Under Waves highlight our story from gamescom

By the way, one of the important themes for the French team of 12 is to draw attention to the beauty of the seas using Under the Waves and thus focus more on the importance of protecting the oceans.

As Game Director Ronan Koavik (remember me, life is strange) told me in an interview, his father was a sailor, which made Increased pollution of the seas Oil and plastic have always been an important family issue.

This is how Under the Waves plays

By the way, despite the obvious focus on the story, Under the Waves is not a classic linear walking simulator that goes perfectly without real gameplay. Instead, I found a narrative adventure in which I could freely explore the ocean with Stan whether swimming, walking, or in a little yellow submarine. If the oxygen tank runs out, I also have to supply fresh air with oxygen sticks.

Although I can follow the story from the underwater station, I can also decide to explore the underwater open world in search of artifacts, discover caves and shipwrecks or simply enjoy the great atmosphere next to the blue whale swimming next to it. The more time we spend off the beaten path at Under the Waves, the more we learn about the mystery surrounding the orchard.

Somewhat scary, but also nice to meet a huge whale on the dark sea floor.

different endings: If Stan uses his oxygen wands to get more oxygen, they remain garbage in the game world. You see plastic polluting the seas again and again.

So my question to game director Ronan was if we could get a more positive ending to the game by collecting it. Indeed, Under the Waves offers several endings depending on our playing style and I already know who will catch every PET bottle from the North Sea for the 2023 release.

So sad and beautiful

Human suffering and Stan’s grief, these points are the crux of the Under the Waves story and after watching them I can very well imagine we’ll have an emotionally gripping game that we won’t soon forget.

Also because the place, the atmosphere and the sound completely absorb you. With the headphones turned on, you are literally drawn into a completely different world. Parralel Studios has already shown in the demo that they understand how to bring out a deep story both visually and acoustically.

It’s often the emotional stories from games like Firewatch, Journey, or What Remains of Edith Finch that stick in our minds even years after the end of the game. According to the first impression, Under the Waves is just like this game.

With deep-sea diver Stan, Parallel Studios wants to tell a story of sadness and loneliness while at the same time drawing attention to the increasing pollution of the seas by showing the beauty of this world, which is so surreal to us.

The fantastic underwater locations, captured by an excellently melancholy and harmonious soundtrack, make me want to experience the mystery surrounding Stan’s story and drive even more. So Under the Waves is the highlight of my story from gamescom and I’m really looking forward to the release next year.