Beyond Blue Gameplay Preview - Deep Sea Exploration
3*Beyond Blue developed and published by E-Line Media - June 11, 2020 (Xbox, PS4, Switch, PC, Apple Arcade)
*MSRP: $19.99 (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/883360/Beyond_Blue/
►Blog Coverage: https://duckyobrien.com/2020/06/15/beyond-blue-gameplay-preview-deep-sea-exploration/
►Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/652075531
Beyond Blue is a game that focuses on deep sea exploration. You play Mirai, an experienced free diver and scientist equipped with the latest high tech diving gear. You are joined by fellow scientists Irina and Andre, who provide backup from a remote location through your submarine's communication station.
The game unfolds one mission at a time, each with its own unique biomes. You can freely swim around and explore the deep sea and its inhabitants. The main game mechanic you have available is scanning the sea creatures with your augmented reality visor. Scanning creatures unlocks more information about them and their behaviors in your database. In this way, the game strives to be semi-educational in nature as well as provide an calming and entertaining environment.
After each dive, you interact with the other non player characters through your submarine's communication terminal, mostly through simulated phone calls. Here the game's narrative is on display and it surprisingly adds to the experience. You learn about Mirai's background and her family's current struggles as well as get to know Irina and Andre as well. On top of all of this, is a plot thread with tinges of mystery and intrigue relating to corporations meddling in the ocean.
Overall, while Beyond Blue may not be for everyone, the mystery in the narrative as well as the collecting aspect of the scanning is more than enough to keep me coming back to the game. The game also seems to have a deep appreciation of the ocean and aquatic life in general, as the game includes real life footage of the deep sea as well as scientists devoting their work to marine biology. If anything, the game gave me a glimpse into another world and that is something I can always appreciate.
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