This one is by indie studio Jump Over the Age in London, also responsible for the popular Citizen Sleeper games. In Other Waters (2020) is a minimalistic sci-fi adventure game, with exploration and analysis part of your journey.
All set to a backdrop of blue and yellow, making for an appealing visual experience with some ambient water music to go along with it. Whilst a cut back game with few graphical flourishes, it’s also a meditative experience and one to thoroughly savour.
Minimalistic Aquatic Exploration In Other Waters
You can pick the game up on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. Jump Over the Age is another of those one-person indie devs. Gareth Damian Martin is the man behind the project.
In this one, the xenobiologist Ellery Vas who works for an interplanetary mining corporation arrives at the alien planet Gliese 667 Cc. Players take control of the AI she interacts with, with the goal of moving an underwater craft around to explore the marine lift and collect alien samples.
It’s a simple game—one about observation. You don’t interact with the environment, Ellery does all of that. She provides analysis and directions, which you carry out underwater in serene fashion.
It’s a bit like action-adventure survival game Subnautica (2018) in that respect, but minus the cutting-edge graphics and excessive resource management side of things.
Soon, the game’s woozy yellows and blues quite pretty captivating. She continues setting little missions, you complete them, explore, and revel in the alien world.
As yellow is our favourite colour, we loved all that side of it—the striking graphical style of minimalism works a treat here. There’s also a fab ambient score by American composer and audio designer Amos Roddy.
In Other Waters launched just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking off, so it was one of many video games offering a therapeutic antidote. That capacity remains as politics ramps up the anxiety all over again.
We should imagine many people playing this game would want to be Ellery Vas alone on Gliese 667 Cc.
Anyway, there’s around five hours of gameplay time here. In Other Waters won’t be for everyone, but if science and exploration are a thing for you then it’s well worth a look.
Its calming nature, through hypnotic art and music, complement the sense of adventure. Your imagination does a lot of the work, turning yellow dots into curious alien lifeforms, but don’t go in expecting a fast-paced experience. If you want something more visually dramatic then try out the beautiful ABZÛ (2016).
But if In Other Waters does look like your thing, then here’s a classic example of methodical world building. All to the tune of yellow squid.
