Wavetale
Review

Wavetale (2021) is a surfing and jumping adventure in a world of sunken cities, dangerous water and oppressive fog. You play as Sigrid, a young girl who works to restore the decaying archipelago and befriends a mysterious shadow that lets her walk on water. It's a game packed full of interesting ideas that are intriguing to encounter and fun to play with. Substantial characters give you a reason to explore and traversing the world on the waves or climbing buildings is smooth and enjoyable.

It's an unusual world populated with interesting characters fed-up fishermen, secretive hermits and more than a couple of pirates. But the real excitement is jumping, gliding and surfing your way around this imaginative space to take on enemies, help the locals and restore balance to creation.

As you progress you push out beyond the borders of the safe city and find yourself taking on enemies to free the world from the fog. You traverse calm waters and surging waves, swing from housetops with your net, and defeat enemies to save the citizens of the islands.

The result is a surprisingly moreish experience that draws you into a world of collecting and exploration. It's a bit like Zelda (even looks like Wind Waker) but things are simpler here and the narrative is more grounded in smaller stories of people coming to terms with having lost a world (and people) they loved.

Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked Wavetale 2 years ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 5 months ago.