Beyond blue xbox 112/15/2023 ![]() From an early view of dolphins playing catch and your first sighting of the new-born sperm whale through to its rather emotional finale, it’s hard not to feel attached to the narrative, even if some of the surrounding storylines (such as Mirai’s relationship with her distant sister and ill mother) don’t really catch on in quite the same way.īeyond Blue is a title that may divide gamers based on what you’re looking for – which in turn does make it a little difficult to offer a balanced rating. There aren’t many, mostly just an ‘outro’ scene for each dive, but they pretty much all hit the mark. That said, the game does provide some genuinely heart-warming pay-offs with some of its set pieces. While the creatures themselves are also nicely animated, they don’t really do a great deal, save for a few shoals of fish who’ll break up and swim off if you get too close and it might have been nice to see more ‘life’ going on. Again, it’s all relatively simple because you’re basically just swimming in the same suit and using the same basic actions over and over but it’s a smooth and fluent motion that nicely maintains the illusion of navigating deep underwater. The animations are largely excellent as well. But it’s still a warm and charming place to just relax yourself into and you can still feel a sense of wonder when you find yourself up close with a giant squid or a sperm whale. It’s worth noting that this was developed by a very small team and so it’s no surprise to see a few cracks in the visuals when you get up close and that there’s more repetition than there is creativity to explore (no sunken ships with hidden treasures to discover, for example). If we’re being harsh some of the contrasts here could have been stronger (a full HDR makeover would be great) and so having a set-up that gets the best from the darker tones can make navigation that little bit clearer. Sadly, you never get to breach the surface, with you only 'dry' area being the inside of your submersible where you can view a few accessories and chat with your team.Īs you get deeper so the sunlight gives way to twilight and darker blue azures that feel more like being at the heart of the ocean. Your early dives take place near the surface with sunlight streaming through, giving some nicely shimmering waves above you, with the reef below often beautifully lit up to display the richness of life spread across it. The game itself isn’t quite as good-looking as the video footage but it’s still an impressive and hugely immersive landscape. ![]() The resolution might not always be on a par with the content that the BBC has put out itself, but obviously the devs do also have an entire game to cram into this initial 10GB download and we had no complaints about the quality on offer. Each has the slick finesse and high production qualities you’d expect, both in terms of presentation and high-definition delivery. Two are unlocked from the very start of the game as means of introduction, with the remaining videos unlocked at relevant stages of the campaign. There are 16 videos in total, averaging out at around two minutes apiece – long enough to capture your imagination but not so long as to bore younger viewers or detract from the game itself. Not only has this given the developers access to some great footage, but also some great minds from across the industry – some of which have helped to shape the game, with some also appearing in interviews (in absence of the usual Sir David Attenborough narration) to help package the Blue Planet II footage into some great bitesize videos. Of course, having the Blue Planet seal of approval is one of the game’s strongest selling points. Regardless, the simplicity of the gameplay is arguably more about accessibility than it is a flaw – although admittedly not everyone will see it that way. ![]() So, if you do look at Beyond BlueĪs a potential teaching tool, then you might want to have access to your search engine of choice to help answer any follow-up questions. We’d probably have liked to have seen a lot more of this, as the information is rather limited and more in the way of fun facts or background details would have been nice. Outside of the main missions there are some 47 different species to look out for, each with multiple versions to scan (such as 36 bottlenose dolphins) and the more you find, the more snippets of information the game reveals about them. For anyone home-schooling, it could be seen as a handy interactive introduction to the deep blue sea. Arguably, Beyond Blue can be seen more as an educational tool one aimed at raising awareness of the vast potential of our oceans and the inherent dangers they face.
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