Under The Waves Review Summary

Relaxing and Immersive Experience: Players consistently praise the game for its overall relaxing, immersive, and emotionally engaging experience. The atmosphere, visuals, and sound design contribute significantly to a unique and satisfying gameplay loop that is often described as a 'detox' from more intense games.

Compelling and Emotional Story: The narrative is a major highlight, frequently described as deeply moving, captivating, and emotionally resonant. It effectively explores themes of loss, grief, and human connection, making the story a central and memorable aspect of the game.

Strong Ecological and Social Message: The game effectively integrates strong ecological and socio-economic messages into its narrative and gameplay. It raises awareness about ocean pollution, human impact on the environment, and corporate greed, prompting players to reflect on these important real-world issues.

Engaging Underwater Exploration: The underwater exploration, both by submarine and diving, is highly enjoyable and immersive. Players appreciate the realistic feeling of movement, the well-designed seabed, and the overall sense of being in the ocean depths, making exploration a core satisfying element.

Beautiful Visuals and Art Style: The game's visuals, art direction, and graphic style are consistently praised for their beauty and effectiveness in setting the mood. Despite not always being cutting-edge, the artistic choices create stunning environments and scenes that enhance immersion.

Repetitive & Slow Gameplay: Many players found the core gameplay loop to be highly repetitive and lacking in variety. Tasks often involve simple, unchallenging actions like collecting items or pressing buttons, leading to boredom and tedium. The overall pace is slow, and there's a perceived lack of meaningful progression or dynamic action.

Weak & Slow Story: The narrative is frequently criticized for being slow-paced, predictable, and lacking depth. Players found it difficult to connect with the story or its characters, and the plot often felt disjointed or underdeveloped. The pacing is monotonous, and the story elements are perceived as unengaging.

Clunky & Frustrating Controls: A significant number of players reported issues with the game's controls, particularly for the submarine and character movement. They are often described as clunky, imprecise, and difficult to master, especially with a keyboard and mouse. This leads to frustration during navigation, especially in tight spaces or dark environments.

Annoying Protagonist: The main character, Stan, is a major point of contention. Players found him to be constantly whining, self-pitying, and generally unlikable, making it difficult to empathize with his struggles. His personality and actions are often described as annoying or unbelievable.

Frequent Bugs & Crashes: Many players reported frequent technical issues, including game crashes, freezes, and bugs. These issues often lead to loss of progress and significantly detract from the gameplay experience. Other bugs include UI glitches and audio problems.

Slow-paced, narrative-driven exploration: The game is primarily a slow-paced, narrative-driven experience focused on underwater exploration. It is not an action, survival, or traditional adventure game, emphasizing story and atmosphere over complex gameplay mechanics or combat.

Optional, basic crafting system: The game includes crafting and resource gathering, but these elements are often described as basic, optional, and largely unnecessary for story progression. Many players found the crafting system trivial and lacking significant impact on the adventure.

Protagonist's journey of grief: The central narrative revolves around the protagonist, Stan, an industrial diver who retreats to the deep sea to cope with the profound loss of his daughter. The story delves into his psychological journey, grief, and attempts to process his trauma.

Strong environmental message: A significant theme woven throughout the game's narrative is environmental protection and the impact of ocean pollution, particularly from oil industries. The game was developed in partnership with an environmental organization, reinforcing this message.

Short, linear story with two endings: The game's main story is relatively short, typically taking 8-12 hours to complete. It is structured into 'days' with some time skips, and the narrative is linear with a single significant choice at the very end leading to two distinct endings.

Frequent game crashes: Many players reported frequent game crashes, often linked to the Unreal Engine, which significantly impacted their gameplay experience. While some crashes were minor, others made the game unplayable for certain users.

Good Steam Deck compatibility: Despite not being officially supported, the game generally performs well on the Steam Deck, maintaining stable framerates (around 30 FPS) even on medium to high settings, making it a viable option for portable play.

Excellent performance and optimization: Many players praised the game's excellent optimization and strong performance, noting smooth gameplay and high frame rates, even on demanding settings.

Attractive graphics: Players generally found the game's graphics to be visually appealing and attractive, contributing positively to the overall aesthetic experience.

Character stuck in transitions: A specific bug was reported where the character could get stuck during the transition between swimming and ground movement, impacting player progression.

Highly Recommended Experience: The game is generally well-received and highly recommended by a significant portion of players, often praised for its unique experience and emotional depth. Many consider it a must-play, especially for fans of its specific genre.

Niche Audience & Gameplay: The game is best suited for players who enjoy calm, story-driven, and contemplative underwater experiences, often described as a 'walking simulator' with a strong narrative. It's not recommended for those seeking action, survival, or fast-paced gameplay, or those with thalassophobia.

Buy On Sale: A common recommendation is to purchase the game only when it's on sale, preferably with a significant discount. Many players feel the current full price is too high for the content offered, suggesting it's better value at a reduced cost.

Mixed Completion Satisfaction: Player satisfaction upon completing the game varies, with some feeling content and others simply relieved that it ended. This suggests a mixed reception regarding the overall pacing and conclusion of the experience.

Length vs. Price Concerns: Some players felt the game's duration was too long for its content, or that it was too expensive given its length. This indicates a concern about the game's value proposition relative to its playtime.

Strong Environmental Message: The game effectively integrates a strong environmental message about marine pollution, often in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation. While some found the message impactful and well-integrated, others felt it was occasionally heavy-handed or ironic given real-world events.

Beautiful, Immersive Atmosphere: Players consistently praise the game's beautiful and relaxing atmosphere, particularly the immersive underwater visuals and serene music. The aesthetic quality is a major highlight, contributing to a pleasant and engaging experience.

Complex Protagonist & Story: The protagonist, Stan, is a complex character whose inner struggles with grief are intertwined with his work for an oil company and the overarching environmental themes. His journey involves recycling trash and dealing with his past activism, creating a nuanced character arc.

Moderate Playtime & Pacing: The game's length is considered average, suitable for players who enjoy a slower pace. While the main story can be completed in about 9 hours, achieving 100% completion may require multiple playthroughs due to potentially hidden objectives.

Impactful & Surprising Ending: The game's ending is a significant highlight, featuring plot twists and a difficult choice that left many players surprised and emotionally impacted, prompting reflection on life and connection to the narrative.