Platforms iOS/PC
Developer Cornfox & Bros. Publisher Cornfox & Bros. (PC)/FDG Entertainment (iOS)
Genre Action/Adventure Platform Played On PC
No one can deny the appeal of The Legend of Zelda series. Because of its complex dungeons and highly-entertaining exploration, non-Nintendo gamers have always welcomed with open-arms any kind of game resembling any title from said franchise. Off the top of my mind, I recall people watching Darksiders for the first time and calling it “a Zelda game taking place after the apocalypse.” As you may be aware of, even if the series had changed publishers and developers, people are still not-so-patiently waiting for a third entry.
Fast-forward to 2013, and Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas arrives on iOS devices. Two years later, the same title crosses the PC platform for the first time. So, why have I started this review by talking about Zelda? Well, because Oceanhorn‘s design heavily resembles that of a classic Zelda title – The Wind Waker, to be more precise – and because of this, I have found it to be an entertaining adventure, one which I honestly hope spawns a full-fledged sequel.
As the title mentions, a monster known as Oceanhorn terrorizes the seas of the fictional universe. Our protagonist’s family is somehow tied with this antagonist, as his mother is already dead, while his father goes in search of Oceanhorn at the beginning of the game. Naturally, your task is also connected to Oceanhorn, and confronting it and finding your remaining parent means gathering several sacred emblems scattered throughout the game’s islands. From searching for the last members of an entire species to trading honey in exchange for safe passage to an underwater kingdom, the game likes to keep things relatively fresh, although it kind of loses its momentum half-way through the adventure. Still, it’s a worthy journey offering a satisfying conclusion.
Oceanhorn gives you the impression of an open-world akin to The Wind Waker, although it’s not exactly as open as one would think. While it’s possible to sail from one island to another – there being more than a dozen or so – doing so means selecting an island to which you wish to travel, after which the game automatically takes you there. It’s like teleporting, only it allows you to take in the vistas; which are composed of clouds and the open sea. Of course, not every piece of land is available from the get-go. Simply talking to strangers or exploring already-discovered islands for washed-up messages in bottles reveals several other locations on your map.
Each island features its own challenges, like spending a certain amount of coins, finding treasures, defeating monsters, transporting items, and so on. Other side-objectives include finding four parts of a heart which increase your maximum health, and fishing. Additionally, islands connected to the main storyline feature a master key, which unlocks a… well, master door and a big chest; sometimes more. Said chest(s) contain(s) a new item to use (I’ll get to those in a bit). From deserts, forests and anything in-between to underwater caves and old fortresses, all these locations feature simple-to-solve yet fun-to-explore dungeons. Seriously, all puzzles involve moving crates and lighting up torches, while enemies include variations of crabs like mechanical ones, the obligatory giant rats, ogres, birds/bats, goblins, and robots, among a few others.
Collecting diamonds by slaying monsters or completing missions levels-up your character. Leveling-up offers you different bonuses, depending on the current level. These bonuses include refilling all of your items (e.g. bombs, mana), the ability of carrying more items of the same type (e.g. bombs, arrows), faster sailing, requiring less mana for casting, less stamina, and so on.
Along his journey, our protagonist acquires new items which help him further explore each island. Bombs unlock new areas by… well, blowing up stuff. Once you discover a gun, you can keep yourself busy until the game takes you to another island by blowing up floating creates and collecting different items like bombs, crystals, in addition to defending from sea creatures; it’s like an on-rails shooter. Another tool at your disposal is a spell obtained fairly early in the game, one which summons a boulder on top of anything you desire, be it an enemy or an out-of-reach switch. Same goes for the bow and arrow, fire and ice spells, in addition to a few others. Finally, special boots allow our hero to make small leaps, which also unlock new areas.
Some boss-fights are mere push-overs, while others are just a bit challenging. One boss in particular proved to be more annoying than the rest – even more so than Oceanhorn itself – due to the fact that he would constantly summon two turrets which could only be deactivated by slashing four machines spread throughout the entire room. On the other hand, I understand said decision, because, otherwise, it would have been a pretty generic boss-encounter. It’s all about balancing, I guess.
What I found to be quite annoying is the fact that there’s no way of tracking your objectives, in case you forgot what you were after. Additionally, while the islands are fairly small, the game doesn’t feature an overlay map for any of said places.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas might not be the full-fledged Zelda game PC gamers have been waiting for, but it’s probably as close as it can get without Nintendo suing someone. Its charming presentation coupled with a decent – if not remarkable – soundtrack encompass a lot of islands to explore, items to collect, monsters to slay, and seas to sail. The boss-fights being uneven and the lack of a diary of sorts is disappointing, but these annoyances definitely don’t detract from the overall enjoyment. If the sales are good enough to warrant a sequel, I can really see this franchise soar to brand-new, unexpected heights.
The Good
- Great Number of Hours of Gameplay
- Lots of Items to Use
- Charming Presentation
The Bad
- Lack of Tracking Objectives
- Uneven Boss-Fights