![]() The main story about the sperm whale family is a nice through line to tie the various dives together, as a baby is soon born and you’ll be eager to follow both mother and calf’s progress in the precarious time afterward, especially when it becomes clear that some kind of man-made noise in the ocean is spooking the all-female pod, while algal blooms might prove something of a more tangible threat. It is rather slow going, even when toggling the faster speed option, but for the most part that’s fine, as Beyond Blue is all about the journey rather than the destination. Swimming is simple, either with the WASD keys or a gamepad, and as you spend most of your time in open water, you won’t have to fuss much with any sort of precision. A compass is permanently displayed at the top of the screen, but it isn’t really needed as all your objectives are clearly marked on the display screen, including the distance to target. You’ll suit up already equipped with everything you need, including different types of scanners and lights. I called this a “simulation” earlier but really that isn’t true either, as you don’t have to worry about oxygen or pressure or any kind of danger at all. Over the course of eight dives spanning fourteen days, your primary task is to track and monitor a family of sperm whales across a number of distinct environments at different depths, but along the way you’ll encounter and catalogue over forty other distinct species, collect biochemical specimens, activate underwater buoys, and investigate both natural and unnatural phenomena, stopping only for the occasional break back at your vessel to touch base with your sister back home who’s dealing with your ailing grandmother. Together with fellow scientists André and Irina, you are part of a three-person team launching an online Ocean Sense Network to study, record, and even livestream underwater ecosystems. ![]() Mirai Soto, the lone diver aboard a submersible in the Western Pacific. The game puts players in the flippers of Dr. Still, with its superb production values, a slight but ongoing narrative with surprising emotional weight, and a number of educational extras to boot, it’s well worth taking the plunge for anyone with an interest in aquatic life. There are no puzzles and only the most rudimentary of objectives to complete throughout its short three-hour playtime, so it’s more of a simulation than an adventure game proper, which makes for a rather single-minded experience. Which is good, because here’s the rub: Beyond Blue isn’t really much of a game. As much as I enjoyed 2016’s ABZÛ, and as similar as the two titles are in many respects, that game was a more artistic take on marine exploration, whereas this one is more focused on realism and even education. Real divers might take exception to that description, of course, but without the benefit of firsthand comparison, I can safely say that Beyond Blue is the nearest I’ve ever felt to exploring the ocean’s depths. Or at least, I did until games like E-Line Media’s Beyond Blue came along and made me feel like I was actually there. To venture any deeper than that, I need to live vicariously through brilliant underwater TV features like the BBC’s Blue Planet series. ![]() I mean, really, what’s a Wookiee or a Klingon got on a bottom-dwelling anglerfish, giant squid, devil ray or a Benjamin Button-like de-aging jellyfish for weirdness? Alas, being more than a little claustrophobic (elevators: fine, submarines at a thousand meters down: out!), the closest I’ll ever come is a whale watching boat tour or a coral reef snorkel. As a lifelong fan of oceans, I’d love nothing more than to do a deep-sea dive to explore a world-within-our-world that’s far more fascinating and imaginative than any sci-fi planet ever conceived.
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