Nintendo Switch Review Code Provided by E-Line Media
It isn’t often that a game is made in a way that is relaxing and educational, but E-Line Media has put together quite an interesting title with Beyond Blue. This game was made for those who love marine life and are looking for a great way to spend time in the water with them. But how well is it designed when it comes to being a playable title and is the story just a filler or is it fitting? Let’s dive into the details.
Story
As a marine biologist researching ocean mammal sounds, you follow a specific sperm whale family. While conducting research you find that miners are drilling in the off-limits research area and that a deadly sea algae is growing in the area. While it's never specified if the two aspects are related, you eventually report the miners and the algae diminish after time. But were you too late to act?
Gameplay
Overall, the game does a good job of showing you where you’re going and providing a task list so you know what to do next. While you do have missions and objectives to complete each time you head out into the open water, you are given plenty of time and freedom to free roam as well. Nothing in the game is stuck to a strict time base.
The controls are kept simple and easy to get used to. You have the joysticks that control movement and direction, then the D-pad is used to control the tools, such as animal scanners and researching options. Since this is a more leisure-focused game that is mostly focused on just existing in your surroundings, this is all you really need.
Audio and Visuals
I was definitely impressed with both the audio and visual elements of this game. When you find new species, you record their different sounds (communication, mating, aggressive, etc.), and the more you scan a certain species, the more movements you'll unlock as well. For instance, when the killer whale is fully scanned, you unlock its backslid, tail whip, and deep-dive movements. After these have been unlocked, these animals will perform these movements as you swim with them in future dives.
Replayability
The campaign is definitely replayable as it is a nice story and there are a few conversation decisions you could make differently. The main decision you would replay for is whether or not to use your research equipment to catch the miners. Plus, once you complete the campaign, you can free dive.
What Could Be Better
It would have been helpful if they provided more guidance in the dark areas. There were some frustrating moments where I got stuck and lost.
Verdict
Beyond Blue is quite an entertaining way to learn about marine life! Just playing through the story alone was able to teach me more than I knew before, but then I got to spend time in the water with the animals as well. The best part is, it isn’t just mindless swimming around the marine life. There are steps you take to learn how researching sea life is done, aspects about the marine life that you can learn, and then you can see what these creatures are like in their natural habitat while swimming around them. Definitely a strong recommendation for those who love marine life and want to know more about the world beneath the waves!
