Highwater Reviews
While the music and character representation were refreshing, it wasn’t enough to make the dull gameplay enjoyable.
Highwater takes advantage of the climate debate to create a captivating story, even with some pitfalls. The story of Nikos and his friends is exciting and attracts mainly the musical part and the reflections regarding the protagonists' choices, which bring a melancholic air to the game. Combat is another high point, as there is a good variety of weapons and scenario elements that, when combined, allow you to develop many combat strategies. Its biggest problem, however, is the pace. Both the combat and the dialogues are drawn out, take a long time to finish and leave the adventure boring. Skipping lines or speeding up combat is not a good idea, as it gives the feeling of being disposable factors, but, in practice, they are very important. Still, I believe that Highwater is worth experiencing for its debate and great emotional appeal.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Highwater is a fantastic game with a story worth playing. It is highly immersive, allowing you to get lost in the gameplay for hours. It is a great casual turn-based strategy for those just looking to relax and watch a great story unfold rather than stress over how to out-strategize the enemy.
Highwater is a fun little strategy game about the end of the world, and the struggle of a small group of people trying to survive. The strategy gameplay has some rather creative ideas, albeit ones arguably not exploited to their fullest. Some of the game's elements, primarily the long, largely uneventful boat trips between combat encounters, may be polarising to those seeking a more densely-packed and fast-paced experience. However, if you can get on its level, sit back and enjoy the music and engaging narrative, you'll likely have a good time with Highwater.
Even those who are not fans of turn-based combat should check out Highwater. The combat uses the environment in a way that feels unique and like a puzzle to be solved rather than a strategy to be bogged down in. Exploring the environments is rewarding and fun, with a great radio to listen to as you travel and a very interesting world around you to explore.
Highwater gives off an eerie post-civilisation feel, so kudos to the developer for getting that point across to the player since it is set in a post-apocalyptic world. As for the gameplay, I have very mixed feelings about Highwater. Firstly, I think that the different elements of the gameplay don’t gel well together. The boat journeys were the most enjoyable part for me, especially at sunset when the sun was creeping down the sky; the artwork illustrated that well, whereas the rest of the gameplay left me feeling kind of indifferent.