March 14, 2024
Inc.

Highwater

Although Highwater’s combat is frustrating at times, and its story is a tad derivative, it’s still an incredibly enjoyable and hyper relevant game because of its core messages and lore.‍

67%Game Brain Score

story, music

gameplay, optimization

60% User Score Based on 70 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 12 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $6.30

Buy NowGet on Steam$19.99

Buy NowGet on itch.io Store$19.99

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About

"Highwater is a single-player, open world 3D adventure game with an isometric turn-based puzzle-combat system and stunning graphics. In a flooded, post-apocalyptic world, players navigate by boat, forming alliances and battling foes, embarking on a melancholic yet humorous journey across dangerous regions to seek escape to Mars. Experience a rich, story-driven adventure with challenging gameplay and a unique setting."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+18

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

story25 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features a unique artistic direction with colorful visuals and a captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
The turn-based combat system is engaging and incorporates puzzle elements, allowing for strategic gameplay.
The soundtrack and radio segments provide a charming backdrop, contributing to the game's quirky and humorous tone.

The story lacks depth and coherence, often feeling disjointed and failing to evoke emotional engagement.
Exploration is limited and linear, with many areas feeling empty and repetitive, detracting from the sense of adventure.
The game suffers from technical issues, including awkward controls, UI problems, and occasional bugs that disrupt gameplay.

story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
59%
8%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its quirky and fun elements, as well as its social commentary, while others criticize it for being simplistic, poorly developed, and lacking emotional depth. Set in a post-environmental disaster world, the narrative follows a band of refugees seeking escape to Mars, but many feel the writing does not live up to the standards of previous installments in the series. Overall, while the atmosphere and humor are praised, the story's execution leaves much to be desired, with some players feeling it detracts from the overall experience.
- “This was a fun and quirky story that did a good job of fleshing out the world you have come to know via the previous games.”
- “Very nice little game with a very interesting consistent story that hits home, because it's pretty close to a possible future reality.”
- “Despite this, I’ve grown to love the universe and its ongoing lore, and I can’t wait for the next chapter of the story as I'm still craving more.”
- “But the developers must have felt a certain amount of pressure lengthening the game with the core plot this simple because the writing here is subpar, to be honest.”
- “The story is kind of all over the place with a pretty whatever ending, not worth the time spent or payoff.”
- “It feels like I've suffered through 2 hours of slowly taking in this game's horrible storyline when it outright admits 'oh this is just a stupid fetch quest', and that's about when you realize that this game isn't worth playing.”
music
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
58%
10%
The music in the game is described as a blend of beautiful, chill indie folk tracks that create a heavenly atmosphere, despite the grim setting. While the soundtrack is generally well-received, some players find it bland and feel that the radio segments lack depth compared to previous entries. Overall, the music effectively complements the visuals and storytelling, although interruptions during gameplay can detract from the listening experience.
- “A very chill game with beautiful music and a heavenly atmosphere, despite the grim setting itself.”
- “Just like the earlier games, it harmonizes with the visuals effectively as it tells the story through the host and the songs – which will be the only voices you will hear in the game, except for a few in-game performances.”
- “Highwater could be the dictionary example of an indie game: it is based on a trending topic with social implications, it marches to its own tune without trying to fit into one specific genre, it has a distinctive visual and musical style that builds a great atmosphere.”
- “The radio DJ can provide a bit of world building at times, but mostly it's just kind of bland indie music that wasn't really to my taste.”
- “There's no sense of urgency, and the game encourages this vibe by putting slow-paced boat rides and indie folk music.”
- “However, in this game, I had to stop my boat sometimes to hear the whole song or avoid getting interrupted by something like a cutscene.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
27%
10%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the stylized art style and stunning visuals, particularly the low-resolution aesthetic. However, there are notable criticisms regarding a lack of polish, including UI issues and bugs, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals align with the developer's previous work, some players feel that the graphics could have been improved, possibly due to the game's mobile origins.
- “The stylized graphics look great, the sound design is fantastic and the characters are wonderful.”
- “The game's visuals are incredibly stunning, especially the low-resolution art style.”
- “The graphic art style is great though.”
- “The visuals are okay but need a bit of polish.”
- “To me, it was the overall lack of polish in terms of UI, bugs, and graphics.”
- “With the graphics, perhaps it’s because of its mobile roots since this was a Netflix exclusive for a while.”
gameplay
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by decent mechanics and round-based combat, though many players find them underutilized and lacking polish. The experience is often described as linear, with a reliance on a confusing map and frequent jarring transitions between gameplay and cutscenes. While some appreciate the story and soundtracks, the overall execution leaves room for improvement, resulting in mixed reviews.
- “Overall gameplay and the round-based combat is pretty nice too.”
- “I just started playing it and I found it interesting; I love the story and gameplay, also the soundtracks.”
- “Highwater is definitely one for fans of Demagog Studio's other work, presenting yet another distinct gameplay experience set in the shared world.”
- “There's some alright mechanics, but they're not very well utilized or polished.”
- “Moreover, if you think you can skip the slow dialogue and focus solely on the gameplay… then I'm afraid I have bad news for you.”
- “Especially in the first half of the game, the gameplay felt very linear, just cruising along from point A to point B dictated by a crude radar and a map which I couldn’t understand and never used.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its chill vibe, beautiful music, and unique visual style, creating a heavenly yet melancholic experience despite its grim setting. Reviewers highlight the effective storytelling through character dialogues and the game's ability to evoke strong emotions, making it a memorable atmospheric journey. Overall, the developers are recognized for their talent in crafting immersive environments, although some technical issues detract from the experience.
- “A very chill game with beautiful music and a heavenly atmosphere, despite the grim setting itself.”
- “These developers have a real gift for delivering atmosphere, which isn't too surprising considering they were able to pull it off in a 2D golf game (Golf Club Wasteland is a total classic in my book).”
- “It has a very distinct and nice atmosphere to it, and I also like the storytelling through dialogues between the characters, even if there is no way to influence what they say.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its comedic take on serious situations, while others find certain elements, like the portrayal of insurgents and the inclusion of a bandit viking gang, to be off-putting and detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the humor is described as spot on by some, adding a lighthearted touch to the narrative, but it can also feel out of place for others.
- “Kind of a 'funny' take on a very dramatic situation.”
- “Story was cool, the humor was spot on.”
- “Navigate by boat, discover islands, find new allies to help battle foes, and experience a humorous tale about friendship in this melancholic and atmospheric escape.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's optimization is generally praised, with excellent performance at 1440p resolution and quick loading times. However, some reviewers feel that the developers, Demagog Studio, could improve further based on their previous work. Overall, players are encouraged to manage their expectations while enjoying the game's visual storytelling and lore.
- “The performance, 1440p resolution and loading times are excellent.”
- “Just like the earlier games, it harmonizes with the visuals effectively as it tells the story through the host and the songs – which will be the only voices you will hear in the game, except for a few in-game performances.”
- “And while I applaud Demagog Studio's efforts, I know they can do better, especially given their past performances.”
- “I could have played the Netflix version for free, but I’m glad I got it on PC for the performance. Give the game a try if you like the lore of Demagog games and are a fan of strategy RPGs while keeping expectations in check in terms of scope.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the touching narrative about the survival of children and the wholesome characters, others feel that the story elements and exploration lack depth, failing to evoke a strong emotional response. Overall, the game presents a critique of late-stage capitalism but struggles to fully engage players on an emotional level.
- “Additionally, story points include touching on how the children who were left behind were able to survive (and if you've played the cub, you know they thrived).”
- “It is a sharp critique of late-stage capitalism, but it populates the devastated world with a touching story, wholesome characters, and surprisingly engaging combat.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game exhibits stability issues, with users reporting noticeable glitches such as misattributed dialogues and word balloons appearing outside the screen boundaries. These problems are easily identifiable and detract from the overall experience.
- “I experienced a few glitches, such as dialogues being attributed to the wrong characters and two word balloons spawning outside of the screen boundaries.”
- “I encountered several stability issues, including frequent crashes and lag during gameplay.”
- “The game suffers from numerous bugs that disrupt the experience, making it frustrating to play.”