Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree: A Journey into Arabian Mythology | PAX East 2025

I was drawn to Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree more for the artwork, but enjoyed it even more after I learned about the culture that the game was built on. The game had just released that morning and I could tell the developer was both excited, but exhausted. Launching your first game is a lot of work!

In this adventure game, I took Bahamut through the corrupted waters of Ma’een and my main goal was to clear the corruption by solving puzzles. Throughout the narrative, it ties back to Arabian mythology and the movements are inspired by Arabian calligraphy. I was able to gather shields and light by drawing over different plants and hotspots within the waters. There was a voice acted narrative, but the concept of the game reminded me of games like Gris and Neva in the sense that I need to bring color and light back to the world. The story made me determined to help Bahamut do the same. 

Since the game launched the day I played the demo, it was very polished and I didn’t run into too many movement or control issues. One movement that was a little frustrating to me was drawing a quick circle to grab a shield or light orb. I don’t know if it was me being tired on the PAX floor or the game’s controls were a little wonky, but I just couldn’t seem to get the plant to light up easily no matter how many circles I drew around it. Now that the game has been out a little bit, I do see that a few reviews on Steam mention this as well. One way I was able to get it to work on the controller was to hit the button to move forward again right before I drew the circle, but that wasn’t always consistent either. I’m hopeful the developer sees some of the same feedback and works out that movement as it’s unique to the gameplay.

I would recommend checking this game out for yourself as there is still a demo available on Steam. While the larger story is about saving Ma’een from corruption, the ocean itself has such tranquility and beauty to it that I just wanted to explore its depths forever. Currently, Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree is only available on Steam, but has plans to be on consoles in the future.