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  1. Forget boats or surfboards, in Wavetale you can just run across the water to explore this colorful, compelling world. From developer & publisher Thunderful Games, Wavetale takes players on a unique sea voyage that makes wandering and exploration a complete joy, though the game does hit some choppy waters on the Switch. You play as Sigrid, a young girl living in an archipelago of islands with her grandmother. The two of them take care of a lighthouse that helps ward off the mysterious Gloom that shrouds everything in inky fog and shadows. After a particularly powerful Gloom wave, Sigrid befriends what appears to be a water spirit that allows her to walk on water. Now she's able to run or surf between islands, driving back Gloom and rescuing her neighbors. It's a fun premise further heightened by some great vocal performances and a solid storyline that takes a couple of twists and turns, culminating in a powerful message for real-world issues. The only downside is that the plot can feel a bit rushed and easily could have used another hour or two to flesh out the storyline and even out the pacing instead of having some info dumps near the end of the game. Still, even as is, the writing in Wavetale is fun, cute, and emotionally gripping. The gameplay is more or less action/adventure—you'll visit different islands to assist the locals, usually by collecting Sparks that help power up the lighthouse and drive away more of the Gloom. Oftentimes this involves scrambling up towers and other large structures, which works pretty well. The controls are extremely fluid and forgiving, so you're not required to make precision jumps here. Instead it's more about zipping around the environment, latching onto rails or ledges and all but flying through the scenery, which is exhilarating. That sense of freedom in movement is key to the central aspect of Wavetale: running across the water. There are huge environments here and you get to surf across the waves to reach them, which is an absolute blast. The smooth movement feels wonderful and makes just getting from point A to point B a lot more enjoyable than most games. You can perform short dashes, jump up and dive back down for a small speed boost, or just ride the surf. It's all incredibly satisfying and makes the most fundamental aspect of gameplay, moving around, a lot of fun. Sadly though, Wavetale doesn't run quite as smoothly on the Switch as you might like. It's certainly not game-breaking, but it's clear that the visuals aren't quite as crisp as they should be, and the framerate isn't always as buttery smooth as it needs to be to really highlight the fluid movement mechanics. You'll also need to fight Gloom monsters, though this aspect of the game leaves something to be desired. Combat isn't difficult at all, it's just a bit boring since there isn't a ton of variety in your attacks or in the monsters you face. Despite the game's wonderful movement mechanics, you're not really required to use them at all when fighting, you just walk up and whack some shadowy blobs every now and then. It also feels like a missed opportunity not to tie the combat system into the sparks you can collect while exploring. These sparks act as currency, but they can only be used to purchase outfits for Sigrid. It's cute, but maybe some kind of skill tree for combat would have helped give sparks more value and give the battle system more variety. The game also gets a little repetitive when it comes to side quests. They almost all involve just finding objects for NPCs, and the storytelling that comes with them is pretty basic as well. It's especially a shame since the game is relatively short, maybe five or six hours, and a more robust selection of side quests could have helped round out the game a bit more. The game's presentation is just lovely. The colorful scenery perfectly matches the mellow but melancholy vibes of the story, and the huge spaces are great for surfing around. The color palette flows beautifully with the oceanic setting and the character designs are absolutely charming—the animation on their faces also adds a ton of personality in a cute, quirky way. The soundtrack also has the right peaceful lulls and strong swells to suit both the waves themselves and the gameplay as you go from surfing along the water to battling it out with Gloom monsters. And as mentioned previously the voice acting does a great job of bringing to life Sigrid's youthful defiance, her grandmother's stubborn old ways, and all the other character personalities as well. Wavetale is an absolutely charming experience, one that ends far too soon for how fun it is to just move around. The combat is a bit too basic and the side quests can be repetitive, but the real joy of the game is in surfing around the environment, running up and down waves like they're hills and leaping up onto cliffs and old buildings. Combined with beautiful scenery and a heartfelt story, Wavetale is absolutely worth diving into. Rating: 8 out of 10 Waves Review copy provided by publisher Wavetale is available today on the Switch eShop for $29.99.
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