Highwater

Introduction

Highwater sends Nikos and a small crew sailing a flooded, sun-bleached version of Earth, searching islands for supplies and lore on the way to a rocket that might carry a lucky few to Mars. Made by Demagog Studio and published by Untold Tales on 14 March 2024, it's the third entry in a loose connected series alongside Golf Club Wasteland and The Cub — and reading this game's small, Mixed review history alongside those earlier titles' reception tells a fairly clear story: a lot of what people loved about this studio's earlier work is still here, but a meaningful share of returning fans say the newest entry doesn't measure up.

A setting and soundtrack that land

What draws consistent praise, even from this game's critics, is presentation. The flooded, sun-drenched apocalypse is a genuinely distinctive visual choice against the genre's usual grey ruin, and even a reviewer otherwise unimpressed with the writing admits "the artstyle is pretty good though." Music fares even better: one detailed review calls it "beautiful music and a heavenly atmosphere, despite the grim setting itself," and that praise recurs independently across multiple reviews on both sides of the recommendation line. For players drawn in specifically by the setting and the radio-and-boat atmosphere the store page promises, that part of the pitch holds up.

Combat that undercuts its own promise

The clearest, most repeated criticism concerns what happens between the exploring. "The turn base combat is soooooo slow," one reviewer writes, "the idea was fun but combat should be active." A separate, more measured review agrees even while recommending the game overall: "Turn based combat is a nice touch that doesn't require much strategy." A third calls the disconnect between exploration and battle "jarring." That's a meaningful pattern — reviewers across the spectrum from thumbs-down to thumbs-up describe the same system the same way, as present but undemanding rather than as a genuine source of tension. One detailed critical review goes further, arguing the battles feel "uninspiring and boring" and specifically wishes the flooded setting had been given more room to be explored freely rather than following fixed markers throughout.

A franchise comparison worth taking seriously

Several of this game's most detailed reviews frame their disappointment specifically against Demagog Studio's earlier work. "I had high hopes for this game after playing Golf Club Nostalgia and reviewing The Cub," one writes. "Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations." A separate review states it plainly: "Seems like a downgrade compared to the other two, as it seems that they've changed the 2D platformer to a 2.5D isometric 'open world'" format that several reviewers feel doesn't suit the studio's strengths as well. That comparison is checkable against the numbers: The Cub currently sits at 78.2% positive across 243 English-language reviews, a substantially healthier reception than Highwater's 57%. That gap doesn't prove Highwater is a bad game on its own terms, but it's a real, specific, and repeatedly-made argument from the exact audience most likely to have given this game a fair chance — the studio's own returning fans.

An apparently quiet couple of years

A specific complaint worth flagging on its own: at least one reviewer describes the game as unfinished, adding "the developer has been silent for 2 years." Steam's own community announcements support that read — outside marketing posts and sale notices, there is no substantive content or bugfix update logged since launch, and the most recent announcement, from mid-2026, marks a change in publisher rather than new content. Whatever rough edges existed at launch — awkward writing several reviewers describe as feeling unpolished, or cutscene transitions more than one calls jarring — should be assumed to still be present in the current build.

Final Verdict

Highwater is a good-looking, well-scored few hours that mostly succeeds at building a distinctive atmosphere, and the players it clicks with genuinely enjoy the chill pace and the setting. What holds it back is that its central gameplay system — turn-based combat — draws consistent, cross-the-board criticism for lacking real stakes or strategy, and that a meaningful share of the audience most inclined to love it, this studio's own returning fans, say it's a step down from what came before. For players specifically drawn in by the flooded-world premise and a genuinely lovely soundtrack, it's a reasonable few hours; anyone hoping for the tactical depth its combat system implies should adjust expectations before buying.