Aquamarine is an underwater exploration game inspired by Moebius
Moebius ship
I'm glad that weird underwater planets are in vogue. Nothing brims with possibility like a good alien ocean, and if the Aquamarine Kickstarter succeeds then I'll get to explore one more.
It's "a small-scale, point-and-click exploration game" about moseying around the seafloor in search of your crashed spaceship, as well as answers to hidden mysteries in the planet's past. Of course there are hidden mysteries in the planet's past.
That seabed looks a little sparse, but I'm digging those beaky shrimp creatures. I'm pretty sure this is a GIF of one trying to cuddle up to you.
It loos like attacking those creatures is on the table, though that's not your only option. Does friendship count as a tactical manoeuvre?
"Aquamarine is a turn-based game, emphasizing defense and tactical maneuvers over combat, and focuses on collecting and managing limited resources, deciphering a dynamic ecosystem, and unraveling the planet's mysterious history through puzzles and exploration. Over the course of the game, players will upgrade and customize their escape pod with a number of special abilities and tap into the planet's natural elements to power their progress."
I'd say you can see for yourself in this pre-alpha demo, though unless it's broken or I'm an idiot all you can do is drag your escape pod around a tiny area.
In the actual game, upgrading your ship will open up different approaches: "Your progress through the story is linked to what your ship is capable of and what you do with those capabilities. Will you bash your way through everything? Zip circles around your obstacles? Rearrange the environment until it suits your needs?"
If the art looks familiar, that's because it's inspired by the work of Moebius. He's an artist known for drawing these gorgeously detailed alien worlds, which are just aching to be expanded and explored. If developers Moebial Studios (they're really into him) can reach their £19,000 Kickstarter target in the next 14 days, then that will become a reality. If it doesn't, we'll just have to hope that Sable has us covered.
You can head over to the Aquamarine Kickstarter page for the details I've missed here.
Fans of pootling around oceans and going 'oooh' might want to check out the splendid Subnautica, or the upcoming In Other Waters for a more cerebral coral-fest.
I feel like you should know that in the course of writing this news post I spent two and a half minutes mesmerised by this trailer for the 2006 film Aquamarine, which is about two girls who help a mermaid get with a surfer so they can wish for one of their mums to not move to Australia. The relationship between that and this game is as yet unconfirmed.