We've got an intriguing game called Tides of Tomorrow releasing on Xbox today, and it's something that's had our attention for quite a long time now, as it's the next title from the developer behind the excellent Road 96.
On the face of it, this seems like your pretty typical narrative adventure with some colourful visuals and perhaps even a Sunset Overdrive vibe about it, but there's one major quirk you need to know about — your story evolves based on the decisions that other players have made when playing through the game before you.
Here's a bit about that unique feature:
The “Online Story-Link” feature allows you to feel the impact of previous players’ choices – and leave your own lasting mark for future players. Players start by selecting the Story-Link of a friend, favorite streamer, DigixArt team member, or stranger to follow on a mission to reconstruct or further deconstruct a world suffering from a disease that is ravaging the ocean planet.
Sounds cool, right? But how does it fare in practice? Well, the first reviews for Tides of Tomorrow have started going live, and there are some pretty varied scores here — let's take a look at some of them:
Stevivor (9/10)
"Managing your own personal health can be quite stressful, let alone the state of the world around you. It’s here that Tides of Tomorrow excels, providing some choice in how its narrative unfolds, but creating a far tighter, far more polished experience as compared to Road 96. It’s a fantastic evolution."
GamesRadar (4/5)
"Tides of Tomorrow is a narrative adventure set in a gorgeous but deadly ocean beset by a plastic apocalypse. Filled with episodic adventures across each island, weighty story decisions are placed within those made by a community of players. At times, this makes it feel like a theme park ride with cast members – but a really good, well-crafted one. Unique, vibrant, and a genuine thrill, this is a stunning journey that'll stay with you."
GamingBible (8/10)
"This all culminates in an experience that does an effective job at emphasising the connection between people, achieved in a way that feels particularly clever and responsive to how your own actions affect others, as theirs do unto you. Tides of Tomorrow delivers on making you feel like you’re part of a greater whole, while also providing a story that is wholly individual and intimate."
COGConnected (78/100)
"Tides of Tomorrow has a clever multiplayer mechanic that literally and metaphorically demonstrates how our actions, and those of others, send ripples into the world. It has a strong narrative hook and interesting characters, but it can’t quite stick the landing when it comes to gameplay, controls, and polish. I’m looking forward to seeing the story link system further developed in a more refined experience."
GameSpew (7/10)
"Mixing together adventure, stealth and a gripping narrative makes Tides of Tomorrow a very intriguing prospect indeed. It's just a shame that its novel 'online story-link' mechanic isn't as enjoyable as it should be, leaving you feeling like you're existing in someone else's shadow rather than carving out your own path through this unique world."
Checkpoint Gaming (6/10)
"Tides of Tomorrow is a textbook example of mechanics that would be better served in a stronger game. Its story-link system is compellingly eerie and smartly iterates on the social aspects of choice-based adventure games, and its resource management shapes player choices in clever ways, but neither can fully escape the leaking ship of flat writing, characters and setting. While I hope that games on future tides can better capitalise on these ideas, for now, Tides of Tomorrow doesn’t deserve much more than a day trip to its rusty water park attractions."
As things stand, Tides of Tomorrow has a Metacritic average of 81 for Xbox, 75 for PS5 and 73 for PC, with most of the reviews having been submitted for the PS5 version so far. Not amazing, but definitely good!
If you're interested in playing it, Tides of Tomorrow will be available later today on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and it only costs £24.99 / $29.99 to pre-order it on the Xbox Store right now.