Tides of Tomorrow – A World in Technicolor
Summary
- Tides of Tomorrow’s lead artist explains how the game reflects their lived experience with the ocean, environmental anxiety, and more.
- The game’s artistic influences span from ‘60s French sculptors to contemporary comics and the real ocean, but not “Waterworld.”
- Tides of Tomorrow arrives on Xbox Series X|S on April 22.
A maritime world
Coming from a port city in the south of France, I’ve always had a close relationship with the sea. I saw it every day as I walked along the docks each morning on my way to school. Tides of Tomorrow is, for me, a project with strong symbolism thanks to its maritime world and everything one can imagine beyond the horizon. If you gaze out across the vast, mysterious waters long enough, you just might see a lawless ocean where every aspect of humanity—good and bad—emerges in raw, unfiltered ways.
Quite fittingly, our first brainstorming sessions for the ambitious Tides of Tomorrow universe took place on a boat. With the atmosphere set, the DigixArt team quickly found inspiration, then began the work of developing techniques to portray our complicated maritime world in the best possible way.
Developing the artistic direction
Tides of Tomorrow is rooted in real stories of sailors, pirates, drifters, and fishermen in international waters. As a modern story, it is also intentionally set in the reality we find ourselves in—under increasing threat of an ecological crisis.
As a spiritual successor to Road 96, we aimed to further innovate in the narrative gaming category while creating a fresh and independent identity for Tides of Tomorrow.
Our ultimate goal was to offer a fresh visual style, rarely seen in a postapocalyptic world, where most of the environment is ocean. In many ways, our visual approach is anti-“Waterworld.” While we appreciate the iconic and infamous 1995 film’s realistic and gritty approach, we felt that creating a more vibrant and colorful oceanic environment on the brink better emphasized the emotional weight of Tides of Tomorrow’s story. Ultimately, we feel the more colorful approach to building our environments and characters, as well as our use of lighting, creates more opportunity for contrast between water and waste—the purity of clear, life-giving water with the danger and toxicity of pollution.
The characters and archetypes of Tides of Tomorrow, all varied, reflect the ways humanity can drift in times of crisis. What would happen if the ecological crisis had already gone too far? What would the world look like? What would be left to save?
In this setting, you—the Tidewalker—must decide the fate of the planet and its remaining inhabitants, human or otherwise.
Our influences
Introducing asynchronous elements into the narrative serves to open the universe up to all players or Tidewalkers. Beginning with each DigixArt team member, every Tidewalker will leave their Story-Link behind for future Tidewalkers to follow, should they choose to do so. The in-game visual representation of Story-Link or “asynchronous visions” is iridescent colors in fluid movements that we designed to resemble the oil slicks left behind by boats. To the Tidewalker, their source is unknown, but they allow other Tidewalkers to witness what those before them left behind while creating their own path. The marine world greatly inspired the visual design of these asynchronous visions. Just as the trace of a sailor’s passage can be traced as they take to the sea, so can a Tidewalker’s in-game movements.
One of our major influences in how we approached plastic—treating it as something functional rather than just heaps of debris—was ‘60s French sculptor César Baldaccini’s “compressions,” sculptures made of crushed and fused cars, plastics, and other consumer and industrial materials. For us, showing every element that makes up a wall allows the history of a civilization to emerge through its waste. The symbolism becomes even more striking when a society rises and literally builds itself upon the failures of the one that came before.
For the treatment of color, atmosphere, and the overall game world, we also drew inspiration from Thomas von Kummant, illustrator of the comic “Gung Ho.” Its post‑apocalyptic world, filtered through the lens of adolescence, is depicted in a way that is almost melancholic and beautiful in some of its panels. That sensibility resonated with us and naturally connected with the vision behind Tides of Tomorrow.
The role of design materials
A central design material soon emerged: plastic. We needed to find a way to build a world constructed from the submerged remnants of an advanced society. In our world, plastic is an omnipresent material in many forms. We imagined that the inhabitants of this emerging society would rely on the most abundant resource available to them to create all kinds of objects, buildings, and vehicles. Plastic is everywhere in our design. Many environmental elements and everyday objects are made of plastic: buckets, jerry cans, bottles, trash bins… Most have kept their original purpose, but sometimes new objects are dreamt up by combining pieces together. You can spot seaplane floats or old canoes repurposed as boat hulls.
You will find the use of plastic can vary by in-game factions. Among the Reclaimers, you will find houses made of colorful plastic panels on the outside, metal frames for support, and compacted plastic masses for insulation.
Conversely, on the Marauders’ side, metal beams and fragments of old wrecks serve as the primary construction materials. We wanted them to look threatening and powerful, so we leaned toward the aesthetics of oil platforms—tall, dense, and spewing fire. Of course, communities trade and communicate in this world, so it’s not impossible to find a Reclaimer object on a Marauder platform, and vice versa.
The Mystics, meanwhile, have literally clung to whatever they found. Since the Great Flood, mysterious, giant, coral-like structures have appeared. The strange and majestic appearance of the places the Mystics call home allowed us to make this community monumental.
What we learned
Tides of Tomorrow was a unique and completely new experience for me. Portraying such an important and serious subject while embracing so many artistic contradictions was a real challenge for us. Conveying both a sense of urgency and deep melancholy about the state of this planet while offering an inventive and refreshing artistic direction is something we consider both a privilege and a remarkable feat. Every element was carefully crafted and thoughtfully placed to give meaning to this new world, allowing everyone to understand and engage with the ecological themes that meant so much to us.
On behalf of DigixArt, we hope that you—the players—will feel that same sensation as you sail through its waters, meet our characters, and marvel at the dramatic beauty of its oceans. You can begin your journey on April 22 when Tides of Tomorrow arrives on Xbox Series X|S. Pre-Ordering Tides of Tomorrow today will grant you access to the Delta Agent DLC – a boat and Tidewalker skin pack.
Tides of Tomorrow
THQ Nordic GmbH
What if every player leaves something behind for future players? In a flooded world struggling to survive, you embark on a singleplayer-mission – yet you’ll never be alone. You’ll constantly feel the presence of other Tidewalkers through the echoes of those that came before you. The “Online Story-Link” feature allows you to feel the impact of previous players’ choices – and leave your own lasting mark for future players. Players start by selecting the Story-Link of a friend, favorite streamer, DigixArt team member, or stranger to follow on a mission to reconstruct or further deconstruct a world suffering from a disease that is ravaging the ocean planet. Shape Every Player’s Future As a Tidewalker, you will explore a strange world that will look, feel, and react differently depending on the Story-Link you choose. As a deadly disease called Plastemia threatens to kill all living things, you must steel yourself to face the numerous challenges of a world on the brink of collapse. Meet a wide range of characters and opposing factions: ruthless Marauders who control medicine and trade, everyday survivors known as Reclaimers, and the Mystics – a mysterious group who worship the past. Features:
– Experience the consequences of other players' decisions while shaping the experience of future Tidewalkers. – Levels, NPCs and narrative choices can be totally different depending on the actions of other Tidewalkers. – Reveal the "echoes" of previous players – ghosts that show Tidewalkers’ actions and choices. – Sail through uncertain waters, gathering resources to improve your chances of survival. – Explore diverse floating platforms set amongst unique landscapes. – Select different Story-Links to experience how another Tidewalker's choices can influence your playthrough experience.
– Experience the consequences of other players' decisions while shaping the experience of future Tidewalkers. – Levels, NPCs and narrative choices can be totally different depending on the actions of other Tidewalkers. – Reveal the "echoes" of previous players – ghosts that show Tidewalkers’ actions and choices. – Sail through uncertain waters, gathering resources to improve your chances of survival. – Explore diverse floating platforms set amongst unique landscapes. – Select different Story-Links to experience how another Tidewalker's choices can influence your playthrough experience.
