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Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas Review


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5951df0e9f19b_Oceanhornlogo.png.5d352876cc3af4c17cfb9a49480256d0.pngOriginally a mobile game, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas from developer Cornfox & Bros. and publisher FDG Entertainment has made its way to consoles, the latest of which is the Switch. Don't let its mobile origins throw you though. Oceanhorn is a classic adventure game complete with items, dungeons, and exploration. In fact it is very similar to a certain iconic Nintendo adventure series, but Oceanhorn's strengths–and weaknesses–stand on their own.
 
Let's get one thing out of the way right at the start: the comparisons to The Legend of Zelda are inescapable. It's an adventure game with a sword-and-shield-wielding protagonist who uses various items and spells to explore, there are heart pieces that can be found to extend your health–at one point you even rescue a race of fish people from being frozen. Of course there's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from the greats, and Zelda is one of the most consistently great franchises of all time. Oceanhorn doesn't just rely upon imitation though, and it has its own way of approaching adventure gameplay.
 
For one thing Oceanhorn has a certain bite-sized format that presumably served it well on mobile platforms and still creates an enjoyable pace on a console. Each island you explore feels neatly self-contained, with regular intervals of combat and puzzle challenges in your path. And of course there are plenty of secrets to uncover as well. The puzzles are all classic formats–block puzzles, find the key, etc.–but Oceanhorn's simple yet charming approach to these challenges makes it easy to fall into the cadence of the game. The puzzle design isn't hugely complex, but it's enough to keep you engaged with the adventure. You'll be compelled to uncover all of an island's secrets, which of course leads to new islands and more challenges.
 
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The combat side of the gameplay is less solid, and here is where some of the mobile roots start to interfere with the experience. The Hero can slash with his sword–and yes, there's a spin attack–or use items to get the upper hand on monsters. The problem is that the Hero's sword feels woefully underpowered. Basic enemies take multiple attacks–not to mention the more formidable monsters–and oftentimes throwing rocks feels like a more sound strategy. The sword combat is never quite as satisfying as it should be, and a large part of that is a lack of lock-on targeting. While the Hero is flailing away enemies can easily get their own jabs in, and they'll do some serious damage. Without lock-on it's hard to dodge or block effectively without spoiling your aim for your own attacks. Lock-on may not have been practical on a phone's touch screen interface but on a traditional controller its absence is keenly felt.
 
The somewhat clunky combat can also make Oceanhorn surprisingly difficult, especially in the early parts of the game. When you can't dodge easily you'll be losing hearts even to basic enemies, and since there are no healing items you can carry you'll often be at the mercy of random heart drops from enemies, bushes, and pots. There are a few silver linings here, though. For one, the game autosaves constantly with frequent checkpoints so even if you do die you lose very little progress. For two, you do get some healing options late in the game with a healing spell, and there's a consumable you can buy at the shop to revive yourself with one heart if you should die. Coins are precious scarce early on in the game so it may not be a worthwhile investment right away, but it's a useful safety net.
 
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There's one other significant aspect of Oceanhorn that is actually not a huge part of the gameplay after all. The Hero sails a little ship to move from island to island–again, drawing similarities to The Wind Waker–but you don't actually get to sail the ship. You select a destination and the boat moves automatically. Along the way you can shoot at a few enemies or mines floating in the sea–once you unlock the gun that is–but it's a pretty passive mode of transportation, to the point where it doesn't really seem necessary at all. If there was freedom of movement it would be a bit more interesting, but you can't even see new islands until you hear about their location from another person or a scrap of paper, so that entire exploration element is moot. Without a more in-depth sailing system the transit between islands feels kind of pointless.
 
One way in which Oceanhorn does distinguish itself from the looming presence of Zelda is in a simple RPG level system. Defeating monsters earns crystals, and when you earn enough crystals you level up. You don't gain stats or increased maximum health in Oceanhorn, though. Instead leveling up grants other types of bonuses, like the ability to hold more bombs, or decreased stamina cost for jumping and rolling. These are the kinds of bonuses that aren't strictly necessary to finish the game but still help out in little ways. You can also find crystals in treasure chests or earn large crystal rewards for completing challenges such as block ten attacks or visit all islands. It's another style of collectible to keep track of, with the added bonus of having useful benefits as you play. It feels like a nice match for an adventure game, and the challenges give you a little something else to work toward besides progressing the story.
 
Speaking of the story, Oceanhorn does a fine job of building up the universe's lore and history but fails to make it particularly compelling for the nameless Hero. An ancient civilization, massive mechanical sea monsters, and a lurking evil play a part of bringing Oceanhorn to life, and these elements create a compelling world to explore. Our protagonist's journey to find his father, who left in the middle of the night to fight the eponymous monster Oceanhorn, is less interesting, partly because the Hero never speaks and doesn't even emote visually either. The other characters you encounter are similarly dry, like actors in a play that never truly embody their characters. Exploring the game is still satisfying, but stronger storytelling could have helped propel the narrative.
 
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Easily one of the highlights of the game is the soundtrack. Oceanhorn has some lovely songs, and it's not hard to understand why when you see names like Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito in the credits. Several of the tracks richly flesh out the emotions of adventuring, and even the more basic background tunes are a lot of fun to listen to. The visuals aren't half bad either as far as evoking a sense of fun and adventure. Oceanhorn is colorful and lively, even if some assets feel repetitive. If the presentation of the game were to be summed up in one word, it would be: charming.
 
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas aims high by taking its cues from Zelda. It doesn't quite hit that same level of excellence and polish, but as a shorter, approximately ten hour adventure game it does a fine job of offering a bite-sized adventure with its own sense of charm and style. The difficulty is perhaps misplaced in the combat controls rather than the complexity of enemies or puzzles and the story may not be fully compelling, but there's enough heart to keep you engaged through the end of the game–or further, if you're the type to find all collectibles. Despite its flaws adventure fans will find a fun diversion in Oceanhorn.

 

Rating: 7 out of 10 Islands

 

Review copy provided by the publisher
 

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is now available on the Switch eShop for $14.99.

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