Climate change (the Great Climate Catastrophe, specifically) has caused what is basically the apocalypse on Earth, but Mars… Mars has hope. The region of Hightower is flooded and acts as a safe zone between two dry (and unsafe) regions. There are rumours of an escape to Mars, so Nikos begins a journey to find it while collecting his friends along the way. This is the premise of an absolutely stunning game, Highwater.
Nikos begins in Hightower, the same zone. He’ll have to cross an impenetrable border along the way to Alphaville, stealing food and fighting along the way. Nikos and his friends will have to sneak to the rocket in time to escape the hell that Earth has become for the mere possibility of life working out on Mars.
Highwater is set in the same universe as Golf Club: Wasteland and The Cub, other games by the same developer. In Golf Club: Wasteland, the rich have already left Earth for Mars but return to Earth for, shockingly enough, golf.
Highwater is a 3D tactical turn-based strategy game. Navigate by boat, discover islands, and gain allies. The story unfolds through the allies met along the way, as well as the exploration. Players are able to freely street the boat in the flooded world. There are also environmental puzzles to solve.
The combat system is a little different than what turn-based strategy usually is. Players have to not only fight, but interact with the environment. Use objects around the system to defeat the enemy and move forward in your quest to Mars. The goal is simple: last long enough to make it to the rocket.
Developed by Demagog Studio and published by Rogue Games, Highwater will be released this year. For now, it has only been formally announced for PC by Rogue.
