About Shallow Pond

In Shallow Pond, you play as Ripples, a tiny water spirit in a diving suit, travelling through colorful worlds on land and underwater.

Run, jump, dash and stomp across mossy ruins, strange forests and crumbling structures, then dive beneath the surface to swim through lakes, flooded tunnels and hidden caves. Ripples moves differently on land and underwater, creating a fluid platforming experience built around exploration, playful movement and discovery.

Each level is a compact, handcrafted playground filled with optional paths, environmental puzzles, collectibles and hidden locations. Follow the main route, search beneath waterfalls and behind ancient ruins, or explore underwater passages to find secrets tucked away from view.

Ripples can carry a limited supply of water onto land and use it to spray enemies, activate mechanisms and interact with the environment. Water can be replenished by returning to lakes and ponds, making it both a playful tool and an important part of exploration.

The strange plant creatures roaming the world are not simply defeated. Once calmed, they leave behind tiny Plantlings. Water these seedlings to grow them into plants, reveal rewards and sometimes transform them into useful parts of the environment.

Together with Cat, an unusual mechanical companion, Ripples travels between distant locations in search of lost Water Spirits. Freeing them restores Cat’s energy and allows the journey to continue.

Shallow Pond combines cozy exploration with responsive 3D platforming, light puzzles and optional challenges in a colorful, family-friendly adventure.

Key Features

Fluid movement on land and underwater
Run, jump, double-jump, dash, stomp, swim and dive through environments designed around smooth and responsive traversal.

A refillable Water Spray
Carry water onto land and use it to interact with mechanisms, solve environmental puzzles and calm strange plant creatures. Return to lakes and ponds to refill it.

Plant creatures with room to grow
Turn defeated enemies into tiny Plantlings, water them and watch them grow into plants that can reveal rewards or become part of the environment.

Compact playground worlds
Explore handcrafted levels filled with optional routes, underwater passages, light puzzles and hidden locations.

A vibrant, stylized world
Travel through lush landscapes, shimmering caves, ancient ruins and colorful environments above and below water.

Collectibles, secrets and customization
Free lost Water Spirits, gather shells and map pieces, discover secret stages and unlock new ways to customize Ripples.

A cozy adventure with real platforming
Explore at your own pace, follow the main path or seek out more demanding optional challenges.

About Nimso

Shallow Pond is developed by Nimso, the independent one-person studio of Oswin Neumann.

With 20 years of experience in the games industry, Oswin has contributed animation and art to numerous productions, including Epic Games sample projects, Enshrouded by Keen Games and The Settlers 7 by Ubisoft Blue Byte.

Shallow Pond is his first independently developed game, combining decades of production experience with a personal passion for expressive movement, charming characters and handcrafted worlds. The result is a colorful 3D adventure platformer designed to make exploration feel playful, fluid and rewarding.