Sortie En Mar is an interactive experience created by Guy Cotten that allows you to control a character who’s attempting to save himself from drowning.

At Sea, You Tire Faster Than You Think.

Sortie En Mar is the name of the interactive experience hosted online by Guy Cotten. As soon as the site loads, there’s a short video depicting a clear ocean and a sailboat. The video is shown from the perspective of a character within that world, who accidentally gets knocked into the water. The site then plays like a first-person video game, as you attempt to keep that character above the surface and prevent him from drowning. The only control is scrolling with your mouse or trackpad, which keeps the character afloat. The site suggests using speakers or headphones and making the video full-screen, and that definitely enhances the experience, which is pretty frightening on its own. Floating in the ocean feels incredibly realistic in a terrifying way, especially as the sailboat fades away from your character into the distance.

Whenever You Go Out to Sea, Wear Your Life Jacket!

The major difference between Sortie En Mar and a regular video game is that the surroundings are filmed realistically rather than animated. Although it’s a short “game” with a dark message at the end of it, it shows potential for future uses of the technology.  When you finish the game (by giving up and drowning, as I did each time I played… and I have become skeptical that there is even an option for a happy ending), the site explains that swimming at sea is harder than you think. It then instructs you to always wear a life jacket. It’s somewhat of a strange marketing concept for a clothing and gear company, but the site also links to Guy Cotten’s online shop. Visiting “Sortie En Mar” is an interesting experience, and likely one that you wont forget next time you’re out on the water.