Going on a journey of self-discovery is no simple task, nor is it easy by any means. Even so, the rewards for what one might uncover from just a smidge of soul searching can be, well, literally life-changing. Especially for someone like Cat, the protagonist, who finds themselves Beyond the Tides, interested yet not overly eager to return home.
As our tale begins, Cat is lost at sea, scared and alone. Or are they? No. No, they’re not, and it’s a good thing too as leaving the poor creature all alone with its thoughts throughout Beyond the Tides is all but guaranteed to have resulted in a much less interesting experience than the one presented.
An experience that’s loaded superbly with metaphors, ensuring Cat’s journey brings about more than a little food for thought, be it related to gender, identity, or something else entirely. Doesn’t take much reading between the lines to realize there’s quite a lot to unpack here, for a game that can be finished in less than twenty minutes.
That said, as previously noted, Cat is reluctant to return home – for several reasons. None of these are even Cat’s fault, as those they meet along the way will also tell them by way of brief glimpses into who and/or what each of them are… and/or aren’t. As I said, a lot to unpack, and the game is certainly better for it.
So, choices? Endings? I mean, you do have the option to go through the conversations in any order, and there are multiple endings. In a sense. The difference between the two endings is minor, although it’s still a nice inclusion. That also goes for the variety on display here, every story bringing a different topic or theme to the table, aiding perhaps not only Cat but the player too. Perhaps, indeed.
Speaking of, the game’s itch.io page contains a link to an ‘ocean of messages’ page, where users can add their messages. These will be reviewed and added until the end of Pride Month (in other words, June 2024).
Beyond the Tides is available on itch.io.
