![]() Beyond Blue never tests its players or places any challenges. ![]() Panning along a creature can be a chore as camera angles make reaching specific points a test of one’s dexterity.Īdditionally, the lack of any threat in the game further reinforces the game’s goal of being educational and does detract its “fun factor”. However, drone scanning sequences can be tricky. Diving motions are all smooth and appear accurately represented. There’s no awkwardness when it comes to the diving animations. The swimming controls are tight and responsive. Tight Swimming Controls, Pesky Drone Camera The insights clips that are well produced and quite informative. It’s here that the game presents its educational and activist aspect. Scanning more oceanic wildlife unlocks live-action documentary-style “insights” that can be accessed in the submarine section or the main menu.Įach insight clip is a few minutes long and is an interview with real-life marine biologists, scientists, and experts. Beyond Blue heavily relies on scanning mechanics via the manta ray drone as the game’s main interactive element. However, unlike other walking simulators, there are no puzzles or threats to break up progress. Then its rinse and repeat until the loop breaks up during submarine sections. Once you reach your destination, players then proceed to scan the animal or object of interest via the zoom scan feature from a futuristic-looking manta ray drone. The more you scan the animals the more information players unlock in the scan log available in the submarine. Mirai can scan various ocean wildlife along the way. The buoy reveals waypoints that players must travel to. Mirai begins a dive by traveling to a buoy and scans for different creatures and/or anomalies from afar. While the main narrative wasn’t poorly written or suffered any gaping plot holes, it didn’t leave the same lasting impression as the conversations in the submarine sections.īeyond Blue is described as an adventure game that plays more like a “walking simulator”. ![]() As a “walking simulator” the main storyline is a key factor to keep players engaged. However, by the end of Beyond Blue, I felt that the main narrative wasn’t as strongly written as Mirai’s relationships with her teammates and sister were. Quick sarcastic quips and brief moments of tension are found during the “drier” submarine section of the game, no pun intended. It’s during these segments where the game’s dialogue truly shines since conversations are a lot more personable and really flesh out the characters. These conversations add intimacy to the protagonist and shed some light on her personal life outside the ocean. Ren recently resumed her studies, but that’s a testy subject between the sisters. The latter dropped out of university for some time and is now looking after their dementia-stricken grandmother. Likewise, Mirai’s personal story is depicted through Ren. Scanning the previously mentioned creatures opens up new dialogue with teammates that makes for endearing conversations. The sub allows Mirai to catch up with André and Irina about their research progress. These calls and messages are the main mechanisms that relay the game’s main narrative and the protagonist’s personal story. Here, she can play audio messages left by her teammates and her sister Ren. The teammates even come up with their own inside joke about an octopus that repeatedly shows up on different levels.Ĭonversely, in between each dive, Mirai returns back to her decked out submarine. Whereas, Irina is more taken with giant squids. For instance, scanning sea turtle piques Andre’s attention open up more about his softer side from his rough exterior. During dives, Mirai can research other creatures that interest her teammates. The team is tasked with following a pod (or family) of sperm whales in order to study their songs. Throughout the game, Mirai’s journey takes her deeper below the mesmerizing waters of the Western Pacific Ocean. PAX East 2020 Interview: Beyond Blue Community Manager It’s worth noting that OceanX is a real-life ocean exploration initiative and produce the same live-streaming content as Beyond Blue depicts. Alongside her are André and Irina who support Mirai as she dives deep into the ocean. Players take control of Mirai, a young deep-sea explorer and marine scientist infatuated with studying whales. Set in the near future, Beyond Blue takes place in the Western Pacific and follows an OceanX team deployed in the Pacific Ocean. Does Beyond Blue float or sink? Check out the full review below. Developers E-Line Media said the game takes inspiration from the BBC’s Blue Planet II documentary. The game is a narrative-driven adventure title that puts you in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond Blue sits in an interesting place in video games, documentaries, and activism.
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