Image credit: Beyond Blue by E-Line Media
Last week, The Inverness Courier covered under “Games of the Week” a handful of educational games
for learning at home during lockdown.
Beyond
Blue is one of them!
Inspired by
the BBC's Blue Planet II nature documentary series, Beyond Blue is an
educational underwater diving adventure game created by American studio E-Line
Media, who had formerly developed Never Alone in partnership with Alaska Native storytellers and elders.
E-Line Media
is a video game developer and publisher based in Phoenix, AZ, passionate about
harnessing the power of games to help players understand and shape the world. The
company has also been a key driver of a number of high-profile impact game
initiatives, including the National STEM Video Game Challenge (launched at the
White House by President Obama), the Games and Learning Publishing Council
(funded by the Gates Foundation) and the ASU Center for Games and Impact.
Beyond Blue takes players into the near future, where they will have the
opportunity to explore the mysteries of our ocean through the eyes of Mirai, a
deep-sea explorer and scientist. She and her newly formed research team will
use groundbreaking technologies to see, hear, and interact with the ocean in a
more meaningful way than has ever been attempted. The game features an
evocative narrative and exploration of an untouched world.
Image credit: Beyond Blue by E-Line Media
The game is an
opportunity to submerge yourself in the expansive beauty of the Western
Pacific. Futuristic technology enables the marine scientist Mirai to scan
creatures, track whale calls and withstand the crushing pressures of the deep
ocean as she follows a pod of sperm whales through seascapes taken from the
BBC’s Blue Planet II.
Image credit: Beyond Blue by E-Line Media
According to
Game Watcher review, “Beyond Blue struggles as a narrative adventure
game but shines as an educational tool that brings awareness and reveals some
of the ocean’s secrets. Different moments during exploration and the short
documentary-style videos featuring real-life experts ensure that by the time
you’re done with it, you’ll have learned at least a handful of new and
fascinating things about the ocean and its inhabitants.”
Beyond Blue
was released on iOS, Windows, Mac OS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam in mid-2020.