Waking Tides

I didn't use any of the AR stuff for this and it was fine, just look around and you'll find what you need. The game space is interesting enough to spend time in looking around. Overall a decent short walking sim game with some spectacular visuals. $15 is a bit much imo, but if its on sale for $10 or less, its worth it.

I was very disappointed with this game as the idea, the graphics and the trailer all looked promising. Unfortunately I found it one of the least 'user friendly' games that I have attempted to play. For a start the change in the central spot when over a hotspot is almost unnoticeable, which is not too much of a problem when the object to be interacted with is fairly obvious (e.g. a door handle), but when it is a tiny key wedged into a statue where one would not think of looking for it, finding it becomes unnecessarily difficult. I searched for quite a while before referring to a walk-through, and even when I knew where to look it was difficult to locate! There are occasional sheets of paper with details of how the controls work, which are labelled 'Hints'. These are not hints but the basic instructions of the game mechanics, which should surely be available right at the start. Having to guess how the controls might work is not an appropriate game puzzle in my opinion. The final nail in the coffin for me was trying to find my way around an almost pitch black location where a false step ended the game. I am not entirely against death in a game, so long as I can see what is killing me so that I can avoid it next time! This game is one with automatic saving at set points, and the 'continue' option when I was killed did not put me back at where I had died but back to the start of that section. Having replayed the section a good few times I was so frustrated that I abandoned the game. I consider it a shame that what had the potential to be a very interesting game has been spoilt by what I consider poor game-play.

Ich wollte das Spiel mögen. Wirklich. Ich mag Walking Simulatoren. Ich mag Lovecraft'sche Atmosphäre. Aber Walking Tides wirkt mehr wie eine Tech Demo! Vorneweg: Die Stimmung ist angenehm verstörend, die Soundkulisse für Hintergrundgeräusche oft zu laut und zuviel - aber an sich passend. Die Gebiete unterscheiden sich in Thema und Umgebung: Forschungsplattform im Meer; zertrümmerte, mittelalterliche Öde; hübsche Höhlen und Felsenspalten. Alles also wirklich solide Zutaten! Und trotzdem: Es lädt nicht zum Erforschen ein - denn bis auf die notwendigen Punkte und Objekte gibt es nichts. Ich werde nicht fürs Umherstreunen belohnt - weder mit Fetzen zur Hintergrundgeschichte noch mit tollen Ausblicken. In einem Gebiet bin ich sehr ziellos umhergewandert und war schon richtig gelangweilt. Dann hätte man das Gebiete ruhig kleiner machen können. Spielerisch wird man mit ein paar wenigen Items zugeworfen, die im Spiel aber quasi nutzlos sind. Vor allem in der Menge! Große Rätsel habe ich nicht erwartet in einem Walking Simulator - und das bekommt man hier auch so. Suche den Schlüssel - danke, weiter geht es. Technisch dann schon wieder... schwierig. Pixelgenaues Klicken, um Dinge aufzunehmen. Einige Gebäude, Felsen usw. haben keine Kollisionsabfrage. Dafür wird man andererseits durch Alphawände aufgehalten. Ich kann an einigen Stellen unter die Welt und Häuser und Felsen schauen. Die QR Codes stören die Immersion komplett - warum wurden sie nicht organisch in die Welt eingefügt? Und auch das AR wirkt nur wie eine Machbarkeit. Ich bekomme einen drehbaren Gegenstand zu sehen und schaue mir 1-3 darangetackterten Fotos an mit Hinweisen zum nächsten Fundort. Und nur dafür muss ich mein Smartphone benutzen?! Das Spiel war dann in guten anderthalb Stunde durch. Sogar mit meinem ziellosen Herumwandern und dass ich jeden nutzlosen Nebengang mindestens einmal durchlaufen habe. Alleine aufgrund der ganzen Heilitems, die man quasi nie braucht, sieht es so aus, als hätte es mal ein ganzes Spiel werden sollen. Und wurde dann einfach abgebrochen. Auch einige Mechaniken: Fotos schießen, Türriegel öffnen, Objekte ziehen - werden sogar (fast) nur ein einziges Mal eingesetzt! Daher insgesamt: Für ein wenig Atmosphäre und um ein paar nette Screenshots zu machen, schon okay. Aber ansonsten wirkt es nur wie eine technische Machbarkeitstudie und den spielbaren Prolog zu einem "echten" Spiel.

I typically like these games but this one lacks too much despite it's visuals. lack of story, it ended quickly leaving me going wait what? I bought it on sale thank god, i paid around $7 and that's what it's worth. despite me running around in areas that didn't have much reason to explore and walking away to do some things I'd say this is about 1.5 hours really. I'd say don't buy but it unless it's on sale and you want to kill some time. It's like it was the start of a good idea but maybe due to being a small team didn't get the love it deserved. it seems like an incomplete assignment. didn't use certain items, no point to the gun really. it just leaves you unsatisfied at the end. so unfortunately it can't recommend this specific game but there is still potential for this team to do better in the future .

[url=https://youtu.be/uhttZ-oOLAg?si=xuVA9uK6k4_fzNXh] First 20min Gameplay here[/url] So, this is a Walking Simulator with an environment that keeps you on the edge... Frankly, I'm not very familiar with these kinds of games, but there are still some things I can say about this one. First of all, it utilizes augmented reality quite effectively. With the augmented reality option (if you have something like that on your phone), it will reveal hints regarding where you can find keys to advance in the game. Just keep in mind that the keys are not hidden very well; it's just that they're not that easy to spot =) The environment is well-crafted and captures the Lovecraftian world quite effectively. (Though there are some minor bugs where you can walk into the "goo" but still hit an invisible wall at the end, overall it's well-crafted and depicted.) Maintain your sanity, solve the "puzzles," and enjoy this nearly masterpiece-like environment in this short walking simulator, created by a one-man team! Thumbs up!

visually it's kinda stunning and i love the lovecraftian atmosphere, but that's it. where is the story? collision errors, sound errors, pixel/item hunting, and so on. this game isn't fun and feels more like an unfinished tech demo/reel.

Have played about an hour and half... So far so good. I'm a bit stuck at this point but I know I'll make it through. Looking good..!

I love walking simulators, so when I saw Waking Tides recommended in my feed and how cool the trailers looked, I had to try it out. I did wait for a sale price, however, since reviews were mixed and people said the game was too short. Honestly, after finishing multiple plays, I wish it didn't cost me anything. The augmented reality elements seem to only exist to literally point arrows at the easily missed key objects that blend too well into the environments, which are too dark (frustratingly not in an atmospheric building way) and full of cheap assets you didn't see in the trailers. The lack of intuitive direction is compounded by your cursor barely indicating when you are hovering over interactions and the key objects being tiny. Some areas are large to explore, but full of nothing important until you hit invisible walls (or you just fall into the void and die). If you don't believe me, find any "walkthrough" on YouTube, where the players invariably spend most of their time lost, desperately trying to figure out what they are supposed to do to proceed in the game. There is one in particular which shows only the demo (just the first area, small enough to complete in a minute) that lasts 45 minutes while they desperately seek a singular key (apparently they did not use the AR on their phone, which I resorted to after 10 minutes of frustration just to see the photo that points to where the key is sitting in right in the open, too blended in and small to notice). The story consists of a bit of narration and few lines of spoken dialog (which lacks any sort of dramatic read). It's not all that compelling, nor does it add much to the cosmic horror the game attempts to establish. Again, stock assets that add little cohesive depth to the scant narrative are scattered about, and you'll soon stop searching for them. Looking at the controls for the game, there are a ton of different actions which indicate an experience more like Amnesia, where hiding and peaking around corners might be elements, or you may need to manage limited ammo for a pistol. However, the actual game can be completed by movement and clicking only, with one area being dark enough that you must use a glowstick or lighter and a couple portions of forced damage where you will need to restore health. I was able to speedrun the game in under 10 minutes due to how short and limited it is. Overall, I would not recommend this game to even the diehard walking sim fans. Your time and money is better spent elsewhere. Don't be fooled by how nice the trailers and screenshots may look or by how the marketing describes this. It's shallow, emotionless, and frustrating.

Very short walking experience that uses augmented reality for very basic things. The game starts with a man and his dog sailing the ocean. After mysteriously emerging at an oil rig, the man awakens to discover that the dog is gone. He soon discovers a shimmering portal that transports him on a strange journey. The game doesn't waste time by keeping things from you and gradually exposing all of its mysteries. You are immediately flung left and right, with no idea what is happening. Despite the fact that the portal transports you to an unfamiliar location, the core walking sim gameplay doesn't try anything new. You still have to go around looking for keys or clues on how to open doors or remove obstructions. The game invests much in its graphics and presentation. There are photos and images of something dubbed "secrets of the cursed codex", however they are easy to miss because there are no waypoints. The graphics are excellent, and the locations you can explore are amazing. Although there are some washed textures and clipping concerns, it's not too horrible as long as you don't try to jump behind every rock and climb every structure. One bad news is that the game is very short. It’s possible to beat it within one hour. There are no logical puzzles, only searching for keys. While you can spend time looking for them on your own, the game offers has an uncommon hint system. If you scan the QR code discovered somewhere nearby, you will be directed to a 3D object containing a snapshot of the solution or the location of a key. It’s disappointing the game uses the generic UI found in the majority of horror indie games. The template will be immediately recognizable to every fan and casual player of these games. There’s the beating heart that shows health, the same old diary with objectives, placeholder text used to describe most basic things such as keys, etc. This also includes light sources that can run out. If you prefer exploring and taking your time, you might be left in the dark because you simply won’t have anything left. At the end of the day, this is another walking simulator with excellent graphics but limited gameplay.

The trailer makes the game look good but it dosent show the cheap assets and terrible clipping problems combined with a uninteresting story and drab dialog not worth the money