Calm Waters: A Point & Click Mystery/Thriller
- July 28, 2015
- TayannaStudios
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn "Calm Waters: A Point & Click Mystery/Thriller" , widower Peter Taylor investigates mysterious occurrences in a secluded coastal town, joining forces with a local journalist and waiter to explore a dark, island shrouded in secrets and sinister events. This 2D point-and-click game boasts professional voice actors, stunning pre-rendered backgrounds, and a chilling soundtrack, drawing inspiration from Lost and Twin Peaks for an immersive, atmospheric experience.
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Reviews
- The game features decent voice acting and an intriguing story about disappearances on a mysterious island.
- It runs smoothly and has good ambient sound design, contributing to an atmospheric experience.
- Some players found it enjoyable despite its shortcomings, appreciating the potential for future improvements.
- The game is very short, lacking depth and meaningful content, with many players feeling it was not worth the price.
- Graphics and character design are considered poor, leading to a generally amateurish feel.
- Gameplay is clunky and frustrating, with issues like pixel hunting, lack of hints, and tedious backtracking.
- story32 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story, centered around mysterious disappearances on an island, shows promise but ultimately falls short due to its lack of depth and abrupt resolution. While the voice acting is commendable, many players found the dialogue lacking and the overall narrative underdeveloped, leading to a feeling of disappointment, especially given the game's short length. Despite these criticisms, there is a desire for a sequel that could expand on the intriguing premise.
“This game began quite nicely with its opening narration, leading me to believe the story would be quite detailed and intriguing.”
“Although the game is relatively short (around 3-4 hours), this does not take away from its challenging nature and intriguing storyline.”
“The story is nice, but definitely has the potential to be deepened, widened, and extended.”
“The storyline was weak and rushed.”
“The story's resolution is disappointing and shallow, and more than once, reaching dead-ends requires pixel-hunting or, more annoyingly, the repetition of a previously unsuccessful action several times, without indication of a changed response, before you can progress with the game.”
“Once into the game, visiting locations, I found that there were few actions a player could do in order to progress the story, which in turn made the story rather undetailed.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing them as poor and amateurish, struggling to identify the intended aesthetic. Others appreciated the pre-rendered graphics and found them visually appealing, noting that they complemented the gameplay well. Overall, while some enjoyed the visuals, many felt they fell short of expectations.
“Beautifully made pre-rendered graphics.”
“The graphics were awesome and the storyline was good, but the game was too short.”
“The graphics and gameplay mechanics are great.”
“The first thing that put me off here was the generally poor graphics.”
“It's hard to tell if they were going for a retro pixel aesthetic, a pre-rendered low poly aesthetic, or trying to make the game look realistic without any ability to do so.”
“This game is very amateurish; crappy character graphics, idiotic puzzle design, rather short, no hint system (and it would've been really necessary here!), pixel hunting, a lot of walking back and forth to find the next trigger, and animations are at bare minimum.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
"Calm Waters: A Point and Click Adventure" offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic 1980s and 1990s titles, featuring clunky and plodding gameplay that can be both fun and frustrating. While the graphics and gameplay mechanics receive praise, the overall experience is limited to about three hours of playtime.
“The graphics and gameplay mechanics are great.”
“This was a fun, albeit frustrating, 2 hours of gameplay.”
“Gameplay itself is pretty plodding and clunky.”
“"Calm Waters: A Point and Click Adventure" is just what it says on the box, a point and click adventure game, ripping off the gameplay from ancient 1980s and 1990s point and clicks like Day of the Tentacle and The Secret of Monkey Island.”
“About three hours of gameplay.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its good ambient sound design and atmospheric background tracks, contributing positively to the overall experience alongside the graphics and interface.
“The ambient sound design is excellent, complemented by some atmospheric background music.”
“The music, graphics, and interface are all quite impressive.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its effective ambient sound design and atmospheric background music, which collectively enhance the immersive experience.
“The game features excellent ambient sound design and atmospheric background music that truly enhances the experience.”
“The ambient sound design is impressive, complemented by atmospheric background music that immerses you in the game world.”
“The combination of ambient sound design and atmospheric background music creates a captivating atmosphere.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of "Calm Waters" is generally well-received, with players noting that the game runs smoothly despite having only average graphics.
“Calm Waters is a fun and interesting game that runs smoothly with decent graphics.”
