Innovation is the key to evolving gameplay, and those that manage to do so successfully are what drive creativity and uniqueness in an oversaturated market. When Road 96 was first announced, I thought the idea of random, procedurally generated chapters in a narrative-driven game sounded ludicrous. As it turns out, the concept was brilliant, both in its concept and execution. So when DigixArt announced Tides of Tomorrow, a game in a similar vein as Road 96, only on a grander scale and now an asynchronous multiplayer game, I knew I had to dive in.

The good old atoll… I mean Marketplace.

Tides of Tomorrow is set in a dystopian world where the world is flooded, the oceans are filled with trash, and food is scarce (I swear I’m not just summarizing the dreadful Waterworld film). Now that the world is flooded, people can no longer live on dry land, and must instead reside in small communities built on masses of trash and remnants of broken ships (seriously, I’m not talking about Waterworld).

Humans are succumbing to a disease called Plastemia that gradually turns their flesh into plastic and kills them. They need a special chemical called Ozen to survive and stave off the Plastemia, which is being hoarded by the vicious Marauders, led by the treacherous Obin (I will consent that he’s not as hilariously scene-chewing as Dennis Hopper’s Deacon). 

Yes, you can pet the giant purple fish monster.

One of Tides of Tomorrow‘s unique features is the Online Story-link. Players start by selecting the Story-Link of just about anyone: a friend, real-life steamers, one of the developers’ avatars, or even a total stranger to follow on a mission. You play as a Tidewalker, a human with special abilities. As a Tidewalker, you can see the “echoes” left by other Tidewalkers. Echoes are essentially visions of the actions and decisions made by other Tidewalkers. Finding and examining these visions can show pathways past obstacles, reveal passwords, and uncover hidden secrets. The Online Story-Link feature is what allows you to see what other players have done during their playthroughs, as well as allow them to view your choices. Will you work together to save the planet, help humanity, or tear everything down just for the thrill of it?

Finding and viewing other Tidewalkers’ echoes is the key to getting past certain obstacles.

Along with the dialogue choices you make, how you play also greatly affects the events of the game. Every action and decision you make will align you more towards several categories: the self-preserving Survivalist, the considerate Cooperative, or the chaos-loving Troublemaker. Your choices will also drive you towards a few different paths: saving mankind, saving nature, or saving yourself. Just like with Road 96, Tides of Tomorrow will require several playthroughs if you want to see the whole story and understand each character’s perspective.

What’s interesting about Tides of Tomorrow is its asynchronous multiplayer gameplay. Much like Death Stranding and Dark Souls, players can leave resources behind for other players to aid their success. This can be either beneficial or detrimental depending on how players decide to act. For example, if they leave a canister of precious Ozen in a hidden cache, it will be there for the next Tidewalker that stumbles upon it who might be in great need of some healing. Conversely, if a player is following a Survivor route, they might take everything within the stash for themselves, thereby leaving nothing for others in need who come after. Other players can also purposely guide or lie about answers to challenges, begging you to question whether or not they’re worth following.

Your progress and decisions are updated after each chapter, and you can share your Story-Link with other friends or followers to check out.

It isn’t all just choosing dialogue options though. Tides of Tomorrow features several other gameplay mechanics, such as races, boat fights, and stealth sections. Honestly, most of these are pretty basic and aren’t really anything to write home about. Even so, I still appreciate breaking up the narrative portions every now and then with something a little different. 

Visually, Tides of Tomorrow is beautiful. It features DigixArt’s trademark bright, vivid, and somewhat cartoonish art style, now with better detail in the character models. Even though the world is covered in water, debris, and trash, it’s still vibrant, full of wild colors and dynamic lighting. Unlike Death Stranding, Tides of Tomorrow is teeming with life, even if existence is on the brink of extinction. There are some incredible locations to visit as well, from industrial ships, to a neon Pleasureland, to long forgotten civilizations beneath the sea. Each location is vastly different from one another, making exploration a treat.

The ocean holds many secrets…

The sound design is also quite strong. There is wonderful voice acting all around, with great sound effects and ambient sounds to make the ocean feel more real. There’s also a pretty solid soundtrack, even if some of the songs are a bit repetitive.

To say I enjoyed my time with Tides of Tomorrow would be an understatement. I’m still obsessing over this game, even after having beaten it. Just like with Road 96, this is a game I’ll be playing many times. There’s so much left to uncover, places to explore, and characters to understand. With seven different endings to unlock (and to truly get the whole picture), Tides of Tomorrow is a game that doesn’t just encourage multiple playthroughs, it insists on it. This is a challenge I’ll gladly take up time and time again. So who’s with me? Let’s see what community or shenanigans we can create together!

Tides of Tomorrow is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Reviewed on PC with i7-12700kf, RTX 5070, and 32gb DDR5 RAM.

A copy of Tides of Tomorrow was provided by the publisher.