters explores an alien ocean through a unique interface". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Crowley, Nate (March 28, 2020). "In Other Waters is emphatically not Subnautica". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Helm, Jordan (April 3, 2020). "Review: In Other Waters". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Hetfeld, Malindy (July 25, 2019). "In Other Waters lets you scan the ocean for new life". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- Oxford, Nadia (April 3, 2020). "In Other Waters Feeds My Dream of Meeting Europa's Alien Life". USgamer. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
