Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas | Xbox One

---

It’s plain to see that Oceanhorn was a transparent attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the Legend of Zelda series by bringing a clone to the burgeoning mobile market. Whilst it’s certainly uninspired as a result, taking game design cues from the absolute best is enough to carry the experience, even on home consoles.

---

by Sam
​Sant

---

@SlamShotSam

---

Developer: FDG
Entertainment
Publisher: FDG
​Entertainment
Platforms: Xbox
One, PlayStation 4, 
PC, Mac, iOS, Android
Players: 1

From the young, mute protagonist, to the colourful presentation and audio, Oceanhorn is immediately familiar. When you’ve spent some time thereafter conversing with locals, delving into dungeons to battle enemies and solve puzzles - cutting long grass and breaking pots along the way to gather valuables - it goes from familiar to plain just screaming Zelda.

It’s actually an impressively comprehensive take considering the game’s mobile origins, and one that most will enjoy, provided they don’t quite expect it to rival the classics that so plainly inspired it.

The titular Oceanhorn is a man-made beast that our fresh-faced hero’s father sets out to destroy at the beginning of the story. When he fails to return, you’re tasked with finding three emblems to unite the elements and gain the skills to defeat the mechanised brute yourself, discovering your father’s fate along the way.

​The narrative is a definite background element, which is a good thing, as tiresome lore is often laid on thick, whilst mediocre writing and voicework take themselves way too seriously. There’s also a woeful lack of characterisation that means you won’t care about a single soul in the world of Arcadia, least of all the love interest we briefly met once, yet is featured prominently in the game’s promotional art.

Whilst Oceanhorn would’ve been more engaging with a gripping tale at its core, players are at least allowed more time to focus on exploration as a result. You’ll scavenge a range of vibrant locales, each concealing hidden treasures that beckon your attention, aided by a soundtrack that arouses a sense of adventure.

​These themed islands are discovered through conversation or correspondence and can be sailed between freely, though, disappointingly, the journeys are on-rails and you’ll simply defend the boat from ne’er-do-wells along the way. Most locations are comprised of an open overworld and a more linear, puzzle-gated dungeon lurking below.

A range of vibrant locales conceal hidden treasures that beckon your attention, aided by a soundtrack that arouses a sense of adventure.

There's already a sequel deep into development.

Puzzles are, for the most part, incredibly simple and comprised of pushing blocks to build paths and bridges, as well as depressing switches to open doors. Whilst there’s very little variation on the formula, they’re enjoyably nostalgic in their simplicity and satisfying to solve nonetheless.

On occasion you’ll require an additional tool or spell to complement your smarts, though the game won’t overtly point that out, instead letting the player get stuck until they decide to move on and come back later. It’s a brave approach in today’s watered-down market that doesn’t go unappreciated as the world unfurls at your increasingly powerful hands, even if it does make for a lot of toing and froing.

These upgrades also lend a hand in combat, though it’s unlikely you’ll be in any great need of their help. The stamina-based, sword and shield system lacks nuance, as a majority of enemies can be defeated simply by running up to them and spamming attack; for a few exceptions you’ll simply need to block incoming blows and counter on repeat, no exact timing necessary. Once you have the ice spell and are able to stop foes in their tracks for an easy one-hit kill, any semblance of challenge disappears.

Bosses don’t fare much better, with just the final two requiring any diversity of tactics. We’ll admit they had us stumped for a while, but only because we weren’t expecting any variety based on past form. Grandiose themes and dramatic introductory title cards at least set the scene for some epic battles, even if the gameplay doesn’t quite deliver.

Oceanhorn was already a bit of a mixed bag, but some bizarre inconsistencies really cement the impression of a muddled development process.

Bashing enough baddies - preferably the ugly goblin-things that sound like Gruntilda from Banjo-Kazooie - and completing enough objectives will net you the experience to level up. The process is automated, taking choice out of your hands and resultantly offering rewards that are just as often pitiful as powerful. If we’d been able to unlock the ability to fire beams of light from our sword earlier, the combat might have done more for us.

Oceanhorn was already a bit of a mixed bag, but some bizarre inconsistencies really cement the impression of a muddled development process. You can’t fall long distances, except when it’s convenient to the game’s design; swimming usually leads to drowning as your stamina drains rapidly, except when the game wants you to swim somewhere; on occasion certain blocks can’t be pushed over certain tiles, despite identical ones having just done so without issue. Perhaps most annoyingly, fishing presents an insane difficulty spike that literally makes attempting to catch a botfish more deadly than battling the titular Oceanhorn.

Despite its many nagging flaws, we ultimately had a lot of fun with Oceanhorn. When you stand yourself on a pedestal by drawing direct comparisons to one of gaming’s premier attractions, you invite scrutiny, and whilst FDG Entertainment’s adventure doesn’t quite stand steadfast in the face of it, it doesn’t fall.

​Pros

• Vibrant and varied environments are a joy to discover and explore
• No handholding and coddling players
• Largely succinct puzzles
• Great soundtrack (though some bars are familiar)
• Impressive breadth for what was originally a mobile title

Cons

• Fails to effectively carve out its own identity
• Inconsistent design
• Uninspired story and characters
• Repetitive, flailing combat
• Automated levelling and boat travel

Score 7/10