Beyond Blue Review (Nintendo Switch)
Our Beyond Blue Review shows off this single-player narrative adventure that takes you deep into our planet’s beating blue heart. Explore the awesome wonder and unbounded mystery that exists within the world’s ocean.
Beyond Blue Review Pros:
- Really nice detailed graphics.
- Streaming mode option for muting the licensed music.
- 6.3GB download size.
- Invert axis and sensitivity sliders.
- Subtitles-on/off.
- Tutorial at the start.
- Scanner-scan and document the fish.
- Buoys-they have a sound identifier on them that allows you to scan, mark, and listen to species of fish which in turn gives you mission objectives.
- Well-voiced characters.
- The science log details all the information on scanned species.
- When scanning you get a clear indication of progress and a brief idea of what the species is and what they are doing.
- Free to play how you want.
- Solid easy to use controls with the scanner having full 360 control.
- Scanning uses a simple system-if the circle on them is dotted then you are too far away, a hollow circle means they are not scanned and a filled-in circle means they are scanned.
- Very chilled-out soundtrack.
- In-game cutscenes.
- You learn without realizing it.
- Submarine-main hub to play music, rewatch cutscenes, advance the story with phone calls.
- Multiple choice interactions with your team.
- Regions can replay them once you fi Ish the story in them and they become Freeplay.
- Zoom scan-lock onto a fish/whale etc and scan them in more depth.
- Missions pop up on the screen.
- Insights-unlock mini-documentaries of original footage and interviews from the BBC archives.
- Zen-like experience.
- Performs well on the Nintendo Switch.
Beyond Blue Review Cons:
- Not touchscreen support.
- Not the fastest loading times.
- Little replay value.
- You have to have the scanner up all the time to check if you have scanned the fish.
- Short game, only a couple of hours.
- Very little variation, it’s just scanning fish and laying down trackers.
- Slow pace.
Related Post: Echo Generation Review (Xbox Series S)
Beyond Blue:
Developer: E-Line Media
Publisher: E-Line Media
Store Links –
- Graphics - 8/108/10
- Sound - 7/107/10
- Accessibility - 7/107/10
- Length - 7/107/10
- Fun Factor - 8/108/10
Summary
To call Beyond Blue a game is kinda pushing it, it’s more of an interactive experience, there is no “game” part, you swim under the ocean and document fish with a scanner and follow a family of Sperm whales as they give birth to a young un and you follow the path they take. As experiences go it is rather chilled and relaxing, the soothing sounds of the ocean are really good, the controls impressed me with how solid they were but also how easy it was to do all the actions. You can clock the game on a few hours and aside from maybe achievement chasing you have no real need to go back but you can replay regions in a free play fashion. Overall I found it satisfying at the time and it didn’t really outstay its welcome but it has no progression like new gear or leveling and the story is spaced out so far it drags but as a one-and-done, it’s perfectly fine and a fine example of underwater exploration.
