Developer: Uppercut Games
First Release: 4th August, 2015
Version Played: PlayStation 4
Length: Short
Available: PS Store US | PS Store UK | Xbox One | Steam
Miku’s brother Taku is badly hurt. When their boat drifts into an abandoned city, she hopes to find supplies to help him recover.
The setting is a flooded city in a post-apocalyptic world where the sea levels have risen. Despite the main aim of finding supplies for Taku, there are no time limits and the player can take as long as they want to explore. Miku travels around the city in her fishing boat, and can climb the buildings sticking out of the water.
I liked the general feel of the game. Rather than showing the decay of the city as destruction, it’s something that’s brought new life. Sea creatures swim through the streets and jungles grow on the buildings. There’s a day and night cycle, as well as the occasional storm.
The past is told through picture sequences. Finding supply crates unlocks the story of Miku’s family. Finding books unlocks the story of the city. The present story is told through brief cutscenes. This all worked well enough, but the present story is very short. It ends abruptly just as it’s getting going.
Image Caption: Miku driving her small fishing boat through the city. Miku is a tween/young teen wearing clothes made from old cloth (baggy shorts below the knee, a strip of cloth over her chest, and a long scarf). She has light skin and brown hair. She stands in the boat with her back to the camera, and a hand on the tiller. The city has overgrown buildings, with trees on top, sticking out of the water. There are game icons at the bottom of the screen and a compass at the top.
Gameplay is repetitive. The main activities consist of finding the crates and secrets by climbing buildings, and exploring the city by boat. As the story is on the slim side, and the buildings are generally similar to each other, there’s not much that’s very surprising around the corner. I’d have liked more unique areas on the buildings, new animals appearing as the story progresses, or something else like that to reward exploring.
The game has subtitles for Miku’s language, though little that’s said is really needed. It’s mainly to reinforce what needs doing as shown in the cutscenes. The storms produce a few flashes on the screen, but it’s not compulsory to play during the storms if they’re an issue. It’s third person, cutting out most motion sickness issues, which is perhaps ironic given the length of time spent in a boat.
I did enjoy wandering around the city. Driving my boat over the rolling waves, with dolphins following me, was a relaxing experience. My favourite animal was the giant whale shark that appears in some of the deeper channels. It’s not a bad game for players looking for short non-combat experiences. But I felt there was a lot of potential it didn’t quite reach, particularly in terms of story and things to find while exploring.