On the surface, Below the Ocean may look to be another pixel platformer paying homage to the 90s, but beneath that lies a curious twist worth exploring: floatiness.
When thinking of indie platformers, the likes of Super Meat Boy and Celeste comes to mind, and although they look joyful and cute, playing them is an entirely different experience. There is a harsh edge to the pixel precision these games often require, where a single misstep leads to a game over screen. Below the Ocean has a different approach. It sands down the harsh edges and embraces a floaty movement system that, in a palpable way, feels like swimming. If you feel intimidated by pixel platformers this might be the one to get you started.
Floatiness in the movement system is often harshly criticized when it comes to platformers. Little Big Planet, despite all its charm and creativity, never managed to escape that disparaging. label. Understandably, most platformer games these days try to avoid it. However, Below the Ocean developer Ismael Rodriguez built an entire game to support its floaty movement system.