Our Life on Water: Everything We Know

If you’ve never quite had the opportunity to drift between the watery crags and crevices of the marvel that is the Mekong River, then you’ll be glad to know that such an experience exists within the realm of Different Tales’ Our Life on Water. The game, which will transport its players to the fictional nooks and crannies of the self sustaining villages based on the Mekong River, will allow you to build friendships, sail, fish, and above all, build a “world worth saving.”

To celebrate the recent announcement of the upcoming life simulation RPG, we thought we’d share all of the latest developments on the project. Care to join us as we embark on this new adventure into the wondrous world of water? Then grab an oar and we’ll get started!

What Is Our Life on Water?

Our Life on Water is an upcoming fantasy life simulation game—a cutesy RPG based on the villages and its river folk of the Mekong River. As such, the tale will grant players the opportunity to drift between vibrant locations and, in a traditional life-sim fashion, build a life around the ripples and spiritual roots that each settlement holds dear. But that’s not all. As it turns out, you’ll also have the chance to communicate with the spirits of the world, too—a gift that will take you through a myriad of different biomes and within an earshot of countless villagers’ last-minute requests.

In Different Tales’ own words: “Start your new life as Rivertalker in this magical life-sim RPG. Befriend spirits of the Mekong River to build and protect your floating village. Drift, farm, fish, forge friendships, fall in love. Shape the tale of a world worth saving.”

Story

From what we’ve caught so far, Our Life on Water will feature a nonlinear story, and will more or less grant players the power to carve out their own tales. The general premise, though, is that you’re a “Rivertalker”—a gifted person who’s able to communicate with the spirit realm and ask for special powers. According to the blurb, the “environment and cultural identity are in jeopardy,” which means you will need to turn to the spirits for guidance, and with their help, breathe new life into the shores of the Mekong River.

“You arrive in the village to eventually assume the role of Rivertalker—community's link to the spiritual realm,” the description reads in part. “Faced with growing dangers posed by the modern world, you will be compelled to turn to the River Spirits, along with your companion Yla—the talking otter.” That’s right — a talking otter.

Gameplay

Our Life on Water strikes us as being a traditional farming and life simulation-type adventure, complete with all the watery trimmings, love triangles, and crafting recipes, to boot. And so, fans of the genre can definitely expect to submerge into their fair share of friendship quests, love stories, and restoration projects. What’s more, there’ll also be numerous opportunities to craft buildings, tailor designs, and shape the villages that you visit on your trusty raft. So, quite the banquet, after all.

“The River is your new home,” the elevator pitch reads in part. “Enjoy the slow life in a floating village. Collect bamboo and trash, recycle, craft items, construct river houses and structures, fish, tend to plants and crops, and raise animals. The River setting adds a unique flavor to each of these activities.”

“Engage in village life, attend council meetings and social events,” the pitch continues. “Use your charm and wit to bring people together. Find a way to create a strong, resilient community where people support each other and can endure difficulties as a group. Forge friendships and find love.”

Development

We're excited to announce Our Life on Water—a magical life-sim RPG inspired by floating villages on the Mekong River.
Start your new life as Rivertalker. Befriend spirits to build and protect your floating village. Shape the tale of a world worth saving.#GoldenJoystickAwards pic.twitter.com/eIqh2AilfW

— Different Tales (@differenttales) November 10, 2023

Different Tales first announced its plans to bring Our Life on Water to PC back in the beginning of November, at which point the studio let slip a selection of in-game screenshots and a rather nifty gameplay trailer, to boot. And while the team didn’t quite touch base on the game’s release window, it was confirmed at the time that it’ll be shaping up for a 2024 launch.

In case you’ve yet to brush up on your background checks, Different Tales is the Poland-based indie studio that’s responsible for the likes of Wanderlust Travel Stories, and Backpack Hero. From the looks of its portfolio, Our Life on Water will be the team’s first full-fledged life and farming simulation title.

Trailer

Different Tales actually went on to tease a relatively short but surprisingly gameplay-heavy trailer earlier this week. Need we say more? You can check out the latest trailer for Our Life on Water in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Our Life on Water will be heading to PC via Steam at some point in 2024. Will it also be available on Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch? From the looks of it, no. Having said that, as it’s still a fair ways off from releasing, we can’t really comment on it just yet. If such ports are on the horizon, though, then news is likely to reach us at some point before Q3 2024.

As far as editions go, Our Life on Water will only launch with the one, which will be the standard version on PC. You can go ahead and add that to your wishlist over on Steam here.

Interested in staying up to date with Our Life of Water? If so, then be sure to check in with Different Tales’ official social handle for all the latest updates here. If anything major changes ahead of its 2024 launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Our Life on Water when it arrives on PC? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.