Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue is an educational science simulator. The core of the game is based in actual science by actual real world experts. Whether it be all the animal facts and ocean design or the 17 mini-documentaries called Ocean Insights, Ocean Insights are short videos taken from Blue Planet II that give insight from real experts. This game isn’t fast and it isn’t hard, but it was never intended to be. It is intended to showcase and highlight the wonders of the ocean.

I loved my time with Beyond Blue. It’s incredibly relaxing being able to swim through the ocean, and mesmerising to reach depths that many of us will never see in real life. From its interesting story, fantastic soundtrack and admirable inclusion of educational elements, Beyond Blue is an excellent title that a wide gamut of gamers will enjoy. It isn’t free of issues, but they don’t deter from the magic of diving into an unexplored underwater world.

E-Line Media seems to be creating a niche for themselves. Their first title, Never Alone, drew inspiration from Alaska Native Culture for its story, but players also had access to documentary footage to explain the setting in more factual detail. The developer’s second title, Beyond Blue, takes a similar approach. Taking to the depths of the ocean, you get to join an underwater expedition as they study the local wildlife. Thanks to a collaboration with BBC Studios, the Blue Planet II documentary team, and the OceanX exploration initiative, there’s plenty of opportunity to expand on your knowle...

Following on from the likes of Endless Ocean and Subnautica, Beyond Blue is an underwater exploration game in which you control a human diver. That diver is Mirai and, along with a team of fellow marine scientists, it’s her job to investigate various underwater landscapes with the hope of better understanding the diverse marine life living there.

Forget Walking Simulators, Beyond Blue proves that Swimming Simulators is where it's at. This is a beautiful, relaxing and enchanting video game experience that acts as a soothing balm against the stresses of modern life. Sebastian was right, it really is better down where its wetter.

If you’ve ever wondered and wanted to learn more about the world under the sea, E-Line Media has you covered. In collaboration with BBC Studios, Blue Planet II, Beyond Blue allows you to explore the depths of the ocean to learn more about sea life in this soothing, relaxing, and educational game. So let’s suit up and be prepared to go on a soothing dive with the whales and more on the PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch.

A contemplative and educational diving sim.

Beyond Blue is an entertaining diversion for a few hours. Unfortunately, its fun gameplay is held back by its small scale and clunky writing.

This won't necessarily be true for other players, of course. But you could well see those tweets as a sort of diagnostic for whether it's worth you buying this game. If you read them and think "ah, yes... that's the sort of emotionally laden sea stuff I like to think about," then the odds are Beyond Blue'll be worth it for you, despite all its drawbacks. And if that is the case, just be prepared to relax and click on a lot of sealife while it gets to its point.

I appreciate that the story gave me plenty of reasons to care about Mirai and enough quiet space to shake off some stress among the waves. It’s a contemplative journey, one I can’t help but recommend.

If you want to learn more about the ocean, this would be a great experience for you. If you want a beautiful, relaxed experience about fish, Beyond Blue just about misses the mark on that, unfortunately.

Beyond Blue does also provide players with a wider story to discover, both from Mirai’s professional sense as an oceanographer and from her inter-personal relationships. The maps generally relate to the tracking of a pod of sperm whales, while also splicing in other themes of conservation such as turtle hatchlings and the impact of mining on deep sea life. However, the family story, revolving around the care of Mirai’s grandmother and the impact on her sister, is really where the depth lies, the story running parallel to the familial stresses of the whale pod.