For those who had been making a brand new sport within the point-and-click style, how would you make it distinctive? Sport developer Meredith Gran had some concepts for her subsequent title, Excellent Tides: Station to Station. The PAX East 2025 demo showcased how having conversations and forging relationships may assist one stage up in life.
Excellent Tides: Station to Station is the sequel to Excellent Tides. For those who by no means performed the unique, don’t fear; you may play the sequel with out prior data. Station to Station is a coming-of-age story the place you management Mara, an 18-year-old author exploring a giant metropolis whereas attempting to transition into maturity. The sport mixes the mechanics of a point-and-click with RPG parts in an intriguing manner. By conversing with metropolis denizens, you’ll decide up totally different concepts you may file in your telephone. These take the type of folks and locations and act like objects. You need to use these folks and locations as subjects of dialog if you discuss to NPCs, which helps advance the story. The concept of leveling up Mara via this summary conference helps Station to Station stand out from its friends.
Navigating the town in Station to Station proved simple sufficient, though at one level, I used to be confused about the place to go subsequent. This isn’t to detract from the title’s controls. It eschews the standard point-and-click format (there aren’t any a number of tabs like “Look At” or “Discuss To” to be discovered). Speaking to residents and mentioning subjects of dialog was streamlined completely. There are additionally choices you need to make all through the story, which might have an effect on how Mara grows as an individual and the sport’s ending. Although my session was quick, I superior to the second a part of the sport. I had to make use of my instinct and detective abilities to determine learn how to make it to a celebration the place I didn’t know the host’s title. This sport actually does showcase the awkwardness of being an adolescent.
I loved Excellent Tides: Station to Stationeven at a crowded conference. Its grounded story pulls on the heartstrings, which is sensible as a result of it’s deeply private for creator Meredith Gran. Gamers can anticipate an journey that takes place over the course of a 12 months and lasts about 16 hours. Maintain an eye fixed out for the adolescent expertise when it launches someday sooner or later on Nintendo Swap and PC.
