By Tides of Tomorrow differs from any narrative game I’ve experienced previously, although it plays with expectations. We’ve all concluded something akin to Telltale’s The Walking Dead and gleefully flipped through the pages illustrating what might have transpired had we made alternate choices, comparing the trajectory of our own adventure to those of other gamers. Were our choices aligned with the majority, or the minority? Tides of Tomorrow embraces this concept and poses the question, ‘what if that was the fundamental idea?’ Here, you’re perpetually in the wake of other players, responding to the world they leave behind – which I sampled in my Steam Next Fest demo.
Tides of Tomorrow is crafted by Digixart, who is well-versed in designing narrative-driven experiences thanks to the remarkable Road 96 and its follow-up. Set on Elnyd, an aquatic planet marred by plastic disposal, you embody one of numerous Tidewalkers who are gradually re-emerging from suspended animation beneath the waters after a Great Flood. As a plastic-induced ailment grips the land, you must discover how to persevere while traversing treacherous flotillas inhabited by individuals living under the cloud of the same affliction. Existing on the edge of an ending, will your choices forge a path ahead solely for yourself, or towards a renewed future for everyone? You can experience a snippet of it in the demo (check our Steam Next Fest guide for additional information on how to do that).
Waving back
After connecting me to the recorded actions of another player, Tides of Tomorrow introduces me by having me literally swim to the surface after awakening, pulled up by Nahe, a benevolent researcher. Visions reveal Nahe engaging with the player I’m ‘trailing’, but the conversation I share with her afterward clarifies this is no glimpse into an alternate realm. Nahe has just rescued that other player and sent them on their way right before encountering me.
I’m not just the one trailing another player – my choices will also affect those who eventually follow me. Enduring a plastemia episode, Nahe provides me with an Ozen bottle to keep it at bay, a gaseous remedy that’s scarce across Elynd. And this is her final bottle. If I take it, she won’t have the ability to provide it to players arriving behind me. Clearly, this has little bearing on my own gameplay, yet I still can’t bring myself to pick it up. What if someone else requires that Ozen more than I do? I push forward.
Following that, the game propels me ahead to Marketland, a floating trade hub overseen by Obin, a dubious individual who governs the Ozen supply that flows through the area. This also makes it an ideal spot to earn a big score through a touch of thievery, teaming up with Reclaimer and party enthusiast Eyla, who is also afflicted by the plastic toxification. However, it becomes evident moments after disembarking from my boat onto the dock that I’m in for a notably different experience than the player prior, with some elements of the plan simplified by their interventions, and others made more challenging.
Tides of Tomorrow alerts me that guards are on high alert as another Tidewalker previously pilfered some Ozen. Yet, through visions I can perceive, the player before me faced stiffer opposition in the form of a fully barbed-wire enforced lockdown, compelling them to sneak in through a side entrance. After a straightforward distraction, I manage to actually slip through the main gate myself unhindered, however. While scouring the market and questioning the locals, I observe the spectral trail of the same player who had to stealthily navigate using vents as they ended up pursued.
At another instance, I need to traverse from one section of the market to another, but the player ahead had to dismantle a makeshift bridge to evade guards. This means I must relinquish valuable scrap to mend it. To soften the blow, a nearby resident hands over some scrap to me after the previous player kindly shared resources with them.
Nonetheless, during the actual heist, stealth proves to be challenging owing to incessantly patrolling guards. Hiding spots mean I can evade their scrutiny, yet some of them have become overly conspicuous due to the player ahead making certain hideouts now seem out of place. After we secure the loot, I have a brief window to conceal some additional Ozen around the hideout for other players to discover and retain before the final escape.
Tides of Tomorrow truly makes me feel connected to the journeys of other players, and I adore the notion of reversing the now conventional narrative gaming hook of observing what other players have done. Here, you get to truly experience those diverging paths alongside your own decisions, and have it affect you in real time instead of merely being inquisitive at the conclusion. It’s not quite Death Stranding 2 levels of cooperative world-building, but in a manner, the emphasis on storytelling impact in Tides of Tomorrow brings you closer to those you’re connected with.
Conversely, after engaging in only one proper sequence, it’s still challenging to ascertain how the trajectory of Tides of Tomorrow will evolve in the long term. The repercussions of player choices are captivating from a broad perspective, yet there’s also a feeling that at times you’re channeled through no fault of your own. Feeling quite reactive to what the player before me executed, I did not feel compelled to wrestle with many significant decisions of my own, even if I’m informed at the end that some substantial divergences are feasible, like confronting Obin himself. But for now, dive in, and carve your own path.