I took a risk and downloaded the game before impressions or a review. Luckily it seems that the game is exactly what I was hoping for. I've only played about 20 minutes, long enough to get the first treasure, but I really enjoyed it. Controls work well, the game is very nice looking for WiiWare, and I like the setting. It seems the game was getting compared to Metroid and Endless Ocean a lot which seems fair. Seems less action oriented than my experiences with the Metroid franchise, but there is certainly the similarity of a focus on exploration in both games. Obviously I can't comment on the true length of the game, but it took me 20 minutes or so to get the first main treasure and it seems like there are 10 treasures overall. So I'd expect a 4-5 hour game, assuming that later treasures are a little more complicated. There is definitely room for doing lots more exploration in addition to the main game to expand the length.
Sounds much like what I expected, too. Is it just wandering around until you find stuff? Or do you have to solve puzzles or look for hidden paths (either by moving through walls a la NSMBW / Yoshi's Island or by breaking open walls a la Metroid / Zelda)? Is there much action, like having to dodge obstacles or projectiles or killing dangerous fish? Some of this might sound ridiculous, but I don't know much about the game.
@Adam: Lots of exploration and hidden paths, yes you'll need to be careful of dangerous fish and other obstacles. Feel free to ask other questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
How's the variety in music and areas to explore? It's not overly repetitive is it? I still need to check out the endless ocean games.
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I decided to download it and I'm very glad I did. It is a really fun game. So far I have spent about an hour playing it and I have discovered the first two main treasures. I took some time exploring the first two maps picking up smaller treasures to add to my funds so I can purchase new equipment. It really helps because you can return to previous levels and explore more of the map that was previously unreachable. There is definitely a good amount of area to explore and hidden treasures uncover. Completionists, like myself, will definitely have fun with this game. There is also in game achievements. I'm currently playing on normal difficulty. The enemies can be challenging but it isn't too punishing since there are checkpoints in the levels and the game autosaves your progress. The controls are simple and intuitive. The only issue that I had with the controls was having to keep the B button pressed down to swim. I wish the A button was the swim button and that the B button was for firing the harpon. Not that big of a deal though. The music is really nice and relaxing. The graphics are very beautiful too. The overall package is very impressive and gives you a good sense of underwater exploration. I would highly recommend giving this game a try. It is definitely worth it.
I'm really enjoying it so far It's a pretty lengthy game too if you're a completionist; there's only 10 levels but they're very large and it takes a while to fully explore them and find all of their treasures and secrets. There's also three difficulty settings to give it some replay value. The pointer controls work well and there's a decent amount of variety in the types of enemies and obstacles you encounter. The gameplay does start to feel a tad repetitive after a while, but it manages to avoid feeling boring thanks to the relaxing music and atmosphere. Definitely a worthy purchase.
Is there a limit on your harpoons? Do they recharge/replenish during the level?
Yes and yes, you start out with a limit of 5 but you can purchase upgrades that eventually let you carry up to 10. There are harpoon pickups scattered about the levels that automatically refill your harpoons to maximum and disappear, regardless of how many you were carrying before picking them up. There are some obstacles that can't be passed without taking damage unless you use a harpoon, so knowing when to use them and when to conserve them plays a large part in the game's strategy.
After my preview this will be an instant buy. It has the feel of an old 8-bit game with pretty modern visuals. I've been looking forward to this for some time.
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Topic: Dive: The Medes Islands Secret impressions
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