On an unusual planet within the distant future xenobiologist Ellery Vas finds herself by having an old and mysterious dive suit, a planet that needs to be without life teeming with it…simply not at first glance, a missing colleague as well as an incredibly strange AI that appears to have no clue what it’s doing. It’s you. You’re the AI. In Other Waters from Fellow Traveler and Hop over Age thrusts the gamer right into a mystery on several levels as the AI that wakes up with Dr. Vas in the world. Together both of you explore Gliese 667Cc and stick to the clues of Vas’ missing partner Minae Nomura left to uncover the mysteries of this planet and uncover secrets which have been deliberately buried.
At heart In Other Waters is a sci-fi mystery novel meditating on the nature of symbiosis and how what humans do shapes a planet. Were this a movie we’d be seeing stunning visuals worthy of an in-depth ocean documentary narrated by David Attenburrough through Ellery’s eyes as she desperately attempts to uncover how she ended up on Gliese 667Cc, what big government conspiracy disappeared her friend and what's wrong with this particular weirdo AI.
As the weirdo AI you not just help Ellery travel around the ocean and keep her safe, as her rely upon you dips any time you allow her to run out of Oxygen, but additionally become familiar with her and through her, the planet. As the game progresses you begin to find out more of what happened to Earth and who Minae would be to Ellery – they’re totally girlfriends – and why this planet is so important.
In this atmospheric cerebral game the mechanics are almost entirely controlling a dashboard and moving around a topographical map of the alien ocean. Ellery can easily see the wonders of this ocean but you're just an AI and can only go through it through abstract lines and delightful description from a passionate scientist. There’s a steep learning curve using the controls and the start of the game could be frustrating as you learn how to rely on them. There’s only a small group of tasks you can do, scan the area, sample specimens for analysis and deployment to see their effect on the environment and move around however there’s very little initial instruction.
Now, In Other Waters does assume some game literacy from it’s players. However, when you are used to the dashboard and of controlling the suit the sport becomes incredibly entrancing. You slowly start to meet the Intelligence a part of Artificial Intelligence using collected specimens to change the terrain allowing you to reach previously blocked areas and learning more about this world. It’s just you and Vas, puttering around the ocean slowly and methodically with occasional bursts of pleasure, very similar to how research works generally. Although most scientists don’t have such a beautiful soundscape to work within, improving the ethereal atmosphere.
With the gameplay and visuals this straightforward In Other Waters relies heavily on the writing to move the story along and the gamer engaged also it absolutely delivers. Even with the slow slog of collecting samples and also the frustrating times where there’s less than enough instruction to figure out how to proceed next (for example early on hanging around play you reach a dead end and it wasn’t entirely intuitive that that which you required to do to move on is keep collecting examples of specimens until Ellery suggests that you’ve collected enough to investigate), wondering more about the mystery keeps you going while you’re brain wraps itself around exactly what the game is asking of you.
Unfortunately, in handheld mode on the Switch, it can be hard to read the text, particularly when you're back at base and going through logs or reading updated taxonomies and also the text is delivered in big blocks as opposed to the couple lines at a time from Ellery while you’re exploring. A way to focus around the text similar to how you can focus and out of the map would be a helpful addition. For individuals who after finishing the game can’t get an adequate amount of the story there's a companion book set decades after the story – and not recommended to become read before finishing the sport – as the second scientist comes to Gliese 667Cc with Dr. Vas’ notes and sketches.
The timing of In Other Waters release is strangely relevant. Obviously exploring an alien ocean being an AI is nothing like your laboratory doing scientific research but many of the thinking and thought process of research in general is reflected within this game and the message of methods we can’t do things along and need to take care of each other and our world, while always relevant, hits harder in the current moment.
The sampling and testing and retesting and experimentation to see how cells respond to stimuli and also the slow frustrating plod to an response is very reflective of real world research. The sport also examines bias and teaches some science literacy for that player who cares to read through all the notes. When you return to current day earth hopefully it’s with fresh eyes.
A beautifully crafted atmospheric narrative driven game, In Other Waters, dives deep into the lifetime of a scientist uncovering a mysterious in the only way she knows how; trial and error, observation and knowledge collection. While initially a steep learning curve when the player has immersed themself into the game and determined the mechanics it’s a mesmerizing game that’s difficult to put down and hopefully leaves players with a brand new knowledge of the planet around them.
In Other Waters will be accessible on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch April 3rd, 2023 for $14.99 USD.
