When it comes to games based around climate change, ergo melting ice caps and rising oceans, the first bar was set astonishingly low. Ocean’s Waterworld games were, ironically, no better than the movie – and I struggle to think of anything before 1995. Since then, numerous developers have given us flooded worlds to explore, usually having a melancholy tone as you traverse the placid oceans. Sea of Solitude, The Flame in the Flood, and the combat-free Submerged all had a decent stab at establishing a waterlogged world. Now it’s Demagog Studio’s turn to try and establish a high-water mark, with this belated console release of Highwater.
We’re introduced to Nikos, a mild-mannered adolescent who spends his days sailing the ocean in his bright orange dinghy, meeting up with friends and ferrying supplies. He’s well liked and has established strong connections over the years, helping at the orphanage and such.
Things in Niko’s watery world have recently gone from bad to worse, with reports of disease, diminishing food supplies (unless you happen to enjoy snails) and a notable increase in insurgency patrols. But it isn’t long until a glimmer of hope appears, with word of a spaceship taking wealthy survivors to a colony on Mars, the launch of which is imminent. With little to lose, the ragtag bunch seek to smuggle aboard.
The game’s first half establishes the plot and premise, with Niko regrouping with friends – a strong mixture of seaworthy males and females – before running a few errands, exploring floating refuges, and dealing with insurgents/hostiles along the way. This goes on for quite some time, adding new faces to your crew, gathering supplies, and visiting key locations on the map – with an easy-to-read compass always on screen when navigating the seas, and just one or two highlighted optional locations per chapter. Then with the squad fully assembled, and far away from the limited comforts of home, the second half mostly focuses on sneaking into the walled city of Alphaville, becoming more combat focused as the 7-8 hour story wraps up.
Despite constant chatter of the end of days, Highwater attempts to establish its own brand of humour, presumably to prevent it from being joylessly bleak. Instead of ambient sounds, which may have been enough, we’re treated to a pirate radio station while sailing. The host details current events and has special guests including singers. There’s an eccentric mix of audio to enjoy, varying from slow love songs to a ditty with humorous lyrics. Niko and his friends often make jokes too, poking fun at each other, and there are some comical sights to take in – including a punk rock group touring the world on a raft. Books and newspapers fill the quota of collectable items, and these can be amusing too, including an old news report on a possible drought. Newspaper headlines also help with world building, outlining the chain of events before the catastrophe.
Highwater can be broken down into three core elements: sailing the seas – a task sometimes compounded by backtracking and featureless horizons – exploring small, rubbish strewn, islands in search of weapons and stat boosters, and taking part in turn-based battles that last 10-15 minutes. The set-up is far from complex; there’s no XP based levelling up system, no customisable parties, and no gradually expanding assortment of attacks. You don’t have to worry about AP either. Simply, every character can be assigned two weapons, two stat boosters, and has a unique assortment of melee and ranged attacks. Nikos can drag enemies into the ocean and off ledges with his fishing rod, while a cohort can do the same with a meatier harpoon gun. Laura can perform a 360 degree tornado kick; the sword-welding Josephine can chain combos by killing enemies consecutively – handy for wiping out entire platoons. Stat boosters increase melee damage and health points, replacing med kits. Weirdly, the inventory is without button prompts, leaving you to fumble initially – a sign of its mobile roots, perhaps.
The difficulty level flitters between casual and challenging, managing to avoid being frustrating. Animations can be fast-forwarded with the ‘B’ button (something that isn’t actually stated), movement can be undone after actioning, and battles can be restarted at any time should you feel things aren’t going your way. What’s neat about battling is that almost every encounter introduces something new or unique, such as statues and signposts that can be pushed onto enemies, throwable items, allies controlled by AI, and mutated man-eating plants.
A few battles took me a couple of retries – a mission to protect power generators has elements of trial and error – but literally just a few. I did however have to restart a chapter after a glitch occurred, and it also crashed once during a cut-scene. Neither incident lost much progress, thankfully.
I sometimes shy away from games with tactical combat, but Demagog has managed to make something enjoyable here, even to genre newcomers – a fact doubtlessly helped by the comical tone and upbeat nature of the protagonists. Seeing what’s new in each battle is compelling, and there are some imaginative touches fuelled by the sci-fi elements – with robots later added to the enemy roster. Visually, it’s a touch crude due to its low poly and flat shaded aesthetic, but there are some alluring views to take in all the same, and the world-building is reasonably rich. You’ll get to explore everything from a ransacked supermarket to a high-tech hospital, with no location completely free from the perils of the ocean.
If you’re sold on the idea of sailing calm seas while listening to pirate radio, occasionally stopping for spritely turn-based battles, Highwater should be on your radar.
Demagog Studio’s Highwater is out now on consoles, published by Rogue Games. It first launched on Netflix’s mobile service in 2022.