A quick look at Under the Ocean

Under the Ocean is still a work very much in progress on Near Enough Games part and because of that I don't think it would be fair to review it just now, the game current version is alpha 5. After playing it for a bit, I decided that a quick look would be the best option, this way I will contribute to the game development and growth.
If you're interested in Under the Ocean you can get it through Steam, it will cost you something around 5€, this way you will help the developers, also by playing the game and giving them your feedback in the forums you will improve the quality of the final game as well.
Near Enough Games seems to have a real gem on their hands here, Under the Ocean is in its purest form a survival and construction experience, depending on the mode you choose in the beginning of the game you will either have a game focused on the survival aspect, or in the building aspect.

It all happens in an island, the survivor mode aka base mode reminded me a lot of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks, you will have to adapt to survive, build a shelter to protect yourself and in the long run try to escape the island. The free build mode is where you can really set your imagination free and try to build something of epic proportions without worrying to much about the survival aspect, here is where the Minecraft and Terraria fans will feel most at home. There is also a random mode which is...well random.
The game feels very peaceful, it has simple but smooth graphics, even if they are a bit too bright, it also has some very relaxing music. It is actually kinda strange to see and hear something so peaceful just to get killed five minutes later either by an open wound or simply the cold or maybe the heat... I think you get my idea. Yes, the game can be pretty brutal sometimes, specially if you don't know what you're doing. As a side note, the game does not have a tutorial by the time I'm writing this.

In terms of gameplay it's all pretty simple, you drag the items you want to use or carry around into your inventory, it actually took me a few minutes to figure out where the inventory was (top of the screen). You can combine items to create weapons and tools that will allow you to survive, axes and spears are simple things to create and very useful, but there are some more complex constructions, put a few materials together and you will build a windmill that can generate electricity, that way you can power your shelter. Feels almost like home, Tom Hanks would be proud!

At the end of the day I would still recommend to Near Enough Games the inclusion of a tutorial as soon as possible, just so that people who bought the game don't have such a hard time starting to build and imagine great adventures. Aside from that, Under the Ocean seems to have the potential to be a success.
I want to thank Near Enough Games for the access to this alpha build, hopefully in the future I can review the full version of this very interesting game.
http://www.underthegarden.com/