Highwater Reviews
Highwater remains a commendable addition to Demagog Studios’ repertoire, offering a captivating narrative set within a visually stunning world. While not without its shortcomings, the game successfully captures the essence of its predecessors while carving out its own identity within the post-apocalyptic genre.
Highwater has some good writing and atmosphere, but the light exploration and turn-based battles don’t feel particularly engaging.
Highwater is an indie adventure that stands out thanks to its flooded post-apocalypse setting, simplistic designs, tactical battles, and soundtrack. Most importantly, it’s a fun ride, so grab your gear, avoid the bears, and sail away!
I would recommend that you buy Highwater for the soundtrack alone if anything else. The moments I got to sail around and just listen and take in what was happening around me were fabulous. If you can get past the very sobering fact that we are currently dealing with a climate crisis in real-time, I would give this one a try.
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.
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.