Beneath the Waves: Tides of Tethys — Is This Bioshock-esque Strategy Gem Worth a Look (and Crab-Mounting)?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
While we patiently await Subnautica 2, Jeff dives into Tides of Tethys, a Bioshock-esque underwater strategy roguelite where you manage bathynauts and outposts, finding potential for an engrossing experience despite a clunky demo – all while pondering the ethics of riding giant crustaceans.
Alright, listen up, you lovely lot! While we're all nervously tapping our fingers, peering impatiently into the murky depths, and generally just *waiting* for **Subnautica 2** to finally grace us with its early access presence – because, let's be fair, who doesn't love a good deep-sea existential crisis? – my digital tea leaves have been swirling. And wouldn't you know it, they've pointed me towards something rather intriguing called **Tides of Tethys**. Blimey, this one sounds like it clawed its way out of a Jules Verne novel, then maybe bumped into some **Warhammer 40,000** folks for a pint before plunging into the abyss. Shout out to **Edwin Evans-Thirlwell** over at **Rock Paper Shotgun** for bringing this to my attention!
So, what's the gist? It's an underwater strategy roguelite, complete with city-building bits. You're basically guiding these plucky 'bathynauts' around procedurally generated ocean floors, expanding modular outposts. Gotta keep your 'Knights' fed, watered (or, well, oxygenated and powered, seeing as they’re underwater), all whilst fending off increasingly grumpy sea creatures. Sounds like a Tuesday, doesn't it?
Speaking of grumpy sea creatures, I dove into the recently updated demo, right? And I absolutely *massacred* some giant crustacean. Thought I was a hero, battling a beastie of the deep. Then, *bam*, Steam Achievement: 'Killed a harmless creature.' Bloody hell. Now I'm worried about karma and whether that crab had a mum. Seriously, **Black Rust**, you’re playing with my emotions here! BUT THEN I spotted the option to turn these very same crustaceans into 'valiant steeds'! So, uh, sorry, crab mum, I promise to be nicer to your extended family... especially if they let me ride them into battle. Talk about emergent gameplay, eh?
Now, the demo itself? Look, I'm rooting for it, honestly. But the first hour felt a bit like trying to navigate a submarine with a map drawn on a soggy napkin – slow, with a tutorial that tries to make you *read* everything. The user interface, bless its heart, is aiming for 'baroque masterpiece' with all its curly gold fonts, but it’s landed more on 'unwieldy mess.' Trying to group-select Knights, and *poof*, half the scenery vanishes behind a character menu. Fair dinkum, though, those Knights do have more stats than my last year's tax return, so I suppose it needs the space.
And that's a genuine shame, mate, because the scenery's got charm. A bit lumpish and oversaturated in places, sure, but it’s there. The fog of war oozes back from your headlamps like a mountainous oil spill, which is strangely atmospheric. Little bits of flora shrink away as you trundle past, and your starting outpost is dwarfed by these massive coral curls. I'm already wondering if I can build on those bad boys. Yeah, you end up drilling a lot of it for resources, but I came away moderately enchanted, despite the UI faff.
Those 'Knights' I mentioned? They proper look like **Bioshock's Big Daddies** and their Little Sister counterparts. And they've got a bit of agency, bless 'em. They'll scuttle off to gather resources and grab a breath from an oxygen tether without you babysitting them. But where **Tides of Tethys** really shone for me was when night fell. The screen transforms into this gorgeous, shifting canvas of shadows and flickering bioluminescence. It felt genuinely alive, and a bit terrifying, like I'd stumbled into a rave in the Mariana Trench.
So, my verdict? If developers **Black Rust** can wrangle that UI and polish the presentation a bit, they've got the makings of something genuinely engrossing here. It's got that deep-sea mystery, that strategic crunch, and, let's not forget, the sheer, beautiful absurdity of mounting Big Daddies on crabs. Now *that's* innovation. Big thanks again to **Rock Paper Shotgun** for the heads-up on this one!
*(Original article by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell for Rock Paper Shotgun, published April 29, 2026. Find it at)*
Tags: Strategy, Roguelite, Underwater, Indie Games, Base-Building
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun