Under The Waves

 PlayStation 5
Under The Waves Image
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

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  • Summary: Under The Waves is a narrative-driven adventure game about the engulfing power of grief.

    Set in the depths of the North Sea in a techno-futuristic 1970s, professional diver Stan is struggling to overcome a life-changing loss and embrace a new future. The isolation of the deep sea is a    Under The Waves is a narrative-driven adventure game about the engulfing power of grief.

    Set in the depths of the North Sea in a techno-futuristic 1970s, professional diver Stan is struggling to overcome a life-changing loss and embrace a new future. The isolation of the deep sea is a fitting manifestation of his state of mind, and as Stan retreads further into his self-imposed solitude, he starts to experience strange events far beneath the waves. He will eventually have to make a difficult choice... stay lost in the depths forever, or break free to the surface and to the rest of his life.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. The Games Machine
    Sep 5, 2023
    89
    Under The Waves is an incredible journey of memories. Developed by Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream, the work combines the environmental theme with a moving and engaging story, also strong in a well-implemented play structure. Must have absolutely.
  2. IGN Spain
    Sep 4, 2023
    80
    Under the Waves offers a unique experience, masterfully combining fascinating underwater exploration with an emotional story.
  3. TierraGamer
    Sep 14, 2023
    78
    Under the Waves is a game with a strong story that keeps you hooked throughout its duration. Its objectives are varied to keep you active. Unfortunately, it has several technical glitches that negatively affect the gaming experience.
  4. Screen Rant
    Sep 4, 2023
    70
    Under The Waves is a truly immersive narrative-driven game. Although sometimes a little heavy-handed with themes that could do with more subtlety, overall its message is powerful and the atmosphere the game creates is second to none. It is, however, hampered by a few moments of technical clumsiness that stop it from being quite as effective as it could be.
  5. GamingBolt
    Sep 11, 2023
    70
    Under the Waves is an impressive first game from Parallel Studio that tells an emotionally charged story of protagonist Stan overcoming his grief. The writing and performances are quality stuff, and while the gameplay doesn't feature any notable mechanics, it is a surprisingly solid experience that's worth playing through to the end.
  6. GGRecon
    Sep 7, 2023
    70
    While far from shallow, Under the Waves doesn’t quite reach the depths that it could have. Its ambient score, gorgeous stylised visuals and emphasis on tackling issues such as mental well being, ocean conservation and how we deal with grief illustrate just how much love has been put into the game. However, some of its more striking moments quickly come undone as a result of a lacklustre protagonist, whose monotone line delivery and poor lip-syncing can break you out of the seafaring spell, as well as the occasional bug. Nonetheless, despite Stan and some technical hiccups here and there, Under the Waves shines when you are roaming around the ocean, taking photos of the various ecosystems and cleaning up the environment to later put to use for crafting materials. Spending your days exploring the ocean may seem like a quiet task, and it is, but it is a meditative one that you should allow to wash over you.
  7. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 1, 2023
    55
    Stan’s journey into the depths of the sea and his psyche is the last of a long series of video games dedicated to mourning, but fails to make a truly significant contribution. With a message watered down by mechanics completely avoidable in a context that would put at the center of the psyche of a tormented man and a sometimes forced insertion of basic information related to the (although interesting and commendable) theme of environmentalism, Under The Waves is a product that suffers from a clear lack of focus, as well as for the inclusion of elements taken from open world video games, with the probable aim of igniting the interest of a public accustomed to this kind and ferrying them in the depths of the North Sea. Unfortunately, however, these choices bring confusion and an unpleasant feeling of unhappy mixing in a product that struggles to find its own identity.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 3 out of 7
  1. TrevorTommyGun
    Aug 31, 2023
    9
    Refreshing game for people who loved Firewatch. Beautiful underwater environment with plenty of features. Pretty nice indie work.
  2. Redneb
    Sep 3, 2023
    9
    If you are looking for a fast-paced, feel-good action game, then this isn't for you. I really enjoyed "under the waves" because it is slow andIf you are looking for a fast-paced, feel-good action game, then this isn't for you. I really enjoyed "under the waves" because it is slow and very atmospheric. I recommend turning off the music completely. Without the music it feels like you are really down there, alone with your thoughts and the sounds of the ocean. Being a big fan of the Abyss movie, I really liked the game a lot.

    After a few hours, I encountered an extremely annoying bug: PS5 error CE-100028-1 pop-ups constantly (“no free space for save” but I had over 160 gb free space). Rebooting my ps5 did the trick but unfortunately the error did come back after some time.

    The swimming controls are a bit weird, but the little submarine you are in feels great to maneuver. Even with the flaws and some glitches (I was stuck 3 times while swimming and collecting stuff and had to reload) I highly recommend the game. Get down there and see for yourself. Very good and chill story game, and it looks absolutely fantastic! (And yeah, the lip sync was totally off - but that didn't bother me at all.)    … Expand
  4. Daniel0809
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    being a small dev studio I like what they made. I would of gave it a 8 but there is a bug that pops up EVERY TIME the game saves! probably 7-8being a small dev studio I like what they made. I would of gave it a 8 but there is a bug that pops up EVERY TIME the game saves! probably 7-8 times a hour! breaks immersion big time. The peaceful calm game play and sounds are exactly what i need after a day of work and the story is heart breaking.… Expand
  5. Jt0429
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    Good-
    Great writing and voice acting; well-directed cutscenes with great art direction; the length of the game is appropriate for its    Good-
    Great writing and voice acting; well-directed cutscenes with great art direction; the length of the game is appropriate for its simplistic mechanics.

    Bad-
    Audio and video sync issues; heavy movement mechanics; puzzles could have been better.

    Thoughts-
    All in all, Under The Waves tells an emotionally packed narrative about overcoming grief and the importance of underwater wildlife preservation. While the story beats may not always hit the mark, it’s a narrative that’s well worth seeing through to the end. The gameplay doesn’t break any new ground in terms of mechanics or interesting features, but it works well for the rather short duration of the adventure. Under The Waves is a great first step for Parallel Studio, and might be worth a try if this review manages to pique your interest – but also know that you wouldn’t be missing out on much if you end up skipping this one.    … Expand
  6. IamExiledPotato
    Sep 5, 2023
    4
    I have played close to 7 hrs of this game and the the whole time I’ve played all I’ve gotten are error codes everytime it tries to save,I have played close to 7 hrs of this game and the the whole time I’ve played all I’ve gotten are error codes everytime it tries to save, crashes for no discernible reason and corrupted saves because of those crashes. The very few times I’ve been able to play for any length of time without these issues the game is incredible, amazing even. But the technical issues that I have been experiencing makes this game boarder line unplayable. And in 2023 errors and crashing when auto saving shouldn’t happen. They need to patch this immediately. I scored it a 4 in its current state. But if the issues were fixed I’d give it a solid 8.… Expand
  7. Dkell
    Sep 5, 2023
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Would’ve given game a higher score if the trophies weren’t entirely misleading and had missable collectibles. I supported and purchased the game day 1 and have little to zero time to replay the entire game again just to get these last few trophies. Ridiculous.… Expand
  8. malkymain
    Sep 7, 2023
    0
    Would’ve given game a higher score if the trophies weren’t entirely misleading and had missable collectibles. I supported and purchased theWould’ve given game a higher score if the trophies weren’t entirely misleading and had missable collectibles. I supported and purchased the game day 1 and have little to zero time to replay the entire game again just to get these last few trophies… Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023