Japan Import: Swim lazily over coral reefs, admiring the fish and listening to the soothing/annoying sounds of Hayley Westenra, the Kiwi Charlotte Church. If that's your idea of a good time, then welcome to your New Best Game Ever. If not, have a word with yourself and come back with an attitude readjustment, because you need to forget any preconceptions you may have had. Forever Blue is console psychotherapy, and it's totally brilliant.
It's also a proper game, believe it or not, with missions and objectives. That there's a complete lack of challenge in any of it only adds to its supremely relaxing nature, but you do get a feeling of accomplishment after acing another task or finding a particularly pretty sort of fish.
The old woman of the sea You play a diver with a massive boat and a chunk of ocean to explore. We picked a female because we didn't really want to get a close-up view of neoprene-clad manbits in the event of a camera malfunction, but the choice is entirely yours. Give her a name (ours is called Nemo) and a hairdo, then jump off the boat and witness an underwater scene that will take your breath away.
In the early parts of the game, the aim is simply to explore the reef and learn about the fish. There are around 200 species to discover, with loads of different ones in each area. When you see one that looks new, you tickle it with the Wii remote and it's added to your log book back on the boat.
The undersea landscapes are stunning. Sites of special interest are dotted around the ocean, and the camera takes a dreamy tour through their towering coral spires and into dizzyingly deep trenches whenever you chance upon one during a dive.
It's controlled entirely with the remote. There's a blue dot which the diver swims towards when you hold B, or the minus button makes her swim automatically, saving finger muscle. Other functions like the map, fish food, coloured pens for defacing the sea and a camera for recording what you've seen, are easily accessible. Gaming skill is not an issue.
Moving the boat from place to place, diving in the limited range allowed and uncovering the map, is addictive in itself, but there are tasks to be performed. The boat is hooked up with email, through which other characters get in touch and arrange meetings. You'll get to go on torch-lit night dives, search for treasure and explore sunken ruins.
There's never a feeling of danger, even when a huge shark appears and the reef drops away into a black abyss. It gave us a bizarre feeling of vertigo, like hitting turbulence in a plane but without the sense of impending death. It's completely unlike any other game, with the possible exception of soaring on the hang-glider in Pilotwings 64.
Although the objectives aren't strictly necessary other than to provide a break from the otherwise aimlessly relaxing exploration, they seem the only way to earn the right to visit certain parts of the game. You can't dive in the deepest trenches or go out at night until you've satisfied certain conditions.
Fishing for compliments There's a plot involving your boating companion, a girl who stands around in a lifejacket looking depressed. Maybe she just doesn't like fish. Maybe she can't swim. Maybe her dad was swallowed by a giant whale, which she's spent her life searching for. Whatever the reason, there's a lot of teaching tricks to dolphins.
But then that's enough for us, after hours of sailing, swimming and admiring. Hayley Westenra was quickly silenced in favour of MP3s on the SD card, but the game keeps calling us back and we think this'll stay in the Wii for a long time.
So that you don't have to remember where all the different fish habitats are, there's an aquarium that you can stock up with anything you've found so far. Unfortunately the Japanese retail version we reviewed has a bug that kills the game stone dead if you add certain types of fish. Cramming a whale in there is fine but try getting a ray in the tank and the Wii will crash every time.
That's certain to be fixed for the UK release, which should be out this year. Anyway, the prospect of teaming up with a Wi-Fi dive buddy and watching penguins shooting through the water, leaving trails of bubbles exactly like we've only ever seen in wildlife documentaries, well, that's sufficient incentive to keep us away from the buggy aquarium.
So, Forever Blue. Buy it. Your therapist will thank us for it some day.
NGamer Staff
// Overview
Verdict
The world's most relaxing and beautiful game. It makes us want a holiday immediately. Somewhere with soft sand, clear sea and power sockets for our Japanese Wii.
That graphics are certainly well impressive in this one. I doubt I'll buy it myself, but it does at least start to show what the Wii is actually capable of. Screenshot #16 for instance, looks amazing.
I'm strangely drawn to this game. The graphics actually look quite nice for a wii game. May just give it a go. Now if I could just find mothers Enya cd. Sail away, sail away, sail away.....
I wasn't sure... but I do think I'll end up buying it - I took a break from Bioshock with a bit of Viva Pinata and that style of "never-die" game is a real tonic, sometimes.
I think this looks great. Play it at night with no lights on and let the blue fill the room! Isn't image 5 the now extinct Chinese River dolphin? Bloody shame that is. It does make a nice change from shooting and driving games.
I'm strangely drawn to this game. The graphics actually look quite nice for a wii game. May just give it a go. Now if I could just find mothers Enya cd. Sail away, sail away, sail away.....
I was thinking the same thing that im drawn to this game but don't know why, maybe being a stoner has something to do with it.
I think this looks great. Play it at night with no lights on and let the blue fill the room! Isn't image 5 the now extinct Chinese River dolphin? Bloody shame that is. It does make a nice change from shooting and driving games.
I think you'll find thats a word fish I would've thought that was obious, Chinese river dolphins are the same as bottle nosed dolphins minus the dorsal fin and a different colour. I'm pretty sure Chinese river dolphins aren't extinct yet but if the Chinese carry on the way they are they will be very soon.
That graphics are certainly well impressive in this one. I doubt I'll buy it myself, but it does at least start to show what the Wii is actually capable of. Screenshot #16 for instance, looks amazing.
Screenshot #16 is probably pre-rendered.
In terms of under-watery-ness, could this be the Bioshock beater everyone is hoping for?
Not really my cup of tea this one, but I guess it looks alright, though I don't know if I'd part with my hard earned if it were a toss up between this and well, loads of games actually.
I think this looks great. Play it at night with no lights on and let the blue fill the room! Isn't image 5 the now extinct Chinese River dolphin? Bloody shame that is. It does make a nice change from shooting and driving games.
I think you'll find thats a word fish I would've thought that was obious, Chinese river dolphins are the same as bottle nosed dolphins minus the dorsal fin and a different colour. I'm pretty sure Chinese river dolphins aren't extinct yet but if the Chinese carry on the way they are they will be very soon.
Firstly why is it obvious? Unless you're a marine biologist or something? But you're probably not otherwise you'd know that the Yangtze River Dolphin has sadly been proclaimed extinct.
Have a look at this article: http://environment.independent.co.uk/wildlife/article2843953.eceundefined
for some reason this reminds me of the sunken ship level from mario 64. if it's half as ambient i may well try this,could be a nice change of pace after playing metroid,halo 3 etc..
I'm having flashbacks of when I saw Ecco the Dolphin on Dreamcast for the first time. I was blown away with the (for the time) realistic graphics, wonderful animation and water effects. I used to play that game for hours and hours, just jumping out of the water, making Ecco talk and doing that funny walking on water trick. So much fun.
I will certainly be buying this when released over here, which it has already been announced that it will be.
Yeah, it seems to be. Funny, cos it worked when I posted it! Anyway, on second thoughts, I'm quite liking the look of this. I can imagine it'd be a relaxing experience.
I'm strangely drawn to this game. The graphics actually look quite nice for a wii game. May just give it a go. Now if I could just find mothers Enya cd. Sail away, sail away, sail away.....
I was thinking the same thing that im drawn to this game but don't know why, maybe being a stoner has something to do with it.
I nearly didn't post this as it agrees with you
Have you got a wii then
Believe it or not, yes I do! I love all systems for their differences. Wii for the original, 360 for the online superiority and ps3 for variation in titles.
I'm having flashbacks of when I saw Ecco the Dolphin on Dreamcast for the first time. I was blown away with the (for the time) realistic graphics, wonderful animation and water effects. I used to play that game for hours and hours, just jumping out of the water, making Ecco talk and doing that funny walking on water trick. So much fun.
I will certainly be buying this when released over here, which it has already been announced that it will be.
You too. I can't say I ever finished Ecco on the Dreamcast but I played it for ages. Whenever I felt stressed or needed to chill, I just bunged in Ecco and swam around for a while. Instant relaxation.
I've been waiting for a next gen version for a long time since.
Forever Blue will definitely find a place with me.
i saw these on youtube a few months back and looked pretty good but tbh swimming in a ocean is boring as hell - all youd spend doing is trying to get eaten by sharks
And what exactly is the point of the game
If the wii ever dropped to like £60 id rebuy and get this
i saw these on youtube a few months back and looked pretty good but tbh swimming in a ocean is boring as hell - all youd spend doing is trying to get eaten by sharks
And what exactly is the point of the game
If the wii ever dropped to like £60 id rebuy and get this
ah, the mtv generation adrenaline junky subject #1
ok, so theres no explosions, no hooting poeople, no driving at 40,000 mph, no spaceships, no killer sharks, no gore, no blood, no slaughtering of innocent critters, no "action", and most assuredly no aircraft. but a game oesnt need these to be fun, and interesting, or to look great.
This game looks relaxing and the grahics are phinaly showing what the Wii can actualy do. If nearly all other Wii games had the grahpics of this ie I'd buy every single one of them. Now if they could just make a FPS with the graphics of Forever Blue then the Wii would finaly be shown as the perfect FPS console. Although I will probably think long and hard about weither I should part my cash for this game as so far all it's shown us is just swimming. Also I'm so happy becouse I've written the whole of this passage with my Wii remote YEY!!!!
this game is exellent, ive played it to the end and its worth every penny of the 16 pounds i paid for it. the graphics above the water are crappy but under the water they are great. to anyone wanting this to come to the 360 it wont ever happen its a nintendo made game. i was verry sceptic about this game at first but after i loaded it i found out how great it is. plus when you find the under water ruins and the sunken ship graveyard its all worth the money, especially when you find jaws hes huge, ohh and the massive whales too.
This one surprised me. It lasts longer than most games. Your diving time should be at least 30 hours before you see the whole map and complete all the missions. Plus i got mine for £15! I recommend this to everyone. Buy it now!
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