Since its Star Wars project announcement – which was revealed far too early – and recent acquisition by NetEase, Quantic Dream recently took up another mantle: publisher.  Given this new role (under the moniker of "Q Spotlight"), it's no surprise it'd want to make a distinct splash.  In this case, Parallel Studio was more interested in suffusing an established adventure template with an ecological message; hell, the real-life Surfriders Foundation logo is shown whenever loading to the main menu.  While the intention feels genuine, instead of a cheap marketing gimmick, there's more to a good game than a message.  Given the volume of like-minded competition, the pressure to stand out is even more intense.  So, how does Under the Waves fare: does it hold together or crumple like an Oceangate soda can?

That ridiculously forced question actually segues into our humble protagonist's initial situation: Stanley acclimatizing himself in a diving bell to prepare for the final descent into his home away from home.  Having upgraded to a veteran deep sea diver for oil conglomerate UniTrench, Stan has enisled himself to the deepest human habitat in the Atlantic Ocean to maintain its pipelines.  This stint away from his wife, Emma, isn't about a comfy pay raise or a misanthropic retreat from the surface, but rather processing the untimely loss of his daughter.  The further he digs into that, the more he concurrently uncovers about his suspicious employer.


Similar to Stanley adjusting to atmospheric pressure, players steadily acclimate to Wave's main structure.  Although scuba diving is – naturally – a core aspect, Stan's mag-boot/flipper hybrid enables you to slowly walk on the correct surfaces too.  It's the equivalent of trudging through marshland, both in Stan's speed and animations.  While they're not used to the fullest, both walking and swimming states are interchangeably used to progress forward.  UniTrench was also kind enough to provide a sufficiently-built submersible to jet across what's essentially a quadrant of the North Sea.

It's a reflexive move to invoke "Ubisoft" as a soft-genre, but it feels more applicable as time goes on.  There are differences, but the design ethos of littering the open-world feels crucial to appreciate the main plot; in fact, all of the sundries gathered here – like plastic or metal trash – feel more contextually relevant than flags gathered across rooftops.  Parallel Studio wants to ensure those micro-dopamine hits of gathering loose items tie in with respecting the ocean.  All crafting items and blueprint upgrades reinforce that ecological mindset.  Hell, even one-use items like oxygen refills and mines leave shells behind for you to grab for recycling.

The important delineation from typical Ubisoft is the lack of fog on the map UI, which also harmonizes with this world.  Given UniTrench's vast knowledge of the area's topography, there's no need to ascend towers and swan-dive onto a bale of algae.  In this respect, it's more about using sonar pings (whether swimming or scootering in the sub) to see main objective markers, nearby sea life, and trash to collect.  There's a rhythmic (albeit repetitive) cycle of exiting/entering your sub to collect various doodads or snap a few selfies with Stan's favorite seal neighbor. 


"Rhythmic" is also a suitable way to quantify such a… low-tide storyline.  There's a workable foundation here on paper: the dual stories between Stan's job and his personal demons, how that thematically marries with what's above and below the waves (a-ha!), and so on.  Even though Stan's physically isolated, his boss, Tim, apprises him of what's happening above and casually reminisces about the good 'ole days with his late dad.  Since everything centers on family (to some extent), it feels hermetically-sealed; and yet, virtually nothing feels surprising or deeply emotional – save for one special scene.  Given that Stan's wrestling with tremendous loss you'd really hope for more than going through the motions.  From meat 'n potatoes dialogue to a few "…and then this happened" writing pitfalls, Waves can't consistently captivate.

Part of the problem also falls on presentation.  No offense to this tight knit group of voice actors, but nothing ever rises past serviceable.  Ben Lambert constantly seems in desperate need of a No-Doze (perhaps that’s the point?) and the rest sound like straightforward line-reads; they occasionally sound mismatched too, as though they should've had different moods than as they were directed.  Anyone with a functioning brain can predict what an ecologically-charged game has to say about Big Oil, and it's not like they ought to use kid gloves either.  The issue is with how static each predictable action is and how quickly the audience anticipates the story unfolding.  Lastly, it's also marred by minor technical bugs like jittering character models during cutscenes and whatnot; nothing that'd qualify as destroying immersion, but it could've used a bit more polishing time.

To its credit, Waves fares much better when quieting down and encouraging players to soak in its pressurized atmosphere; in fact, the best point about the ocean's ecosystem is the one never directly stated.  It's rather funny (in a sardonic & biting way) how accumulative hours spent collecting the weight equivalent of Rhode Island in plastic is a small dent compared to the massive fuck-ups in the story's latter half.  There's also the environmental storytelling in seeing the ocean treated like a trash bin.  At one point, Stan gets a terse exchange from Tim about "a few containers falling overboard," but you can – sadly – tell from his tone he's only interested in logging what was lost.  Out of sight, out of mind, for those above the waves.  It's those types of nuggets pried into the more formulaic structure that buoy this adventure.


Despite some voice acting fumbles, that shouldn't dismiss Waves' presentational successes.  For such a modestly-budgeted game, Parallel did wonders capturing the sheer vastitude of this ocean grid.  From the way scale is played with (like a gargantuan blue whale swimming in the distance) to various ecosystems scattered across the ocean floor, what's accomplished here is no small feat.  Sure, Nicolas Bredin’s overwrought score does frequently go overboard, but it's understandable given how much is trying to be sold on the spectacle.  If I said "Waves is a $30 title," it'd be much harder to tell when examining the ocean than Stan's ragged beard in the mirror.

What keeps Parallel Studio from drowning resides – ironically – at both extremes: the granular details and the grander ocean expanse.  With the former, it's the subtler ecological tones that show the pairing with Surfriders Foundation wasn't merely a marketing gimmick; there's more baked into its design than a mere placard yelling "there is no Planet B!"  With the latter, the imposing sense of scale subtly encourages you to disinter more about this world, and perhaps yearn to restore it along the way.  But then so much in between, from its personal story to puzzle design, is anchored into being so… expected and by-the-numbers.  How you weigh these pros and cons will depend on your Pacific taste.

Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee's obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.