Underneath the Waves: A Story of Hope for the Future

For Ronan Coiffec, the CEO of Parallel Studio, video video games are far more than a job: they’re a lifestyle, one thing he’s lived with since his early youth. From hardcore gamer to apprentice recreation designer, this baby of the ’80s centered on his sole objective: opening his studio and writing his personal tales. Underneath The Waves is the most recent one, closing an nearly 4-year improvement marathon. A significant milestone for Ronan and the indie studio he based in 2015 with author Sébastien Renard and audio designer Nicolas Bredin.

Underneath The Waves is the fourth recreation made by Parallel Studio and it’s been a very rewarding mission for every of the 19 staff members, in keeping with Ronan: “We made a while a number of days in the past to tug out the technical paperwork that laid the foundations for the sport. We have been pleasantly stunned to see that in the long run, we didn’t have to limit ourselves, we pushed each facet of the mission so far as we might, and but we set ourselves fairly a excessive bar contemplating the scale of the staff: the underwater gameplay in a semi-open 3D world, the aspect quests, the movement seize, the ’70s documentary aesthetic, the messages… We put all our coronary heart into it, it’s a honest and beneficiant mission!”

A recreation filled with content material certainly, but for Ronan, Underneath The Waves is initially the story of Stan, the taciturn diver who escapes actuality by going into the depths of the ocean. “We’ve divided the sport into chapters,” explains Ronan. “There’s loads of freedom to wander round and uncover this world, however to maneuver ahead it’s essential to comply with the principle quest. It was first a technical alternative, however in the long run, it allowed us to convey easily what we needed and inform our story. You continue to have room for exploration, each actually and figuratively: that of nature, which surrounds us and on which our affect is seen, for higher or for worse, but additionally the exploration of our personal situation as human beings, our flaws, our relationship with others.”

Underneath The Waves is a story deeply rooted in Ronan’s childhood. The son of a marine within the French Navy, he crossed the world many instances, following his father’s skilled assignments. On the different finish of the planet, a great distance from his native Brittany, he found a world the place warships, oil rigs and environmental activists collide. “It was throughout my adolescence that I imagined a online game that may translate these reminiscences,” remembers Ronan. “I scribbled down recreation design diagrams, drew environments, sketched autos and characters. And although gameplay stays a central affair, my purpose has at all times been to convey intense, human feelings in my tales.” The prototype was evolving round a easy 2D mechanism with a diver and his submersible tasked with cleansing up underwater air pollution. Drawing out the darkness to deliver out the hope. Fairly a logo. 

From 2020 to 2023, Ronan and Parallel Studio devoted their vitality to this emotionally charged improvement, to which every member of this small group would add their very own contact. That too is the energy of a studio on a human scale: soul to spare and intelligent minds filled with concepts! “Underneath The Waves is each a sum of compromises and an absolute absence of compromise, if that is sensible” smiles Ronan. “I used to be searching for a option to deliver it to life inside a staff on an affordable scale, to maintain management of the mission with out abandoning sure ambitions when it comes to gameplay. Parallel Studio, with the assistance of Quantic Dream, was the right framework for reaching this outcome. I’m happy with what we’ve performed.”

With dozens of caverns and wrecks to discover, a whole lot of marine creatures to admire and numerous ideas for Stan to ponder, Parallel Studio has lastly achieved what it got down to do: provide us a second of escape, far beneath the waves, and gently encourage us to rethink our standpoint on the small issues we will do for ourselves, for others and for the planet. “Ecology is within the studio’s DNA. We’ve had our carbon footprint analysed, we use recycled furnishings, we’ve even ‘adopted’ a whale to offer monetary help for scientists… Actually, the whale within the recreation is a central component, so it’s no coincidence! And we’re additionally delighted of the partnership with Surfrider Basis Europe, who helped us including real-life context to the marine details we deliver all by the sport.”

Time flies, and there’s nonetheless one main query we have to ask. Mercury, the quirky retro-futuristic on-board pc, what OS does it run on? “Haha, good one! MS-DOS after all, however absolutely a beta model, provided that the true factor was launched in 1981, whereas the sport is about in 1979! By the way in which, talking of MS DOS, it’s really the reference I prompt to our graphic designer for the glossy interface on Stan’s pc. As for Mercury, that’s the identify we’ve additionally given to a bot on our Discord, at Parallel Studio. It’s capable of export our builds, it replies to our vacation requests, and above all, it tells us every single day when it’s afterwork time! It’s turn out to be our companion, for positive.”

Underneath The Waves

Quantic Dream

☆☆☆☆☆
7

★★★★★

$29.99

Underneath the Waves is a narrative-driven journey recreation concerning the engulfing energy of grief. Set within the depths of the North Sea in a techno-futuristic Seventies, skilled diver Stan is struggling to beat a life-changing loss and embrace a brand new future. The isolation of the deep sea is a becoming manifestation of his mind-set, and as Stan retreads additional into his self-imposed solitude, he begins to expertise unusual occasions far beneath the waves. He’ll finally must make a troublesome alternative…

A love letter to the oceans, Underneath The Waves invitations you to dive into a beautiful underwater world, dropped at life in a poetic mix of cinematic visuals and poignant storytelling. Dwell a gripping story by Stan’s eyes and information him by an unexpected sequence of occasions that may deliver him deeper and deeper into the abyss, the reflection of his personal psyche.
Wander the huge seabed piloting Stan’s submarine and encounter the gorgeous wildlife, Stan’s solely firm whereas he’s trapped in his personal thoughts. Discover caves, wrecks, and underwater vegetation with Stan’s particular wetsuit, following the mysterious manifestations of his reminiscences, to discover a approach again to the floor and save his life. Accumulate supplies and craft tools that may assist Stan navigate additional on this self-discovery expedition. You’ll have to dare get off the crushed observe to expertise mesmerizing moments and reveal extra concerning the tragic previous he’s making an attempt to flee…

Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream are partnering with Surfrider Basis Europe to help ocean preservation. Know extra about Surfrider Basis at www.surfrider.eu.

KEY FEATURES
– A surreal voyage beneath the waves — Dwell a poetic underwater journey a few man making an attempt to beat his traumatic previous and save his personal life, each actually and figuratively. Will Stan ever attain the floor once more?
– Discover the depths of the ocean – Pilot your submarine over the abyss and swim your approach by caves, wrecks, and submerged vegetation in quest of backstory items, salvageable waste, collectibles, and extra. Craft tools to assist Stan discover additional.
– Witness the great thing about the ocean – Dive by attractive underwater environments, from unfathomable depths to retro-futuristic amenities, immersed in a contemplative ambiance dropped at life by an atmospheric soundtrack.
– A singular setting filled with mysteries – Uncover an alternate actuality of the 12 months 1979 the place retro, science-fiction, and fantasy stream collectively in beautifully-rendered graphics.