Of Peaks and Tides Preview: Princess Mononoke Inspired Survival Fare

Of Peaks and Tides is a game that I remain optimistic about, albeit very cautiously. Developed by Cyancook Games, the open-world survival title takes inspiration from projects like Princess Mononoke and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, creating a fantastical, magical world where players will craft an abode and key items while fending off enemies and rebuilding civilisation. I had the opportunity to view the game’s trailer ahead of both its release and a hands-on opportunity at this year’s Gamescom, and it immediately captured my attention.

As for the hands-on itself, it didn’t quite inspire the same level of wonder in me but I’m not going to hold that against Of Peaks and Tides too much as I sampled a very limited section of the game. It was made clear to me that this wasn’t necessarily the game’s opening - just a slice of what’s on offer. I was dropped onto what I’m pretty sure was an island with no instruction other than to experiment and explore.

It quickly became quite clear to me that Of Peaks and Tides has been created with an appreciation for the player’s mindset. I began with nothing to call my own, but quickly found that any item I stumbled across that I wanted to use as a resource could be. Cyancook Games has clearly created a very interactive world. This proved handy as I quickly ran into some enemies in the form of a ferocious pack of wolves. I felt bad for taking them down but they did pick a fight with me after all. I clobbered them all with a good ol’ stick I found before unearthing some armour and a shield they’d scuppered away in their lair.

Of Peaks and Tides, Credit / Cyancook Games

One of my combat encounters ended up being rather comedic, although I don’t know if that’s what the game was aiming for. I found a small camp of skeletal creatures who attacked me upon sight; some of these guys were perched upon lookouts. I didn’t have a ranged weapon as I’d not really accessed much in the way of crafting yet. I had picked up a ton of rocks though so I just pelted the skeletons with any pebble I could find which worked way better than I thought. You can, from what I could tell, throw any item so I ended up throwing my only weapon at them accidentally and then I felt like a right silly billy.

The timing couldn’t have been worse either as I next found a rather fearsome looking skeletal boss on a nearby beach, covered in flames. I picked a fight with him, despite having no weapon, just to get a feel for what Of Peaks and Tides offers when it comes to combat. It’ll come as no surprise that I was quickly killed but the experiment confirmed to me that this is a game that offers challenging boss fights should you choose to take them on. I’m imagining you’ll gain some sweet loot for doing so.

I lost a fair bit of health amidst all of this chaos, but found plenty of food to eat which links back to my earlier point of pretty much everything being interactive. I was also impressed with how easy the island was to traverse as well. You can climb quite readily and there are bouncy pieces of fauna or large bubbles that help you traverse to areas that would otherwise be out-of-reach for a human. It was a small introduction to the game’s whimsy as I did seem to be exploring a rather stony section of the game’s world that was more cold than magical.

I would have liked to have seen a tad more of the game’s more whimsical side. I didn’t see the lush green forests depicted in the trailer, nor the funny little creatures that call it home but that’s not a criticism; merely instead an observation as it’s not something I can readily comment on. Likewise, I don’t know how narratively driven Of Peaks and Tides is. I didn’t get a chance to interact with any other human characters nor try out any base-building.

Of Peaks and Tides, Credit / Cyancook Games

Towards the end of my demo, I was allowed to attempt a flying trial. Across three stages, my character had to fly through a series of hoops to reach the next platform which would prompt the start of the next stage. Complete all three and I was told I’d permanently acquire gliding abilities. While the controls were very simple, I was so terrible at this that I wanted to hide underneath the desk in shame. In fact, I played this demo in one of Gamescom’s public halls and I just know those waiting in line to sample the game were likely standing behind me full of secondhand embarrassment. It reminded me of Split Fiction’s kite section all over again where I really tested the patience of my colleague Sam Cawley.

I only tell you this because I think it’s quite amusing. The important thing is that I liked the variety this sort of minigame added to Of Peaks and Tides, and it seems a great idea to have a gliding mechanic considering the topography of the game’s world. It makes me wonder what other abilities we may be able to acquire.

Of Peaks and Tides, Credit / Cyancook Games

Of Peaks and Tides did feel a tad janky in practice, both in terms of its animations and overall fidelity, when compared to its trailer but I’m not going to let too much concern take hold here. The title isn’t due to release until next year, so developers have plenty of time to optimise the game. Undoubtedly, however, Of Peaks and Tides is packed with potential. I struggle to commit to a sentiment beyond that as I sampled such a limited offering and this obviously isn’t anywhere near a final build. But I can say that Of Peaks and Tides has at least sold me on its vision and I’ll take great interest in seeing whether that vision is ultimately realised.

Of Peaks and Tides is due to launch in 2026 on PC.