In Other Waters

A lonely alien ocean becomes a place of scientific wonder and quiet dread in In Other Waters, a narrative exploration game built around observation rather than action. You guide xenobiologist Ellery Vas as the AI inside her damaged diving suit after her search for missing partner Minae leads to an abandoned facility on Gliese 677Cc. Beneath the planet’s surface lies a beautifully strange ecosystem, from luminous coral-like shallows to crushing black trenches, and every descent brings both new lifeforms and unsettling clues. The mood is contemplative, intimate, and occasionally ominous, with environmental collapse and the definition of life sitting at the heart of its story.

Control comes through an elegant, abstract interface that resembles a scientific navigation display rather than a conventional first-person diving view. Players plot routes across a seafloor map, interpret odd signals, manage suit resources, scan organisms, collect samples, and use new equipment to reach previously inaccessible regions. Progress revolves around curiosity: a newly identified species may reveal an ecological connection, while an upgrade or discovered route opens another section of the ocean. Between expeditions, Ellery returns to base to analyze specimens, write observations, and speak with the AI guiding her, allowing their unusual relationship to develop through limited but meaningful communication.

Its stripped-back visual presentation is the standout feature, using symbols, maps, sound, and Ellery’s evocative notes to make players imagine the alien sea for themselves. Rather than treating cataloguing as busywork, the game makes classification and ecological study feel like genuine discovery, rewarding attention to how creatures behave and relate to one another. There is no combat-driven pressure and little interest in traditional challenge, so its strongest appeal is for players who enjoy thoughtful science fiction, environmental storytelling, and slow exploration. Fans of Citizen Sleeper, Subnautica’s sense of discovery, or atmospheric interactive fiction find a distinctive, more meditative journey here, while impatient players seeking constant action may find its deliberate pace too restrained.