Developer Thunderful Development’s action-adventure 3D platformer Wavetale is now available to play. Here we’ve got all the details as well as a roundup of the game’s early reviews.
About the game:
Explore an open sea and the decaying archipelago of Strandville in Wavetale, a story-driven action-adventure game introducing you to fed-up fishermen, secretive hermits – and maybe a pirate or two. Traverse calm waters and surging waves as Sigrid, a young girl who befriends a mysterious shadow that provides her with the power to walk on water.
Speed through the waves, swing yourself from housetops with your net, and defeat an old nemesis to save the citizens of the islands. All with a bit of help from the shadows down below—and your cranky grandmother.
Wavetale Launch Trailer
Review Roundup
Early reviews for Wavetale are in and are generally favourable.
User reviews on Steam have the game tracking at ‘Mostly Positive’, bearing in mind this is only from a total of 29 reviews at the time of this post. 4 user reviews were ‘Not Recommended’.
Metacritic has the game tracking at 74/100 on PC, and around the same score on other platforms.
OpenCritic is on par with Metacritic having the game tracking at 75/100 across all platforms.
Here’s a selection of reviews:
Hardcore Gamer scored the game 80/100 on PC:
With Wavetale, Thunderful have managed to put a unique spin on post-apocalyptic worlds through its joyful tone, characters, style and more, making one want to spend as much time in it as possible and discover every sight to see. Of course, it helps that zipping around on the water is fun and makes for terrific gameplay, and the platforming easily evokes the classics. Audiences both young and old should give this a chance, as it’s a terrific action/adventure game with a lot of heart that shouldn’t just be ignored like mere flotsam.
Hardcore Gamer
God is Geek scored the game 75/100 on PS5:
Wavetale’s traversal is satisfying, and makes much of what you do worth playing, especially as the repetition of objectives never really stepping outside the familiarity it lays out in the early stages. The story is enjoyable, and the art style has shades of Wind Waker that I couldn’t help but admire. It’s a short adventure that doesn’t outstay its welcome, however, I would have liked the chance to explore more, or at least have more to do in the beautifully designed world of Strandville.
God is Geek
Android Central scored the game 70/100 on Google Stadia:
Wavetale is a First on Stadia title, or timed-exclusive, and will be coming to PC and consoles sometime next year. However, unless you have Stadia Pro, Wavetale is not exactly an exclusive game you need to play now.
Android Central
Nintendo Life scored the game 60/100 on Switch:
Wavetale is a gentle, easygoing game that suits players who don’t want to strain themselves, as its quick runtime ensures the play doesn’t dry up. We enjoyed skidding around on the ocean and swinging from great heights with our grappling hook. We only wished the camera movement and other mechanics were a little smoother. The game is nonetheless pretty fun – after all, it’s hard not to enjoy surfing through a picturesque, water-filled landscape. While we’ve played far better games, we felt like this short title was still a good one to dip your toes into.
Nintendo Life
The Xbox Hub scored the game 80/100 on Xbox Series X:
A six hour long action adventure, Wavetale is a pleasurable family-friendly game that is both relaxing and intriguing at the same time. Wavetale won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and some might find the tone too whimsical or childlike, but for others it’ll feel original, entertaining, and absorbing. That’s what every game should aim for.
The Xbox Hub
Gaming Nexus scored the game 8/10 on Google Stadia:
It’s truly a blessing that Thunderful Games has brought Wavetale over to all modern platforms after Google put Stadia in the tomb. Wavetale tells a heartfelt narrative filled with beautiful visuals and a soothing soundtrack in an open world experience that’s short and sweet.
Gaming Nexus
PC Invasion scored the game 7.5/10 on PC:
Wavetale doesn’t really offer anything to change up the way you play. You just use the same abilities to platform and hit switches, which makes the game feel very samey. It coasts along on the strength of its narrative, not on its gameplay. If you don’t do side stuff, you can easily finish the game in four hours. Quite possibly less, really. But the wondrous visuals, enchanting story, and the tranquil nature of the game’s ocean travel do make this an experience worth having as long as you know what to expect.
PC Invasion
The Beta Network scored the game 7/10 on PC:
Overall, Wavetale is definitely a fun adventure game that is really relaxing. With its simple narrative and relatively short playtime, roughly 3-4 hours, as well as its interesting surfing gameplay style, Wavetale achieves almost everything it sets out to do. It is a charming game that will entertain you for a few hours. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Beta Network
Release Info:
Wavetale was released on PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Google Stadia, Switch and PC on December 13, 2022. It is also playable on Steam Deck.