Dive Into Our In Other Waters Preview

In Other Waters is an Indie adventure game developed by Jump Over the Age, that harkens back to the days of text-based storytelling with clever writing and an awe-inspiring atmospheric soundtrack. The title originally surfaced on Kickstarter, where In Other Waters was successfully funded and propelled forward on its development journey. 

Gareth Damian Martin is the one-man development team behind the impressive narrative game with an extensive career in procedural poetry and a staggering list of self-taught skills that led to the creation of In Other Waters. To learn more about his thought process and inspiration, Gamespace sat down to ask Gareth some questions and dive a little deeper into his creative process. You can find our interview with Gareth over here.  

Ellery Vas has been called to the strange planet of Gliese 677Cc by her partner Minae Nomura. When she arrives, she is only greeted by the vast emptiness that is the mysterious, alien ocean, Minae’s abandoned base, and a malfunctioning diving suit. When she powers it on, however, she discovers that she isn’t completely alone.

You are the sentient Artificial Intelligence in the diving suit that guides xenobiologist Ellery Vas through the endless ocean of Gliese. The waters are a vast, swirling blue that holds an abundance of creatures and secrets yet to be studied. Somewhere out there, Ellery’s partner Minae must be studying them, too. But the waters aren’t always calm and serene. There are dangers lurking beneath the ocean that will test your bond and make you question the history of this place.

From the beginning, In Other Waters sets the tone for a unique, narrative experience. You aren’t the protagonist of this series, and you aren’t seeing the world in technicolor. No, you are the trusty sidekick, and instead, you rely on Ellery’s descriptions and log notes to piece together the world around you. 

As someone who loves theatre of the mind and gets lost in a visual world while reading books, this approach felt like home. The minimalist but intuitive AI interface comes packed with sonar detection to help you with directing Ellery through the ocean. All around you, you can see the ridges and lines of reefs and crags, but the creatures themselves are seen strictly through the lens of Ellery’s point of view. You will move from creature to creature, exploring the foreign landscape and collecting various samples that tell you more about their ecosystem and in turn, can prove to be a vital key to your survival.

Gliese is endless and strange. In some ways, it resembles Earth-but it holds many dark secrets beneath its sleeping dunes. The secret of Minae’s disappearance is central to the story. Why did she call Ellery to the planet so suddenly, and then disappear? Is it possible that she’s really still alive out there somewhere? We won’t know until we dive a little deeper, and it’s too late to turn back now.

For now, the official release date for In Other Waters is set for Spring 2020 and will be available to play on PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. I’m very excited that In Other Waters will also be coming to the Switch because it feels like one of those games you want to take along with you. Like a good book, the story is way too good to put down, and the Switch would allow you to continue your expedition with Ellery away from your desk.