Beyond Blue
Review

Beyond Blue (2020) is an underwater exploration game where you play Mirai, a deep-sea explorer and scientist. You see, hear, and interact with the ocean and the creatures in it as you discover an untouched world.

From the makers of Never Alone, it's a relaxed game that was created in collaboration with BBC's Blue Planet, as another way to learn about the oceans. The gameplay may be light, but the beauty and size of the underwater spaces you can explore invite you to delve deeper. As you do you discover a fully voiced narrative set on board the explorer submarine.

Exploring the beauty of the ocean is interspersed with human stories. Through phone calls home we hear about a tense sibling relationship and a grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease. There's also the looming threat of unauthorised mining and sea pollution.

It manages not to feel too educational, while effectively encouraging players to scan every fish in sight to learn about them.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Beyond Blue 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 8 months ago.