Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss

This is a good game. Fun story and UI feels polished. Walking animation is slow and diving is not the most realistic but I am here for the story and vibes. This game is about 5-7 hours of playtime.

A really good game that shows the impact of grief from a first person perspective. I enjoyed that the mysteries were easy to follow, but not in a "holding your hand" way, and that there was subversion of your expectations that didn't feel misleading. You naturally discover the solution/ subversion rather than being surprised by it in a sudden and unnatural way. Whole game kinda gave me Outer Wild vibes (real banger)

Not your typical type of game, but relaxing and enjoyable for 8-10 hours. Good: Graphics, plot, character development, subplots and gameplay is overall enjoyable. User controls are easy and intuitive. Game could run on a potato PC. Bad: You often wish you could cancel a cut scene; you wish you could move faster than you can; you really really want to float or jump constantly.

Overall I enjoyed Thalassa. The gameplay is a bit simple, other reviews call it a walking sim, and I can certainly see why some people would think that. A lot of the gameplay consists of moving around the environment, and either opening doors/pathways, or interacting with clues. Beyond that is solving the mysteries, where you must choose the correct clues to fit the solution, [spoiler]except for the final mystery, where you must give a solution you already know is wrong to continue, I think it has to do with the player character refusing to accept the whole this was essentially an accident, no one to blame.[/spoiler] I am always on the look for good mystery games, especially maritime mysteries, so this scratched that itch pretty well. The ending was also pretty solid. There is one anachronism that bothered me, from the moment I saw it, even though it is basically meaningless. The game takes place in 1905, and in the galley you see a menu, where the meal for one of the days is Tikka Masala. I was curious as to whether this was a thing at this time, and sure enough, it was not. Tikka Masala as it is currently known came about from some chef in Scotland in the 1960s. Inspired by other dishes, so its possible, even likely, that Tikka Masala in some form existed in 1905, but not by that name. It ultimately doesn't matter whatsoever, but I was curious, looked it up, and have no one to share it with, so I'm putting it here.

First off, I have to say "damn, what a good story. I picked this game up recently and was surprised that I hadn't heard of it until now. Although a bit linear, the storyline really tugs at your heart and mind. Seeing the mysteries unfold and how they are all connected after a tragedy provided some excellent storytelling I haven't seen in a long time. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who likes emotionally involved puzzle/mystery games.

Thalassa erzählt eine Geschichte und es reißt einen irgendwie mit. Die Interaktion mit Gegenständen könnte etwas "schneller" sein ansonsten finde ich das Dingt echt gut.

Very much enjoyed this, though I do agree with the criticisms of the pacing and amount of backtracking. Even with those issues though, I did very much enjoy just being in the scene and unearthing the events. It did strike me as odd that the main protagonist isn't voiced, I think this is an oversight that would be worth fixing, but if you like things which are essentially an interactive film, then you'll probably enjoy this.

Hidden gem.

Slow going but all the better for it I think. I did enjoy this experience.

A bittersweet and deeply human tale. Highly recommended.