Most multiplayer worlds want you to win something, but HERE RIVER is built for quiet moments rather than competition. The free, browser-based 3D world from South Korea’s SmartSquare Co., Ltd. has a Singapore River and Marina Bay edition, so anyone here can take a stroll past Clarke Quay tonight without leaving the sofa.
The idea began with a simple question, developer Chani Lee says: “Could we create an online space where people can simply spend time together, without having to compete, win, or complete missions?”
Getting to the Riverbank
Getting in takes less effort than finding a seat at a hawker centre on a Friday night. Open the HERE RIVER Singapore world in a desktop or mobile browser. There’s no account and no fee, and the session is temporary and anonymous.
Next, pick a Boy or Girl character. Then type a nickname or let the site hand you an automatic guest name, and you’re walking.
On a computer, the WASD keys (the gamer’s standard cluster for forward, left, back and right) move you around. Shift breaks into a run, and dragging the mouse swings the view. On a phone, the site’s how-to guide points to an on-screen joystick instead.
The interface comes in eight languages: Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, Spanish, Esperanto and German. Esperanto, of all things, is a wonderfully nerdy inclusion!
What the Singapore World Holds
SmartSquare calls this edition a creative 3D interpretation inspired by the Singapore River and its riverside urban atmosphere. It isn’t a digital twin or a live feed, so expect stylised, place-inspired low-poly scenery rather than a street-by-street copy of the city. HERE RIVER says it does not claim any official partnership with the Singapore government or local institutions.
A map marks five stops: Clarke Quay, Boat Quay, Fullerton and the Merlion, Esplanade, and Marina Bay Sands. A bridge crossing links the route, and an auto tour carries anyone who would rather sit back and watch. Lee recommends first-time visitors start at Clarke Quay, enjoy the riverside scenery, then explore the other stops at their own pace.
Time of day follows real Singapore time, so an evening visit meets the city after dark. When this piece was written, the skyline sat in night mode, with rain falling and lamps glowing along the water. That’s about as close to a post-work riverside walk as a browser gets.
Characters wear cute pinecone costumes, and other visitors appear with their country flags and names. There’s a Greet button that sends a wave and an “About me” card. The world also has a small chat for two to four people and a short-note message board.
For something to do between stops, there’s the world river cruise, which travels through all 11 countries, and a trial pet dog that asks for no payment. A support button rounds out the menu.
Who It Suits
Who needs a scoreboard, anyway? With no objectives to chase, the draw here is the wave from a stranger, the pinecone outfits and that rainy skyline. That makes HERE RIVER a gentle pick for overseas fans of the city, Singaporeans living abroad who miss the quays, and anyone who wants a few calm minutes after a long day.
If you loved seeing the real riverbank lit up during the Singapore River Festival 2024, this offers a pocket-sized version you can visit any evening, no umbrella required.
Born on the Han River
HERE RIVER grew out of K-HANGANG, a riverside world set along Seoul’s Han River. The wider K-HANGANG community has extras such as anonymous letters. Lee is especially attached to the pinecone characters, the cruise and the wish paper boats, which she says symbolise small wishes travelling beyond borders to other countries.
HERE RIVER now has 11 river worlds, according to Lee: Seoul, London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Tokyo, Taipei, Ottawa, Brisbane and Singapore. If you’re curious where it all began, the original Seoul world lets you compare the Han’s banks with the quays back home.
A Korean riverside idea that travelled to 11 cities and landed on our own river is a sweet bit of internet travel, and it costs nothing. Open the HERE RIVER Singapore world, pick your pinecone, and wave at the next flag that wanders past the Merlion!
Chani Lee, developer at HERE RIVER (SmartSquare Co., Ltd., South Korea)
Images courtesy of HERE RIVER, SmartSquare.
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