New Releases

Beyond Blue, out now for Apple Arcade, is a stunning underwater adventure from the makers of Never Alone

A gorgeous underwater adventure

Beyond Blue, out now for Apple Arcade, is a stunning underwater adventure from the makers of Never Alone
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| Beyond Blue

In a wonderful turn of events, today has seen the launch of two great-looking Apple Arcade games. One, A Fold Apart, we already knew was set to arrive today, though the second, E-Line's Beyond Blue, comes as a very welcome surprise indeed.

This one's a gorgeous underwater adventure game where you'll explore the mysteries of our ocean through the eyes of Mirai, a deep-sea explorer and scientist. Alongside your newly-formed research team, you'll use futuristic tech to see, hear, and interact with the ocean and its inhabitants in exciting, perhaps sometimes scary ways.

I say scary because I certainly wouldn't fancy swimming around with animals the size of my house, even if they aren't out to swallow me whole. That said, I'm more than happy to do so in the safety of a digital world, especially one that looks as pretty as this.

Beyond Blue is said to offer an evocative narrative that gradually starts throwing high-stakes decisions your way. I'm definitely intrigued.

It was developed in partnership with the BBC of all things, makers of some of the greatest nature documentaries of all time. This could lend it an additional level of authenticity for people who know their stuff, offering an experience that "reflects the awesome wonder and unbounded mystery that infuses our planet's beating blue heart".

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You might remember that E-Line was also behind the BAFTA award-winning Never Alone (or Kisima Ingitchuna). That one revolves around native Alaskan culture, telling the tale of a young girl and her cute fox friend. It's a 2D puzzle-platformer that's still up for sale on the App Store and Google Play.

Beyond Blue is absolutely the sort of game I could get behind right now: calming, awe-inspiring, and perhaps occasionally stressful. If you're up for it, you'll find Beyond Blue available for download now from over on the App Store. It's of course an Apple Arcade release, so you'll need an active subscription to play.

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Cameron Bald
Cameron Bald
Cameron started out as an intern here in late 2018, then went on to join us as our News Editor in July 2019. He brings with him an encyclopedic knowledge of decade-old GamesMaster review scores and plenty of stinking takes on games, movies, and proper pizza etiquette.