Hideous Snake
Gold Member
February 24, 2026
Last edited:
What is the concept exactly?Interesting concept, impossible to execute well
If done right this could be a huge sleeper hit. It was almost my game of show if they had showed more info.Interesting concept, impossible to execute well
Glad you asked, they updated their PS blog recently:What is the concept exactly?
Our previous game, Road 96, was a procedural road trip where you'd go on multiple runs with different characters, one after the other. After it launched, some team members joked, "We should make Road 96 but with boats! Boat 96!"
But then a more serious idea sparked: what if each of those runs in Road 96 were actually played by different people, and their choices impacted each other — and the world?
That's where the core idea for Tides of Tomorrow came from: what if we used multiplayer elements to shape the narrative itself?
Usually, games with asynchronous multiplayer are focusing on systems and gameplay interactions. We saw an opportunity to go further: to let players truly influence each other's stories through their decisions.
When starting a game of Tides of Tomorrow, you must select a player to "follow". This player has played the game before you and can be a total stranger, someone from your friend list, or any random person, even a streamer.
You begin your journey rescued from deadly waters, with no memory of who you are or how you got there. Somehow, you've awakened centuries after a massive flood wiped out most of civilization. Now, scattered communities survive across a harsh ocean world.
You are infected with Plastemia, a disease caused by an ancient poison — microplastic pollution. If you don't find a cure soon, you'll slowly turn into plastic.
But you'll soon discover there are others like you. Always found in the ocean, with no memories of their past. You are all connected. The people of this world call you Tidewalkers.
You travel the ocean aboard your trusted boat, visiting location after location — each one previously visited by the player you're following.
Thanks to our "asynchronous vision" system, you'll see echoes of this player's choices and actions, in the form of "ghosts". These visions help you avoid traps, solve puzzles, investigate what happened before, or simply adapt based on the other player's actions.
Not only that, but the game's NPCs will remember what the other player did and they won't hesitate to talk about it. That other player was not in some kind of parallel universe: their actions on the world are concrete and will have tangible consequences on your experience.
For example: if a player stole something valuable from an important NPC, that character might now hate all Tidewalkers, forcing you to sneak around instead of being welcomed.
Some levels can change drastically depending on what the last player did. Without spoiling our secret recipe, each level blends handcrafted narrative moments with systemic game elements, resulting in a unique experience for every player. That's a true challenge to build, because we take the previous player's choices into account, as well as your own choices, to make sure you still feel in control of your adventure.
Each new step of your journey lets you choose where to go next — and who to follow. Will you stick with the same person? Try someone new? Or pick based on your own instincts?
There are lots of reasons to follow one player over another. Maybe you like their playstyle, want to discover their choices, or to benefit from the resources they left behind.
You will go through a wild mix of situations, encounter memorable characters and surprising gameplay challenges. You'll have to make tough decisions, while your survival and the future of this world are at stake…
But don't forget —your actions will also affect the players who choose to follow you.
So… what kind of legacy will you leave behind?
This was very intriguing tbh. I defintely agree with you about it potentially being a sleeper hit.If done right this could be a huge sleeper hit. It was almost my game of show if they had showed more info.
Glad you asked, they updated their PS blog recently:
![]()
Tides of Tomorrow reimagines multiplayer storytelling, out Feb 24 2026 on PS5
In this story-driven game of a new kind, your choices will shape other players’ journeys.blog.playstation.com
About Tides of Tomorrow:
So how does it all work?
What is the gameplay loop like?
If done right this could be a huge sleeper hit. It was almost my game of show if they had showed more info.
Glad you asked, they updated their PS blog recently:
![]()
Tides of Tomorrow reimagines multiplayer storytelling, out Feb 24 2026 on PS5
In this story-driven game of a new kind, your choices will shape other players’ journeys.blog.playstation.com
About Tides of Tomorrow:
So how does it all work?
What is the gameplay loop like?
You are misreading it. Look into the blog post.I was interested until the moment the screen displayed "A Multiplayer Story." Thumbs down, another hard pass.
You seem to be very excited for this however I think you are overselling this,You are misreading it. Look into the blog post.
Instead of reading my post as excitement, read it as intrigue.You seem to be very excited for this however I think you are overselling this,
Mirrors Edge "homage" with rogue lite elements in the form of following others players choices which are limited by area.
I may be overly harsh (the first two trailers I watched of other games admittedly put a sour taste in my mount) will revisit the SoP this weekend, but this is 0 for 3 for me, but I am glad for you!
I agree with this completely. People will take a headline (or even worse…a YouTube video title) as "truth". The snowball effect with that is insane these days..
On a side note it's what annoyed me about tons of people here claiming that Nightreign was PvP and 'like Fortnite' based on whatever small clips, info, and shorts they were seeing about the game. It was jarring to see those takes up until and post-launch.