You can dive into In Other Waters' extraterrestrial oceans today
Dive deeper
In Other Waters sounds quite beautiful. It looks nice as well, with that cyan and yellow scheme above, but the most beautiful parts about it you won't see at all. They're described to you, an exosuit AI, by the xenobiologist wearing you while exploring an ocean full of alien lifeforms. The manage-y, explore-y, narrative-y sci-fi game is out today so you're welcome to dive in. The water's fine.
Biologist Ellery Vas has arrived on a foreign planet to find a deserted base and surrounded by unfamiliar ocean lifeforms. As her suit AI, it's your job to keep Ellery safe as she uncovers the history of the planet and catalogs new species she finds. You'll spend the game interacting with the world through your interface, not exploring the world in 3D as Ellery does. She keeps you abreast of all the sights despite your lack of blinkin' human eyes.
Alice B's given this one a go, which you can read in her In Other Waters review. "In Other Waters remains calming and lovely throughout because the terrible secret already happened decades ago, and the planet survived," she says of the setting. "Life adapted, changed, and eventually thrived again. So there’s no burden on your shoulders, really."
"Ellery even describes the way-points you travel to as you scan and discover them, so that In Other Waters becomes almost like reading a dreamy, science-y novel," Alice says. "Eventually, if you complete the study of a creature or plant, Ellery will even include a sketch. Only a little one, though. Only a stolen glimpse, so your imagination isn’t totally ruined."
It sounds quite lovely—meditative, maybe—living or dying based on the quality of the writing. Alice says that's top notch as well.
In Other Waters is out today. You can find it over on Steam or GOG for £11.39/$14.99/€12.49.
Disclosure: In Other Waters is largely the work of Gareth Damian Martin, who wrote about Echo for RPS one time, but who hasn't written for us by now? Maybe one day I'll pen a game and RPS will have to disclose me. What a day that'll be.