NAIAD
Developer/publisher HiWarp Wings Format PC Release Q3 2022
Should you find yourself – as we did – almost nodding off while playing Naiad, that’s no bad thing. That soporific feel is a pleasant side-effect of a game that represents a break from the chaos of the real world. We’re reminded of the opening line of Tomorrow Never Knows: turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. As a water nymph, you drift along a painterly river, as fish – delicate dabs of orange – congregate around you, and ducklings gently quack for their mother. We chase a frog in that way kids run after animals for the fun of the pursuit, unsure what to do when they catch up. We deliver a flute to a blonde-haired fellow dipping his toes in the cool waters. Words occasionally ripple across the surface, briefly making us wish the images and sounds were allowed to speak for themselves. Then we paddle slowly on and all is right with the world once more.