Video Game / Water's Fine

Come on in.

a procedural diving game
with two endings

cw: horror elements

Just a simple pixel art game where you're a diver swimming in the ocean. Come on in, the water's fine. Surely there's nothing dangerous down below, right?

...Right...?

Water's Fine is a procedurally generated diving game created in 2018 by a single game developer simply known as "OWCH" or Chloe on itch.io. In the game, you play as Wave, a diver seeking to dive to the bottom of a deep trench. With every descent, the game randomly generates a series of obstacles, enemies, and items for the player to navigate or collect. Once you've collected some treasure (represented by bags of money), you can spend it on upgrades at the shop boat manned by a dog.

The game can be purchased here.

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Water's Fine contains examples of...

• Ability Required to Proceed: On some occasions, you will be met with a collection of rocks that completely block your path. In such instances, which get more and more likely the deeper you dive, you need bombs/bomb shells to break through and advance.
• Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: The more upgrades you purchase, the more expensive they become.
• Anti-Frustration Features: The game is certainly difficult, but there are some concessions that make dives a bit easier.
  • If you're just short of the amount of money needed to purchase something, sometimes the dog shopkeeper will give you the item anyway.
  • To prevent it from being an Unwinnable area without a Safety Bubble, the Boneyard gives you nothing but air bubbles when breaking blocks, since your Oxygen Meter drains so quickly. Also, in the event that the player doesn't have the Magic Bomb, regular throw-able bombs are plentiful.
  • If you purchase a VIP Pass, a shop that appears before every boss encounter will become available that lets you purchase Hearts, Bomb Shells, and Air Bubbles.
  • The game gives you a free Safety Bubble before every boss battle.
• Auto-Save: The game saves data every time you surface or jump back into the water.
• Bubble Shield: You can find Safe Bubbles which both keep the Oxygen Meter from running out and effectively provide one free hit-point.
• Early Game Hell: The game is at its most difficult when you're just starting out, as you have no manner to defend yourself, you die in a single hit, and Wave can't hold their breath underwater for very long. However, accumulating some treasure and purchasing upgrades will make the game less stressful in short order.
• Eldritch Abomination: The Creature at the Bottom is a giant red mass with a lot of Extra Eyes, and has the power to end your game if you make the wrong choice.
• Grenade Launcher: You can purchase bomb shells that shoot torpedoes. You can use these to attack enemies and destroy blocks, which may reveal goodies such as air bubbles, treasure bags, or extra bomb shells.
• Heart Container: Heart Caps, of which you can buy two.
• Instructive Level Design: On occasion, you will find bombs lying around in the ocean. Very often they are placed right next to blocks, and if Wave approaches them, their fuse will ignite. If the bomb is next to a block when it explodes, this will teach the player that they can use bombs to break blocks. The game also displays a prompt of a key/button when you approach bombs, indicating that you can pick them up and throw them. In a similar vein, when fighting the Merfolk Hero, they will spit bombs at you, which you can pick up and throw back, indicating that you can also use them to damage enemies.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: A valuable skill to have is knowing when it's time to go back to the surface, as it's the only way to deposit the treasure you collect and spend it on upgrades.
• Last-Second Ending Choice: When prompted by the Creature at the Bottom as to whether or not you seek power, your answer will determine Wave's fate.
  • Say yes, and Wave will be locked in the empty room as everything fades to black, trapping them at the bottom of the ocean and dooming them forever.
  • Say no, and Wave will be allowed to exit the house, and swim back up to the surface with no troubles and all of their spoils.
• Non-Mammal Mammaries: Subverted. The Merfolk Hero has visible nipples, but Merfolk Knights have visible navels, indicating mammalian live childbirth.
• Nothing but Skulls: Downplayed in the Boneyard, which has lots of skulls and Stock Femur Bones.
• One-Hit-Point Wonder: At first, Wave only has a single heart. However, you can purchase 2 extra Heart Caps. You can also buy Spare Lungs to increase the duration of your Oxygen Meter.
• Our Mermaids Are Different: The game features Merfolk Knights as enemies, and various Merfolk evolutions as bosses.
• Oxygen Meter: The game's main limiting mechanic, represented by a gauge and air bubbles. If it runs out, Wave drowns instantly. Fortunately, you can purchase spare lungs to upgrade it.
• Oxygenated Underwater Bubbles: Present and accounted for, and they're the only way to get more air besides surfacing.
• Respawning Enemies: Normally averted. Enemies only respawn when you go back to the surface of the water.
• Retraux: In addition to the pixel art style, the game only uses 4 colors, to simulate playing a Game Boy game on a Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy or Game Boy Advance. You can even customize the colors to your choosing. A fifth color, red, is added once you reach the bottom.
• Roguelike: If Wave dies, the game resets all the way back at the surface, but you get to keep any money you accumulated in previous dives, as well as any upgrades you purchased. Also, the terrain is randomly generated for every dive.
• Shadowed Face, Glowing Eyes: Wave's diving suit obscures their face, leaving only their eyes visible.
• Single-Use Shield: The Safety Bubble, which prevents Wave from drowning, will take a single hit for you before popping.
• Unexpected Gameplay Change: When you reach the bottom, the game suddenly shifts to first person as you navigate the house at the bottom of the ocean.
• Water Is Air: Averted Trope. Wave sinks more slowly in water compared to falling in the air. Also, as Wave descends, the water pressure climbs, causing their Oxygen Meter to deplete faster and faster.
• Wrap Around: If Wave swims off one side of the screen, they will appear on the opposite side.