Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (PC) Second Opinion Review

The role of Mr. Nameless Protagonist is taken on, with the background and motivation being simple for the hero; Oceanhorn (the monster) killed his mother, and his father went missing while hunting for it. Upon awaking at the hermit's island, the hero's pendant talks to him, guiding him to a sword and shield, which serves as the tutorial level. Upon receiving these, a couple of small events happen before the game opens up, allowing the world to be explored freely, and presenting the quest to find and defeat Oceanhorn.

The gameplay is comprised of two main elements: 'Hack and slash' action with puzzles, and on-rails sailing sections. Both gameplay styles are handled well, with decently responsive controls and very few bugs. The on-foot sections play like a top-down portable Zelda game, while the boat is played like an on-rails shooter, with the route being set by the computer…which is a shame, as it would have been cool to freely explore the world. The controls are well laid out on both controller and keyboard, which anyone who has played a Zelda game will feel instantly comfortable with. The interactions between the objects onscreen are well communicated through simple and exaggerated animations.

The presentation of Oceanhorn is what some might call 'pretty.' The visuals are sharp, stylised, colourful and well fleshed out. The visual upgrade from mobile to PC is very good, with increased polygons on the models, and some lovely rendering techniques for water and lighting. There is also some great music in the mix, too; the main theme is quite standout, as it sets the adventuring mood quite well, as does the sailing music. Unfortunately, they aren't very memorable, but hey, nothing's perfect. Sound-wise, the ambience and effects are pretty well made, but the main character's footsteps are a little too loud, almost rivalling the very first Tomb Raider.

One immersion-breaking (and not all that useful) feature is the ability to level up. True to its iPhone roots, Oceanhorn incorporates this mobile gaming staple. This system provides the collectathon mentality many people look for in a mobile game, but doesn't translate well into the desktop experience. No matter how many levels the protagonist goes up, it never feels particularly satisfying; however, it does provide upgrades to stamina and carrying limits on items. The game never effectively explains what each level does, as the prompts are easily skipped past with a click of the action button.