There is so much left to explore, and the oceans are one of the most mysterious place left on earth. This is the mission of the SS Thalassa. The crew is full of hope. The atmosphere aboard is festive. They are about to complete the recovery of a lifetime. They will raise the St-Catherine, a long lost Spanish galleon. Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a first person psychological drama by the Sarepta studio. It is published by Team17 who are known for their extensive catalogue of indie games.

The game takes place at sea, mostly underwater. Miss Isabel is a modern woman. She is a woman before her time. She has dreams and the money to make them happened. She owns the Thalassa, and has big plan for it. Little did she knew that tragedy was about to struck her and her crew on their voyage.

You play as a deep-sea diver named Cam. You are part of a team of adventurers aboard the SS Thalassa. The game starts with the team preparing for a very important dive. Today is a special day. The Thalassa’s crew is getting ready to raise the St-Catherine. Bailey is helping you into your suit. He is the one who responsible for the equipment aboard the Thalassa. The big moment as arrived, and you will finally get a first look at the Spanish galleon. It’s time for you to begin your descent. Chaos erupt! Something terrible has happened. Bailey and you are the only one left alive. Several months have passed since you lost your friends. You barely had time to grieve, but you want answers. and you barely had time to grieve. With the SS Thalassa and her crew at the bottom of the ocean, you and Bailey take to the sea. You ready to dive to the Thalassa’s hulk. There are many mysteries to solve.

The game is presented from a first person point of view. There are a couple instance where you are on the boat, but most of the game is played underwater. There is a lot of emphasis on the story. I found the slow built-up interesting. Almost everything you encounter on your exploration will give you an additional piece of the narrative. There are also wax rolls scattered around the ship. These lets you listen in on some interviews taken on the Thalassa, and they will give you even more context into the mysterious story.

The main mechanic of the game consist in some mysteries that you must solve. There is a screen that look a bit like a family tree with all the mysteries, and by clicking on each one you will get more information. Clues can come from anywhere. These mysteries help to add depth to the story and also resolve some unanswered questions. I had fun unravelling the mysteries, and it kept me engaged in the game and its story. Each mystery is a different question that needs to be deciphered. Only when you found the right clues can a mystery be solved by clicking the “conclude” button. At the conclusion of each of these, you will get another piece of the Thalassa’s tale.

I enjoyed the aesthetics. The art is gorgeous, and the subdued colours and somewhat hazy graphics did a great job making me feel like I was truly underwater. Bailey is there through the game helping you, and giving you hints. I had a great time playing Thalassa, but there is one aspect that I found exasperating. It starts as soon as you fire up the game, get ready to wait. Moreover there are a lot of different screens to open throughout the game. The mysteries are the principal mechanic in this game, so you will be opening this screen again and again. I hope you are prepared to wait. You can’t get around these extremely long waiting time since you will need to open your inventory and the mysteries several time in one playthrough. If you are not the patient type, this can become a real impediment.

You can see the developers have taken great attention to details. The map of the ship is very lifelike, it almost look like one of those map you can get when visiting an historic ship. The Thalassa has several levels with many rooms, and the detailed map made it easier to get around. It also highlights where you should look and the main areas of interest at each moment. My favourite part of the game is the way the creators chose to tell the story. Every aspect of the game is used to shape the narrative. You get bits of the story by listening to the characters on the wax rolls, but also from the objects you discover and the surroundings. The mysteries are also a big part of creating the tale.

Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a stunning game with an emotional narrative. I especially loved the mystery mechanic where you get to be part of the investigation. I enjoyed uncovering the crew’s story bit by bit. If you don’t mind waiting for the different screens to load, and enjoy solving mysteries Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is sure to keep you entertained until the end.

Positives

• Great story building
• The mystery mechanic is engaging
• Great attention to details

Negatives

• Loading screen are exceedingly slow