Chionophile
Chionophile
Game
Game2020
Beyond Blue
Developer E-Line Media
Beyond Blue is an educational underwater diving adventure game developed and published by American studio E-Line Media, who had formerly developed Never Alone. The game was inspired by the BBC's Blue Planet II nature documentary series. It was released in 2020 on iOS, macOS, and tvOS through Apple Arcade on April 17, and on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 11. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
248 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 1, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
168 positive · 21 negative
95% range 84–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 168 | 21 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 16 | 0 | 24 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 18 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
755 of 860 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 166 yes, 21 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 187 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,345 of 1,520 positive).
Players describe Beyond Blue as a relaxing, educational underwater exploration game similar to a nature documentary. [1][2][3] Many reviewers note the game is short, with playtime around 3-5 hours, and feel it is overpriced. [4][5][6] Some players compare it favorably to Endless Ocean and Abzu, while others find the gameplay repetitive and lacking challenge. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [9]
looking for the thrill of an adventure and exploration of the deep blue, ended up at the bottom of the cold ocean drowned of boredom. This might be the most relaxing game I've ever played. Great choice when you just want to chill after a day's work or heavy workout, Take a shower, plug in a controller and relax. I've actually fallen asleep a bit the first time playing the game, it has very good soundtracks and it …
- [1]
Perfect game to chill and explore a gorgeous underwater world. It feels like a lot of the negative reviews are calling the game "preachy" and "cringe" and I struggle to understand why. The game was inspired by the documentary "Blue Planet" and yes it has an environmentalist perspective so i guess if you are triggered by the idea that we should protect our planet and our oceans from degradation caused by humans, the …
- [4]
TL;DR - If you are looking for a GAME, don't bother. If you hoping to be scared, don't bother. The game takes 3 hours to complete, and is a learning experience, rather than a game. It can also be a good relaxer or destresser post-game, but the price is too high for such a short duration, so get it on sale. Okay, now for the review. I played this during a charity marathon stream where the charity we were supporting …
- [2]
Closest I can compare this to is a playable nature documentary, kind of Attenboroughs "The Blue Planet" as a game. It's a Walking (or should I say swimming) sim where you explore the depths in some pretty enviroments, scan the varios life and track a whale family. There is a bit of character development with your sister and sick grandmother, but it feels a bit undercooked. There is no danger, even if you encounter …
- [3]
I played the game for Play or Pay 4th Cycle of 2025 and it was picked for me by Zelrune. Beyond Blue is a beautiful underwater narrative adventure where you play as Mirai, a marine biologist studying ocean wildlife. You scan different species of marine life, track whales, and explore everything from sunlit shallows to eerie deep-sea brine pools — all while learning real science through short documentary clips. It’s …
Summarised from 34 of the 255 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Beyond Blue talk about beautiful and immersive underwater visuals; those who didn't talk about very short playtime of about 3-5 hours. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game received "mixed or average" reviews for Windows and Xbox One and "generally favorable" reviews for PlayStation 4, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The Switch port received "mixed or average" reviews. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 47% of critics. Rebecca Stow of Push Square rated the game 8 stars out of 10, praising the game's atmosphere, narrative, music and voice acting, while criticizing the lack of realistic marine life. Rachel Watts of PC Gamer rated the game 71/100, saying that while the game was a "brilliant educational tool" due to its ability to scan wildlife, its environments felt empty and…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 248 · most liked firstPerfect game to chill and explore a gorgeous underwater world. It feels like a lot of the negative reviews are calling the game "preachy" and "cringe" and I struggle to understand why. The game was inspired by the documentary "Blue Planet" and yes it has an environmentalist perspective so i guess if you are triggered by the idea that we should protect our planet and our oceans from degradation caused by humans, the game is not for you. However if you enjoy relaxing games and exploration,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR - If you are looking for a GAME, don't bother. If you hoping to be scared, don't bother. The game takes 3 hours to complete, and is a learning experience, rather than a game. It can also be a good relaxer or destresser post-game, but the price is too high for such a short duration, so get it on sale. Okay, now for the review. I played this during a charity marathon stream where the charity we were supporting was an orca based charity. This game was perfect, because it wasn't too long.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue is a beautiful exploration game that is similar to a walking simulator except that it takes place underwater. The gameplay is entirely peaceful as you explore each area while scanning all the aquatic life you encounter and completing story objectives marked on the map. There are eight different dives with several regions to explore as well as submarine sections that occur after completing the dive. On the submarine, the player can view optional educational videos and take care of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Decent, it's more of an "educational" game than anything. The story is ok, and the visuals aren't bad. The 100% will take you around 3-5hrs. People say there are bugs with getting some of the scans, but I never encountered any.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a marine biologist, I loved swimming through the ocean and discovering species. I absolutely discovered everything lol. Overall, this game is pretty cool. It's hard to get to the beach since being in a wheelchair so it's nice to live vicariously. Though I have swam with orcas, humpbacks, dolphins, jellyfish blooms, rays... all kinds of things that are in this game! I think this game does a great job at teaching about the ocean without being boring. You get to swim around in the ocean…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →looking for the thrill of an adventure and exploration of the deep blue, ended up at the bottom of the cold ocean drowned of boredom. This might be the most relaxing game I've ever played. Great choice when you just want to chill after a day's work or heavy workout, Take a shower, plug in a controller and relax. I've actually fallen asleep a bit the first time playing the game, it has very good soundtracks and it just has this peaceful ambience, like letting your mind drift away beyond…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue is an amazing adventure game where you explore underwater and discover and learn more about fauna and flora... The graphics are really beautiful and the ambiant is so relaxing. It worth it and I highly recommend it!!! 🩵🐬🩵
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a great way to learn a little about oceanography. Sound advice--don't click Continue to reload where you left off. Instead, load from last autosave. It saves lots of time and frustration, because you're going to want to go back again and again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got this game because it reminded me a lot of the Endless Ocean games which I loved as a kid and got me really invested in learning about Ocean Life. I really loved this game, my only quarrell with it is how short it is. Then again that could just be due to me comparing it to Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean Blue World, both of which have far longer story lines, and Blue World especially has far more regions and ocean life. Still, this game is calming, nostalgic, the characters are endearing,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What I thought was most interesting about Beyond Blue was how they managed to make a game all about the ocean so incredibly dry. This is a narrative driven walking (swimming?) sim where you go on a number of dives, swim around, "scan" a few things and follow an oceanographer and a pod of sperm whales through a short narrative. You can also learn a bit about the ocean and some other underwater critters on the way. Don't say gaming never learns you nothin. I think this is badly overpriced,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(Hopefully) Temporary Review for Steam Deck Owners I booted this up not long ago, and was very excited to play it as it's beautiful and interesting, but as of right now it seems that the in-game video, be that the separate documentary style insights or the in-game video they show during phone calls with your colleagues, doesn't work. I emailed their support email they have provided in the discussions and they responded very quickly saying that they are aware of the issue and are working on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This recommendation comes with a caveat. Technically, I found it pretty good - graphics is nice, animations too. Environments are convincing and immersive. Fauna is varied and interesting. And I am fascinated by underwater games and diving (not diving IRL). I feel that they have achieved what they set out to do, hence my recommendation. I just wish they had been a bit more ambitious. As a game there is just not much too it. No risks, no challenges, no rewards. You can explore, and follow the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not as good as Subnautica or Endless Ocean (2), and it's also pretty short, but I still really enjoyed it. If you like Abzu and Endless Ocean, you may like this game too. It doesnt give too much freedom and the maps you dive in are pretty small, but it's a good diving game nonetheless, with an educational side to it, good music and beautiful visuals.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closest I can compare this to is a playable nature documentary, kind of Attenboroughs "The Blue Planet" as a game. It's a Walking (or should I say swimming) sim where you explore the depths in some pretty enviroments, scan the varios life and track a whale family. There is a bit of character development with your sister and sick grandmother, but it feels a bit undercooked. There is no danger, even if you encounter sharks or giant squids, they just swim gently away and don't bother you, so no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue, developed and published by E-Line Media, is a contemplative underwater exploration experience that places less emphasis on traditional gameplay systems and more on atmosphere, storytelling, and environmental awareness. You step into the role of Mirai Soto, a marine researcher leading a small team studying ocean life in the near future. Rather than framing its journey around danger or survival, the game presents the ocean as a place of discovery—vast, mysterious, and quietly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My ex-gf gifted me this game. Never would I have guessed its title was an unfortunate prediction of how I would feel after she dumped me. In all seriousness though, this product is half a game, half a documentary, about marine life and exploration. Think of it like a budget Subnautica, where you're exploring different biomes, ONLY scanning all different types of marine creatures, and your reward is a bunch of short videos you can watch from your cyclops (submarine). Said videos are about the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played the game for Play or Pay 4th Cycle of 2025 and it was picked for me by Zelrune. Beyond Blue is a beautiful underwater narrative adventure where you play as Mirai, a marine biologist studying ocean wildlife. You scan different species of marine life, track whales, and explore everything from sunlit shallows to eerie deep-sea brine pools — all while learning real science through short documentary clips. It’s like a nature documentary you actually get to swim around in, and I absolutely…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The joy of wandering in a game, that's what Beyond Blue does for me.
positive · AI labelView post →Beyond Blue is a huge disappointment in the ocean-gaming world, after having completed the main story and trying out the newly released content, it is easy to say that this game flopped in many aspects. The coral reef environments in-game severely misrepresent what actual coral reefs look like in life, here they look lifeless, baron and boring, not to mention some incredibly strange coral-like structures that look nothing like actual species of coral. This game is just filled with boring…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game does not even remotely come close to anything fun. The game tutorializes EVERYTHING, doesn't let you form any of your own thoughts, spelling everything out for you. The voices are horrendously annoying. There's no gameplay at all. The only reason this should even come near your steam library is when it's in the same key bundle as an actually good game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue is an ok ocean diving and animal scanning game, but it is also extremely boring, because there is nothing else to do in this game except for scanning and listening to monologues and dialogues. I beat the entire game in less than three hours and in my opinion it is simply too expensive for what it has to offer and so I'm flipping the thumbs down here, because I think that it is overrated. Only buy if you're into whales and are looking for a very relaxing game and when it's on sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought Beyond Blue hoping for an experience similar to the old Wii title Endless Ocean. Unfortunately, it's quite a different game, and personally, I still prefer Endless Ocean. Beyond Blue puts much more focus on scientific accuracy and education. The gameplay is very linear, and instead of free exploration, it's more about learning real-world facts and research methods. That said, it's still a beautiful and enjoyable experience — just not the relaxing diving sandbox I was expecting.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I beat this game i about 3 hours, as informitive as this game is and beautiful It is boring and just a swim and click adventure...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Sea is Just Beautiful.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a relaxing game. You scan fish from different depths. A documentary tells you about the rare fish that live in the depths, and it's very interesting to see what lies at the bottom of the sea. Recommended for those who want to relax and see fish.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Platinum 🏆#62 was Beyond Blue. I have a general fear of open ocean (even in games), but this one did not trigger me at all. You just swim around and find ocean creatures, and it's soooooo calming. ~4 hours to plat.
positive · AI labelView post →💙 Beyond Blue 💙 is the free game in Epic It's one of those swimming in a vast ocean and appreciating the whales and sea life type of games Very serene
positive · AI labelView post →This game has a lot of potential... However there haven't been any updates since January of 2021. Visuals are gorgeous, but there isn't anything of much substance here.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →wonderful fish game ^_^ would be perfect if it had a chill mode where u can sit on the bed inside the submarine and fully look out of the windows while listening to the radio
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who really cares about oceans and marine life, Beyond Blue felt like such a meaningful experience. It’s this beautiful mix of game and documentary, and it genuinely feels like you’re diving into something real and important rather than just playing a game. Exploring the ocean is incredibly calming, and the attention to detail in the marine life and environments is amazing. You can tell a lot of care went into making everything feel authentic and respectful to the creatures and their…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was a fun educational game about how the ocean looks, and the different environments that exist. The mini-documentaries that show recordings of the visuals help verify the realism that you can immerse yourself in while exploring the depths.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →3 hours of gameplay and took 6.6 hours to 100% it took that long becuse i didnt know that on the map there is undiscovered animals. Very Good Game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had spectacular time playing this game. I learned about marine life way more than I expected from the game of this length. It was such a good idea to make a game based off of real struggles and research, with actual people doing it. I really hope we as a humans can do way more for creatures under the water, as everything I saw, and know of, is beautiful there
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Didnt like this one, relaxing but terrible characters and world/audio design was bad
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing game, Short, But Beautifully amazing game, gives me the Endless Ocean vibes.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible game, it's depressing how the message has fallen flat with audiences today, ie global warming and plastic build up in the ocean.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very relaxing and beautieful game, or moreso experience because there is not to much gameplay here. You swim around, scan sealife, and listen to some dialogue serving as the story of the game. What I missed was more interaction with the animals, instead of them just being being there and you looking at them the majority of the time. As you progress you unlock pieces of an actual documentary, those where super interesting to watch! All in all, tho not perfect I'd reccomend the game if you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →for everyone who misses endless ocean. a nice relaxed game, not as long or..cinematic as endless ocean but the story is cool and the swimming feels great
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WTH happened to this dev team? They created a 3D engine to tell a story and give knowledge about ecology, it was linear and very tutorial like but it was fair. Now, they decide to create a lot of things, give us game functions and bring us a lot more of underwater experience and pleasure. I don't get it! It's generally the other way around... Kudos for managing to do this!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great idea, good visuals, but as a game this is a disappointment. The female protagonist looks like unisex being in the suit, instead of freedom there is constant orders and the tech plays bigger role than the nature. Such a misunderstanding.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun little ocean exploration game that helps scratch the itch when you can't go for a dive yourself
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While this is a shorter game, I 100% completed it in about 4 hours, it is a very fun game none the less. The story is immersive, fun and informative. The characters are fleshed out and have personality, and problems, making them seem more realistic. They banter and interact with one another well, and the additional dialog you can go back and do before starting your next mission really insures you can look at the game from every angle. It deals with love and loss. As well as heartbreak, grief…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue is a mostly calm, at your own pace, ocean exploration game that focuses on education and the importance of ocean conservation. The gameplay here is mostly of the "find it and scan it" genre, with a few other tasks thrown in as well. There is a story involving the characters and the animals you're studying. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say it might get close to home for some folks. The animation is smooth and the animals look and behave wonderfully. The visuals of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another aquatic themed game I've finished is Beyond Blue, a truly relaxing and educative underwater exploration experience. Making sperm whales the focus of the story was a great way to allow you to explore all those oceanic regions!
positive · AI labelView post →the swimming might've been fun - though far below subnautica level - but the boring and preachy dialogues killed it for me. missions are dull. all in all, soon enough you'll wish they'd implemented drowning
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself was ok, but the cringy dialogue and characters killed it for me
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished a 100% completion run, so now time for a review! A pretty easy, cinematic game, with very good messages about conservation. The actual human characters lacked a little in my opinion, and I wasn’t hooked by their mini stories that occur purely via dialogue. However the nature aspect was brilliant. Not very in depth story-wise, and I wish there was more actual story because of the cinematic type nature of the game, but still a cool, relaxing game and a pretty easy if slightly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game. It’s perfect for the steam deck which makes it feel incredibly immersive. I thought it was beautiful and informative and the type of game you wish you could go back after some time and play it as if it was your first playthrough!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fantastic ocean exploration, learning and some awarness game, a bit short, but long enough. great to come back and dive/explore some more. I like the ability to watch fish in 3D upclose inside the sub. Cons: - I didn't care for the personal drama game tried to introduce, I came here for the animals and the ocean, not NPC's personal drama. Why does everything nowdays have to be "sad story baggage drama bla bla bla....depression, anxiety". It has nothing to do with the game, completely…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It's very peaceful and relaxing. The story follows a young whale as well as looking into a few mysteries. There's not much to it, but there doesn't need to be. As you go you can scan various creatures, unlocking more information on them. The voice acting is done very well as well. I would definitely recommend it to fans of Blue Planet 2 and other such nature documentaries, or to people who enjoy simple, relaxing, scenic games. Verdict: 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I should've been a marine biologist
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beyond Blue is a short, but excellent game! Get it while it’s free!
positive · AI labelView post →With all the madness going on in the world I can totally get lost in this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9/10 chill game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Is this a game? Well just read the short game description: "adventure" - and I think that's a good description. It's a story about the main character and her fellows to deep dive into the ocean to find and inspect species. Story text, audio records, discussions with collegues, walk around in the small submarine vehicle and ... free dive in the ocean! It took me about 5 hours to "finish" the adventure. However, you can continue free diving and finding the remaining unscanned species (the map…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When compared to subnautica, this is pretty boring. You just scan stuff and the story is very lackluster.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great ocean life simulator. Really fun, and it works great on my Steam Deck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who loved Never Alone I just can't recommend this one and would like to encourage you to play Never Alone instead. It's just... too much effort put into gameplay elements that feel like busywork. The characters have nice voice actors, the soundtrack is pretty cool, the graphics are nice enough and the mini-documentary is pretty cool, but it all just falls flat. It would have benefited from a more compelling story, a faster pace or just more gameplay. Never Alone was a straightforward…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People expecting something similar to Subnautica should skip this. It is not worth your time. And even if you're looking for a casual game, this isn't for you. I don't know how to classify this "game." I guess you control a character with a controller... There isn’t much of a story or gameplay. All you do is listen to in-game characters talk to each other, and then you do a dive mission. During these dive missions, all you do is scan animals and swim around. After you've scanned enough…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice chill game. Great graphics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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