I had no idea what to expect going into Highwater other than what was being shown on the Steam page, and at first glance I was about to dismiss the game as yet another open (water) world adventure with quests and survival aspects sprinkled throughout, and to some degree I was right, but then again…Highwater is so much more.
The setup is simple…eco disaster has flooded the world, corporations taking over with most of the population living on whatever architecture remains above the waterline until they can be safely relocated to Mars. You’ll be playing as Nikos (primarily), as you explore this wonderfully imaginative post-apocalyptic world by boat and the frequent dry land excursion where you can search for useful loot and meaningful encounters with other survivors.
While most of the plot is setup in the brief intro, it is further fleshed out with plenty of discoverable reading material such as books, notes, journals, etc. as well as a fantastic pirate radio broadcast that plays during the longer boating sessions complete with amazing music (with lyrics). You’ll also have moments to snap key photographs using your camera, and all of these can be tracked and viewed in the collectibles section. Highwater unfolds as a linear quest with your primary objective indicated with a gold dot on the radar and gold arrow on the HUD. Between you and your destination are usually dozens of alternate docking spots for quick land-based adventures, some purely secondary while others fuel into your primary quest. A good example is early on in the game you can dock and find a basketball, which if taken will trigger a secondary event (and achievement) much later in the game.
There are plenty of fetch quests in the game that are made easier with thorough exploration beforehand while others require a more sequential approach. In one part of the game, you are at a wedding, and you need to provide a sheep and have a working camera to snap a wedding photo. If you had already explored the surrounding area, you might have found that sheep but were unable to obtain it…at least until you are given the specific task of actually getting the sheep, in which case the encounter will unfold differently. This leads to a bit of backtracking, but at least you know where key elements to the puzzles are if you have already found them in advance.
What really took me by surprise was when the game introduced a turn-based tactical combat system complete with move and attack phases set in a grid-based battlefield. As the game progresses Nikos has a diverse cast of other characters that will join him, each with their own tactics and abilities. There is one big guy who can headbutt enemies or topple signposts or knockout a support beam on a building, and another with a devastating spin kick. Learning how to combine all these varied attacks into a combined team effort does take a bit of practice.
Early in the game Nikos gets a fishing pole and I immediately cringed when I thought the game would have me fishing for food, but instead, that pole was a great weapon to snag and drag enemies around and even off the battle grid if they happened to be standing near an edge. A lot of the battle encounters seemed almost too specific in how they needed to be completed, forcing a lot of trial-and-error attempts until you figure out the proper sequence of moves and attacks for each party member. Character health can be replenished with a variety of consumables that restores HP in varying amounts, and thankfully, the game checkpoints before each battle and reloads are instant.
The world of Highwater is vast but thanks to its creative design that uses streetlights and signs poking above the water, you can easily figure out where to go next or just lose yourself in the exploration of it all. Fuel consumption is definitely part of the story arc, but with no actual fuel gauge to worry about you are free to explore as much as you want and take in this watery world. While you do have some control over the camera, it will always revert back to the intended director’s view if left alone, and this view will dynamically shift to give you the best view of any encounter.
There are some intentional style choices that keeps this game firmly grounded in the retro cel-shading genre. Despite running at 4K at 120fps (smooth enough to get seasick) there is a decisive low poly count for characters, items, and environments, yet it all comes together magnificently, and you will immediately lose yourself in this creative new world. There are mirror-like reflections on the water, lens flares off the sun, day and night effects, and all sorts of fun special effects tied to the weapons and environmental interactions during combat. There are some truly spectacular set piece environments that when combined with the expert camera system can create some jaw-dropping moments.
I played Highwater with my Xbox controller, and it worked well enough. Picking target squares on the combat grid could have been a bit easier with perhaps a more contrasting color for the selection box. Personally, I thought the camera panning controls were inverted and there was no way to change that or any other settings. There was also a typo telling me to hit X to dismiss certain screens when it was actually the B button. Aside from these few niggles, I had no serious issues with any part of playing Highwater.
If Kevin Costner ever did a sequel to Waterworld this is how I would want it to play out. I enjoy these post-apocalyptic adventures and while a flooded planet has often been the setup for many similar games in this genre, none have done it quite so well or as interesting as Highwater. It’s mix of exploration and adventure sprinkled with some inspired tactical combat will keep you entertained and engaged for the entire 8-10 hour completion time. The Pirate Radio soundtrack is also available separately, so you can enjoy those sweet tunes outside the game.
