While I maintain a healthy respect for the power of the ocean, playing games with aquatic themes often evokes a unique sense of immersion. This review focuses on Beyond Blue, a game that offers a deep-sea diving simulation experience.
Players explore underwater environments equipped with diving gear. Each dive presents specific objectives. Beyond Blue emphasizes education and relaxation, eliminating the possibility of injury or death. While tasks are assigned, there are no negative consequences for failure and no time constraints.
The game features high-quality voice acting that contributes to a believable and engaging narrative. The soundtrack and ambient underwater sounds are well-crafted and immersive, enhancing the relaxing nature of Beyond Blue. However, as a gameplay experience, the pace can feel slow and repetitive. The absence of limitations or real dangers can lead to frustration when searching for specific scan targets, such as whales, or activation points, like buoys. One notable omission is the inability to surface and observe the world above the water. While understandable from a design perspective, this limitation creates a sense of confinement and feels somewhat restrictive.
During testing on the Nintendo Switch, the graphics exhibited some compression artifacts, resulting in noticeable aliasing and occasional graphical anomalies. The visual fidelity appeared improved in handheld mode, likely due to the smaller screen size. Performance remained stable throughout the experience.
In conclusion, Beyond Blue presents an interesting and well-produced, albeit somewhat limited, gaming experience. It achieves a passing grade, demonstrating merit, but falls short of a full recommendation.
