Tides of Tomorrow isn't like any narrative game I've played before, though it does play with expectation. We've all reached the end of something like Telltale's The Walking Dead and gleefully thumbed through the pages that show what could have happened if you made other decisions, comparing the shape of your own journey to that of other players. Were our decisions with the majority, or the minority? Tides of Tomorrow takes this element and asks 'what if that was the whole point?' Here, you're always in the footsteps of other plays, reacting to the world they leave behind – which I get a taste of in my Steam Next Fest demo.
Tides of Tomorrow is developed by Digixart, who is no stranger to crafting narrative-focused journeys thanks to the excellent Road 96 and its sequel. Set on Elnyd, an ocean planet that's been ruined by plastic dumping, you play one of many Tidewalkers who are slowly re-emerging from suspended animation below the waters in the wake of a Great Flood. As a plastic-borne illness takes hold, you'll need to figure out how to survive as you navigate harsh flotillas filled with people living in the shadow of the same sickness. Existing on the brink of the end, will your decisions carve out a path forward just for yourself, or towards a new future for all? You can get a taste of it yourself in the demo (check out our Steam Next Fest guide for more on how to do that).
