In Other Waters Thumbnail

In Other Waters similar games & best alternatives

In Other Waters

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Mac • 2020

Related articles

Quick resume

Play as an Artificial Intelligence guiding a stranded xenobiologist through a beautiful and mysterious alien ocean. A non-violent sci-fi story, enter a world of wonder, fear and vulnerability, unraveling the history and ecology of an impossible planet. What will you discover together?

Global score

87/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Puzzle, Simulator

Similar games

    Pros

    • Unique immersive narrative
    • Beautiful minimalist ui and sound design
    • Engaging exploration of alien ecosystems
    • Thoughtful ecological and emotional themes
    • Accessible gameplay mechanics

    Cons

    • Slow and repetitive movement controls
    • Short game length
    • Limited map and navigation aids
    • Some players find text-heavy gameplay tedious
    • Lack of tutorial or in-game guidance

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Cooperation, Survival.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players control an AI suit with freedom to explore and make decisions, though within a structured narrative and map-based movement system."

    • Competence
      3

      "Engages players in learning and mastering a unique interface and exploration mechanics, with some resource management challenges."

    • Competition
      -5

      "No competitive elements; focus is on personal exploration and story experience."

    • Continuation
      2

      "Players often engage in multiple sessions and some replay to complete taxonomy and explore further, though the game is relatively short."

    • Cooperation
      3

      "Narratively cooperative with the human scientist character; players assist and protect her, fostering a sense of partnership."

    • Creativity
      4

      "Players imagine alien ecosystems and creatures from textual descriptions and sketches, engaging creative visualization."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No domination or power over others; interactions are cooperative and equal."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Provides a calming, immersive escape into an alien ocean world with contemplative themes."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of curiosity and interest in exploration and story."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players experiment with samples and navigation mechanics to progress and discover new areas."

    • Exploration
      5

      "Core motivation is discovering new alien species and environments through detailed exploration."

    • Expression
      2

      "Limited character customization but players express themselves through exploration choices and interpretation of descriptions."

    • Fantasy
      4

      "Strong sci-fi setting with imaginative alien ecosystems and AI perspective."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Some social connection through narrative partnership, but primarily a solo experience."

    • Growth
      3

      "Players develop understanding of alien biology and master interface mechanics."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention on reading and navigation; not suitable for background play."

    • Intimacy
      2

      "Narrative builds emotional connection with the scientist character, though social interaction is limited."

    • Leadership
      2

      "Player guides and supports the scientist, acting in a leadership role within the narrative."

    • Progression
      3

      "Progression through collecting samples, unlocking taxonomy entries, and story advancement."

    • Relaxation
      4

      "Calm, meditative gameplay with soothing music and ambient sound design."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Engaging auditory and visual minimalism creates immersive sensory experience."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics present."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative focus with emotional depth and mystery driving player engagement."

    • Strategy
      1

      "Some light resource and navigation management, but overall simple mechanics."

    • Thrill
      1

      "Occasional tension from resource management and story moments, but generally low risk."

    • Value
      3

      "Players find value in unique narrative and immersive experience despite short length."

    • Violence
      -5

      "No violence or combat; focus on exploration and study."

    • Survival
      1

      "Light survival elements like oxygen and energy management, but no real threat of failure."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026