Tides of Tomorrow [REVIEW] – A Uniquely Brilliant Shared Narrative Experience 

After the ingenuity and creativity found in the storytelling of Road 96, it’s no surprise to see that Digixart have taken things to the next level in their newest narrative adventure, Tides of Tomorrow. It tackles a pretty heavy subject – the absolute state of our oceans and plastic pollution – but manages to wrap it all up in a gorgeous and entertaining package, all whilst bringing something that feels wholly unique with the ‘Story-Link’ system.  

Check out some screenshots down below: 

Tides of Tomorrow puts players in the boots of a Tidewalker on Elynd, an oceanic planet that acts as a flooded, future version of Earth. The place is absolutely drowning in plastic waste, and it’s not just an eyesore, either – the pollution has caused a horrific illness known as Plastemia, which slowly turns the human body into a colourful, plasticised corpse. Grim, right? The only way to fend off the disease is by taking a rare inhalant called Ozen, but this is where the tension really kicks in: Ozen is strictly controlled by nasty overlords and local militias, and it literally acts as your health bar. You need it to survive, but you’ll also constantly meet desperate locals who need it just as much… deciding whether to be selfish or charitable with your medicine is a massive part of the experience and determines how your story will play out. It all comes together to make for a tantalising narrative, and one that’s made even more intriguing thanks to the aforementioned ‘Story-Link’ system. 

It’s fair to say that the real appeal of Tides of Tomorrow comes with its ‘Story-Link’ system. Instead of playing in a vacuum where only your choices matter, your world is directly shaped by someone who played the game before you. Before you start a chapter, you pick a real-world player to follow – whether that’s a friend via a seed code, a popular streamer, a developer, or just a totally random person. Whatever they did in their game ripples directly into yours… if the player before you decided to steal a bunch of Ozen from a stash, that stash will be empty when you get there, or if they botched a stealth section at a bandit camp, you’re going to find a lot more guards on patrol looking for intruders.  

It goes deeper than just world state changes too. You build up a reputation across five distinct traits, and this affects how the locals treat you and what dialogue options you get, which, of course, all affects the player following on from you. You can also use a special Tidewalker vision ability to see echoes of your predecessor, and watching these visions wander around can reveal secret passwords, highlight hidden paths, or give you the context needed to deal with whatever mess the previous player left behind. 

“Your experience with it may vary depending on how invested you are in the ‘Story-Link’ system, but even if you don’t plan on sharing the adventure with someone you know, Tides of Tomorrow is a blast to play.” 

It’s an incredibly clever system that I loved being a part of, and whilst I didn’t get to experience a friend’s previous playthrough, I’ve already excitedly shared my own with someone I know who has started the game, so I can’t wait to hear what they think about it. You can even leave resources in special chests, sacrificing your own hard-earned health so another player might have an easier time, and I’ve actually been quite generous… I expect a ‘thank you’ from them when they beat the game. 

However, whilst clever, I can imagine that the system would be divisive for different players. Because you frequently have to watch these echoes to figure out where to go next or how to bypass a puzzle, it can occasionally make you feel like you are just cleaning up someone else’s story rather than being the hero of your own – especially when you have no connection to the previous player, which is something that did leave me feeling a little less invested in their actions. Some players might find it a bit frustrating to be punished for another person’s bad decisions too, especially in a heavily narrative-driven game that you might only play through once. Because, come on, most players aren’t going to leave resources behind, right? You might be left playing in what feels like a ‘hard mode’.  

If you’ve got players to share the experience with – whether that’s someone who came before OR after you – it feels extra special, but if that’s not something you plan on engaging with fully, Tides of Tomorrow might lose some of its appeal. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

When you aren’t chatting with the locals or making tough moral calls, you’ll be doing a fair bit of exploring, with players navigating between floating settlements on their boat, all whilst engaging in a mix of light platforming, stealth, and puzzle-solving. Digixart has done a stellar job keeping the pacing fresh, whilst you can also take on optional quests that range from exploring a sinking ship and competing in races to freeing captive sea life. There really is a lot going on, so there’s plenty to enjoy for players – even IF they don’t invest themselves in the ‘Story-Link’ system. 

Visually, Tides of Tomorrow is a massive treat, and despite the grim premise of a dying world, it completely avoids looking drab or depressing. The environments are soaked in bright, neon colours with a vibrant flair that makes poking around the floating slums always feel like a treat for the eyes. The voice acting is top-tier as well, ensuring that the game has a real cinematic presence from start to end that further complements the effective storytelling. 

Developer: Digixart 
Publisher: THQ Nordic 
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC 
Website: https://tidesoftomorrow.thqnordic.com/