Highwater (Nintendo Switch) Review

Arriving on PC and consoles – a year after its launch on mobile devices as a Netflix subscription perk – Highwater offers a brief but entertaining ride if you know what you’re getting into. It’s set in a fictional but instantly recognisable future, where climate change has led to widespread flooding of some regions, leaving nations in dry regions warring over limited space and resources. You play as Nikos and his diverse band of companions, travelling between settlements on his boat Argo, as he goes about scavenging for his community. On the sidelines, he’s gathering a crew and supplies in the hopes of sneaking into the wealthy fortress city of Alphaville to board a rocket for Mars.

As an indie title, the storytelling is mostly limited to text conversations with emotive animations, and you could uncharitably accuse the game as having that classic made-in-Unity look – however, Highwater thrives on it’s weird atmosphere above all else. It’s a strangely serene and melancholic world, despite increasing despair and open conflict between Alphavillians and a growing insurgency. What voice work there is includes an amusing radio host, his guests from across the flooded zone, and a somewhat on-the-nose indie music selection that complements each named chapter or major story beat.

It’s a vibe the gels well with the themes and character archetypes. It tackles obvious issues like the long-term impact of climate change and how singularly unique our planet is, but also how society’s response to it could be just as devastating. The Alphavillians are hoarding diminishing supplies and betting on science to save them; the insurgents are liberating those supplies for the masses, at least those who join their faction; while smaller communities caught in the middle either suffer from raids, or have taken to preying on those more vulnerable.

Mercifully, it’s not all doom and gloom, as Highwater includes weirder factions and quirky characters that are dealing with the post-apocalypse in their own way. These light-hearted moments, coupled with its brisk run time, make it easier to immerse yourself in Highwater’s world despite the relatively simple gameplay loop and underdeveloped mechanics you might expect from a game designed for mobile devices first. My only major narrative criticism is that it feels like the first part of a story, with a late-game “twist” that felt meaningless, and a few character arcs left unresolved when the credits rolled.

Talking gameplay, you traverse linear environments by boat as Nikos and his companions discuss the state of the world and their beliefs; you follow a simple map and compass to distinct islands – usually the top of buildings, bridges, or a natural high point – where you can hop out to explore on foot from semi-fixed camera angles. These locations might feature a story event, some lore collectibles that contribute to world-building, dialogue with surviving communities that reflect many cultures and ideologies, or maybe an optional battle for booster items or a new weapon that feeds into the incredibly basic RPG elements.

These battles against looters, wildlife, insurgents, Alphavillians, and some weirder factions are a highlight. Given your party composition is controlled by the story, weapons are character specific, equippable boosters and consumables offer negligible buffs, and special skills can only be used a few times per battle, combat encounters function more like puzzles than the XCOM-like overlay would suggest. You “solve” them by finding the optimal sequence of moves that use party member abilities that match common but simplified RPG archetypes.

Battles play out in grid-based environments using the classic one-move, one-action format – but moving into range and trading blows is rarely a good idea when you’re often outnumbered, must defend a point, or have to survive a set number of turns to claim victory. Surviving means making use of abilities that can taunt, stun, or disarm enemies; picking the right moment to use weapons that can push or pull enemies into hazards; and taking advantage of powerful environmental objects that range from simple throwable objects, to collapsing structures, and even wild animals that’ll go after whomever is closest.

There are some tough battles in the second half, with larger enemies that can even one-shot party members – or several if they have an area-of-effect attack. Thankfully, you can always undo your last move, restart a battle at any time if you’re in a losing spiral, and only ever need one hero still standing to claim victory. The frequency of battles picks up near the end, which can be a bit of a pacing killer, but most are designed to be beaten swiftly if you pay attention to your current party abilities and environmental features, such as cover or hazards.

Wrapping up, Highwater isn’t a bad choice if you’re after a brisk and atmospheric game with puzzle-like combat and a lot to say on the value of community in times of crisis. Its visual style is generic and the gameplay depth somewhat limited but, at a budget price-point, I enjoyed the five or so hours it took to see the credits roll – especially on the Nintendo Switch where I could play from the comfort of my bed in the evenings.

Highwater was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on iOS/Android, PC, Xbox One/Series S|X, and PS4/5.