Developer: Cornfox & Bros.
Publisher: Cornfox & Bros.
Platform: PC, iOS
Tested on: PC
Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas (PC) – Review
Most of the gamers stick to consoles and PC/Mac, but smartphones and other multimedia have quite some gems as well. One of these diamonds is Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas, a RPG that is available on the App store. This game was such a success that it has been altered to a pc game. Luckily they did, since everyone can now enjoy the beauty the game has to offer.
Story
The storyline is something you might expect. On a night, you are happily sleeping in your bed while your father is preparing for battle. He wrote you a letter, shortly explaining what is happening and what you should do if you wake up. He also left you his notebook and the necklace of your mother. What might have become clear by now, your father isn’t planning on returning home since he has to fight Oceanhorn in order to protect you. This vile creature is made of pure evil matter and makes everyone live in fear.
As expected, your father didn’t return home. This takes you to the start of the game. You live in a small tent up on a hill on Hermit’s island. When you wake up, you hear a woman’s voice saying that ‘It is time’. When you venture the island, you find your mothers pendant floating in the air, giving you the impression you need to follow it. This will be the start of an amazing adventure in which you will need to sail a lot and face several problems and bosses.
Graphics
It has to be said, the graphics are quite superb but there are some downsides as well. First of all, the environment feel very alive and full of colour, but overall the surroundings are mostly the same. You will always encounter the same bushes, rocks and jars. The same goes for the monsters. Some areas have some special ones, but most of the time, you will encounter a slime or an insect. It would have been nice if there was a bit of diversity.
The characters are drawn in a real specific way. They seem quite cartoonish but still recognisable. Facial expressions aren’t that great though. It feels like the characters have no emotions at all at times. Another remark is that the motions aren’t that fluent as well. Running around or talking with NPC’s can be a bit stiff.
The last remark is about the rendering of the graphics. Playing the game on Medium quality made my screen render at different times, giving a nasty split screen effect. Putting it on High or Ultra solve the problem but this isn’t that great if you want to play the game on an older computer.
This might seem a bit negative, but Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas is a port from an app to the computer, so overall the graphics aren’t that bad, especially since you can alter the quality.
Sound
When you start the game for the first time, it is quite clear that the music volume is quite high. At least you can turn it down quite fast and you can choose between the music volume, the ambience and the speech volume.
Overall the game has some vivid and lively music. The songs change but it almost always makes you feel cheery and happy. This is different when fighting bosses though. The voice acting is well done but there isn’t any real facial synchronisation, although this can’t be expected from an app port.
Gameplay
Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas is an action-adventure game and the gameplay makes you think of ‘The Legend of Zelda’ franchise. There are a few differences though, since you don’t need to save a princess, you won’t receive a heart container when you defeat a boss and you can level now. You will need to save the world from the evil clutches of Oceanhorn and you will need help if you want to pull this off.
You get to possess a sword and shield to slay evil and protect yourself from attacks. Using your shield and running around will use stamina, which will regenerate over time. There are other items as well but you will receive those during the game.
If you want to advance in the game, you will need to use your boat and sail to other islands. Sailing might seem boring at first but you get a gun to shoot crates, bombs and enemies, making it a bit more fun. Islands aren’t visible until you find some information about them and you can’t sail on your own though, you always need a destination.
When you enter an island, you will see the challenges that can be done This is really nice and is a great bonus, since achieving these challenges will give you loads of experience. Killing enemies is also a great way to level up. If you have enough experience, you gain a level with the adventure guild. This has quite some perks and it is a great idea to set your mind on this. One of the advantages is that you sail faster or that you can carry more bombs.
Another great aspect is the fishing rod. You will get this during the game and this gives you the possibility to, you guessed it right, catch fish. The fish will be kept in the fish log and you can always check this out. You can also take a look at the log so you can see previous conversations and you can watch the flashbacks you encounter during the game.
As stated before, you will need to save the world from Oceanhorn and if you want to succeed, you will need to gather several things. It has to be said, you don’t get a lot of help. It is hard to know what do next, except when you leave an island after you’ve gotten a special item. At this moment, Hermit will contact you a which gives you a new goal.
There are a few elements that are really nice to mention as well. You can both use your keyboard/mouse set-up as a controller. The game has eleven languages to choose from, so you can enjoy the game in an other language than English.
This said, there are a few remarks as well. Alt + Tab to get out of the game is hell. You will jump back into the game most of the times or the game will be visible in the background. In-game, running diagonal isn’t that great as well since you are really slowed down and you get stuck more often. This also counts if you’re running at the edge of a mountain. Also, there are invisible walls so you can’t get on lower, not (yet) accessible areas.
Conclusion
Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas is a great game that has finally arrived on the computer after its big success on the smartphones and tablets. The graphics are quite special and has it good and bad points, the same goes for the sound. If you want to play a nice adventure game in which you need to save the world and sail a lot, this game is something for you.
Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas (PC) - Review,
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