Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas (PC) Review

Upon starting Oceanhorn, players are free to explore the first of the game's several islands at their own will. Certain parts are cordoned off until specific items have been acquired but it's easy to see an immediate reward to curious exploration. Sadly, these rewards aren't as fulfilling as they are in other games as the majority of them take the form of experience points that level up the main character. While the ultimate result is the same - like upgrades, such as the ability to carry more items - the endeavour doesn't feel as fruitful as it would if the reward were more immediately apparent. This is slightly redeemed by the fact that heart pieces are hidden throughout the world, to increase the hero's total health, but they are not prominent enough to completely dispel the disappointment of yet another bundle of experience points.

Initially, there are very few NPCs to interact with but the world soon shows its inhabitants upon journeying to new islands. Different people have their own stories to tell or items to sell but there is little to be found in the way of side-quests when speaking to them, with these usually found instead by reading messages in bottles that have washed up on the shores of some of the islands.

Oceanhorn takes place on a vast ocean that is littered with a number of small islands. As a result, players must sail between destinations, although this is not as enjoyable as it may first appear. Sailing boils down to simply marking a destination on a map and letting the game direct the boat on the shortest possible route. It tries to maintain engagement by creating hazards that may be shot down, yet this does little to mask the disappointment of being unable to freely explore the vast watery expanse. Instead, new islands are automatically marked on the map after hearing about them from NPCs or via written messages.

Also much like the Zelda series, dungeons are very prominent. The puzzles contained within them, and some parts of the overworld, will be very similar to fans of Nintendo's games - moving blocks around, for example. Sadly, this adventure does little to expand or revolutionise upon these ideas and so the majority of its teasers are very simple to solve and challenge patience rather than wit. Even special items offer little to excite and are often underused in puzzles and enemy encounters. The majority of the game can easily be completed by engaging enemies with a sword and shield.

Zelda games have never had impressive stories and Monster of Uncharted Seas follows its cue here with a simple scenario of a young boy who must set out to save the world. The small amount narrative is delivered well through voice actors, although it is strange that the protagonist remains silent at all times, even when NPCs speak aloud to him. It is very easy to forget about the overall story but hearing people tell the hero about the world and their own exploits does add a small part to the overall appeal.

Oceanhorn's simple art style means that it runs well, for the most part, once V-sync has been applied to get rid of some very distracting screen tearing. The game won't astound anyone with its visuals but they are still very appealing to the eye. There are touches of unfortunate slowdown but these are few and far between. Also, the music complements the world very well and is incredible in its own right. Sadly, the dungeons don't have a very varied soundtrack, which leads to hearing the same themes throughout most of the game. While the music is wonderfully composed, even the best of tracks can be tiresome after a while.

iOS titles don't have the luxury of traditional controls but Oceanhorn adapts itself well to both a controller and the keyboard and mouse combination. The game plays well with either method but the lack of customisation options will leave some gamers feeling hampered as it is not possible to invert the Y-axis. This is a problem that is mainly confined to naval combat but it is a disappointing oversight.

The freedom to use a controller or keyboard and mouse is a welcome one and both methods work well when it comes to the game's combat. However, it shows its iOS roots as combat remains a simple affair with most enemies succumbing to a few strikes of the hero's sword. While this means that either control method works equally well, it does make it very tempting to simply dash past enemies instead of engaging them.