I was expecting Ecco: Defender of the Future; Jupiter & Mars is not that, but it’s a beautiful experience.

It’s important to set expectations for this game. It’s designed for VR, so it’s in first person and the swimming is a little slower than I would have liked. You can play in normal TV mode but be aware that the whole design is based on suitability for that format, so movement and interaction are relatively basic. I also played the whole game in one 3.5 hour stream.

Having said that, it’s a visual achievement with its post-human scifi world filled with neon-highlighted life, and manages to convey an environmental message —at first within the game itself, then stating it outright after the credits—that is only going to get more relevant as humanity continues. Jupiter and her mate Mars have to deal with the remnants of humanity’s detritus and technology to make life better for ocean dwellers. They use typical dolphin skills to do so; Jupiter (you) has sonar powers, Mars can be directed to bash rocks and such to break them.

The game is mostly navigating different undersea environments, interacting with stuff in these ways. The big challenge spots are avoiding rhythmic pulses of the human deterrance devices, but failure isn’t punished harshly at all. The greater challenge is finding secrets, although levels must be revisited with later passive upgrades in order to get all the collectibles. Jupiter’s sonar helps with this by outlining the interactable objects and geometry around her in vivid colour.

This visual splendour is one of the game’s main selling points and it is lovely to look at. The idea of all animal and plant life sporting glowing patterns gives the game a distinctive hook to its look, a look hook, which makes you want to stay in this world and juxtaposes neatly against the drab human ruins or inorganic glow of their devices.

I’m grateful to Tigertron for this entry in the sea life/dolphin games subgenre (and for using Aussie dev studios to do it). It doesn’t have a AAA budget but for what it is, it’s something special.