#New form beyond blue series
Additionally, we can read more about the animals or watch a series of video documentaries (that have nothing to do with the narrative). Naturally, she takes questions from viewers and answers them, taking the opportunity to just talk and give information about the sea, in a way talking to the player, without sounding weird or out of place. Our character is doing some live-streaming underwater, showing the majestic creatures to the public. Anyway, it’s a story that’s more effective than I initially thought it’d be and this approach should be followed by more people who make educational games.Īlso, the premise is used -cleverly- as an excuse to give us straightforward exposition about the fish.
However, the introduction of choice-based dialogue is not needed here and distracts a bit. It’s a clever twist and the game is a lot better because of it. The stories themselves are decent, serviceable and interesting enough, the writing is passable too, and the voice actors do a surprisingly good job in portraying the protagonists.Īs a result, we have a narrative structure that is not very exciting, but it gets the job done and manages to ground the documentary part of the game in reality, to make us care about the whales and the grandma. You will learn about a co-worker’s marriage, you will talk to your sister about your grandma who has health problems and, in general, you will get to know the characters that make up the small cast. This gives the game a clear structure, further defined by the small side-stories that are about Mirai’s colleagues and their lives. You control a woman named Mirai and dive in deep (and shallow too) waters to follow a family of whales and record their movement and behaviour, for science reasons. In a clever move, the developers tried to inject some story and personality in their docu-game. Well, it’s a noble cause and learning about sea creatures is always intriguing -and done well here- but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired.įirst of all, let’s talk about the school stuff. So, Beyond Blue wants to teach me about the sea and the fish that swim in its waters, while also talking about the impact of human behaviour. This game, Beyond Blue, is not a ton of fun, but I have to acknowledge that it really tries to do its best -and sometimes it succeeds too. If it’s not fun, I could as easily watch a documentary or something. A game that tries to teach us something should do so while being fun to play, if it wants to catch my attention and maintain it. Beyond Blue features content from the BBC's Blue Planet II, and was developed with input from oceanographers and other experts, to ensure accuracy in the depiction of all its ocean creatures.īeyond Blue releases during World Ocean's Week: the week of June 8th.Educational video games tend to be weird, because they struggle to find balance between school and fun.
We previously had a look at the game, and discussed how it aims for realism and "literal science". We can also see glimpses of how the player will interact with ocean life, and the contrasting environments to be found throughout the game. Mirai's research and exploration abilities can be seen in the trailer, as can her communication with her research team. They'll be using "groundbreaking technologies to see, hear, and interact with the ocean in a more meaningful way than has ever been attempted" and while the game seems to focus mostly on exploration, there'll be an "evocative narrative" as well as an "adventure that challenges the player to make high-stakes decisions". As detailed on the game's site, Beyond Blue "takes players into the near future" to "explore the mysteries of our ocean" from the perspective of Mirai, an explorer and scientist, and her research team.
0 kommentar(er)
