In Other Waters Critic Reviews

While the action of playing the game is threadbare, the tone being set between the repetitive motions of exploration, your doctoral companion’s calm demeanor, a serene and mysterious accompaniment, and the satisfaction of each new discovery makes for a divine experience. If you’re looking for an interactive balm for your spare time or something to sate a sense of discovery without needing action-packed stimulation, sink into these waters and let them wash over you.

In other waters, the fear of the ocean is a fear of systems. Systems of the natural and artificial are spun around, submerged beneath the surface, and retrieved from the sample bay to make purpose of life and meaning from death. The last time I visited the beach was at sunrise. I dropped a friend off at an international airport, drove on a highway out of the city, took a right before the Space Center, and ended up in Cocoa as the red light of the sun breached the horizon. You’re never far from the ocean in Florida. And every day of my life here I have done more to harm the biome through natural and artificial systems than a jellyfish every could to my lone body. It’s not clear, but we don’t need an AI to tell us what we’ve done. In the reflection of other waters, I see a fear of us.

In Other Waters’ best quality is just that: it makes you feel like you’re in other waters. It’s a well written exploration game that, while short, provides an interesting story. If this is the form the classic text adventure returns in, In Other Waters leads the charge with its immersive soundscape and imagination sparking descriptions.

In Other Waters caresses the senses, stimulates curiosity and hits hard with an extremely deep story. An alien ocean to explore, discovering an incredibly fascinating ecosystem, to be protected at all costs.

A very pleasant surprise indeed, In Other Waters is a bit of a minimalist masterpiece that you'll often want to dip into for a more contemplative experience than the majority of the Switch's library. It has found a perfect home on the handheld, the form factor of which massively works in the favour of the game's mood and atmosphere to create an exceptional and unique experience. What you're getting here is a story that you're an integral part of, and it's one of the coolest, cleverest games we've played in a long time. An absolutely first-class effort.

So that’s In Other Waters – a play-it-on-its-own-terms sci-fi adventure that’s enormously niche, but excels at what it sets out to do. For those who like to see hard-sci-fi, and a plausible representation of what life on other planets could be like, this is sure to be a fascinating game which will have you dreaming up theories for weeks. But be warned as well though, this is a game which demands effort from the player and isn’t afraid of standing out from genre fare. So if you’re ready to take the plunge with an open mind, the waters of Gliese 667Cc are calling, with a voice unlike any you’ve heard before.

I had an amazing time with In Other Waters. It’s a game I’d happily play over and over just for the overall combination of colors, sounds, and exploration. The story acts as a reminder of why we should treat our oceans, and each other, with more kindness. If you’re even remotely interested in marine biology, you’ll never put your Switch down.

In Other Waters is a unique, dreamy experience that rewards your patience and time. It features one of the most elegant and thoughtful UIs in a game, and a clever, precise text to build a world worth exploring.

Minimalist adventuring that’s original, clever, and soothing – and a perfect example that gameplay and atmosphere is always more important than high-tech graphics.

Whilst it takes a longer than normal to get used to the controls and can sometimes feel sluggish, In Other Waters is a beautifully designed and wonderfully written exploration game.

With an engaging sci-fi story and its minimalist style, In Other Waters manages to draw you into its mysterious story and brings the alien environments to life through your imagination. There are some performance issues that can detract from the experience, but overall, In Other Waters is a journey worth taking.

In Other Waters is a slow-paced and oddly satisfying game that asks for your patience and imagination. It is like reading a book where you are transported into a completely different world, and with each discovery Ellery makes the environment becomes more detailed and beautiful. With full control of the expedition that engages the player from the moment the game starts, In Other Waters is highly interactive and unapologetically detailed, a little slower and a lot more reading than I would have preferred, but an overall impressive experience.

Few developers would have the resources to portray this undersea world in all of its glory, but while Martin’s approach might have begun as a compromise, it’s executed with such confidence that In Other Waters feels like the only game he ever would have wanted to make. For those who like their sci-fi on the sophisticated side, it’s one of the year’s hidden gems.

Quotation forthcoming.

The game offers a refreshing focus on its sense of place rather than ease of play.

If the idea of staring at a radar screen, reading the descriptions of aquatic alien creatures, and spending time with an inquisitive scientist doesn't sound like your gameplay cup of tea, then you might not get much out of this. For those looking for a thoughtful science-fiction story, In Other Waters will certainly give you enough to let your imagination go wild.

Looks can be deceiving, and while In Other Waters does look too simple for its own good, it's a title overflowing with depth. Between a well written script, intensely atmospheric sound design that begs for headphone use, and methodically slow pacing, it's hard not to think of Ellery Vas' expedition through the depths of Gliese 677Cc long after all is said and done. Moody and sombre, In Other Waters is a must read… and must play.

In Other Waters tells an intriguing tale that will get you thinking, but only if its slow crawl to the finish doesn't turn you away.

In Other Waters is a complex and refined videogame. Its narrative is very deep, and impactful; the sound design is excellent, and the story deals with meaningful topics. Sadly, the level design is simplistic and often banal, and not rarely it messes up the evocative atmosphere.

In Other Waters is a pretty unique experience, characterized by an amazingly crafted art direction, but plagued by some flaws in the gameplay flow. We recommend playing it on your TV, because in handheld mode the UI and the text size can become pretty painful.