
When Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas was unveiled for mobile devices a couple of years ago, it wasn't hard to draw comparisons to a certain iconic Nintendo franchise. Since that time it's enjoyed some success and made its way to other platforms, now including the Switch eShop; the question is whether the transition to dedicated gaming systems serves the title well.
First of all, let's get the comparisons to The Legend of Zelda out of the way. It's clear that the developers were inspired by Nintendo's IP, from the appearance of the hero, through to the narrative and some broad design approaches, the similarities are undeniable. That said there's nothing inherently wrong with small studios giving their spin on gaming classics, and Oceanhorn does also go its own way.
For starters, the game takes place on a series of islands that are designed with a diorama-like approach, typically with various buildings and caverns to enter that function as small puzzle areas or broader dungeons. The approach varies rather nicely per island in terms of the settings, while a core principle of linear and steady progression is at the heart of play. You can explore a little off the beaten path, but primarily you look for bridges, ladders and pathways to advance to the next section.
Our hero can't jump (though earns a form of jump later in the game), so navigation is at the mercy of environments and assist objects. You use the face buttons for simple sword combat (and yes, there's a charge attack), using a number of familiar sub-weapons, utilising a brief dash or using magic spells that you acquire. It's intuitive, as is blocking with ZR, with the lead character moving well. It's a solid template for a top/down isometric adventure.
To pick up on how smooth the experience is, it's worth noting that this certainly isn't a sloppy port, but on the contrary runs with ease on the Switch. It sails along at a buttery 60fps, and the general visual design - which is colourful and focused on chunky assets - comes across well both on the TV and in portable mode. Performance is at a high level in those regards, and the audio is also fantastic; there's a mixed bag of voice-acted lines, but the music is top-notch, with some industry luminaries contributing.
Early impressions are very good, then, and hold up reasonably well. Nevertheless puzzles and environmental designs struggle to evolve after the easy start, with a few attempts at complexity unfortunately coming across more as obscurity later on. The layered multi-level design of environments, and the linear progress they encourage, seem to hold back smart puzzle design, leaving us for the most part with simple switches and block pushing that struggle to establish a truly independent identity for the game.

Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas also makes much, in marketing, of the hero's ability to sail between islands. Unfortunately you don't actually control this, until you get a gun to shoot at obstacles later on. The boat controls itself, so it's worth being aware that sailing is actually a rather pretty loading screen with a shooting minigame; that's not a criticism in light of this being a download title at a reasonable price, but players should be aware of what's truly on offer.
In some respects Oceanhorn executes its ideas very well, with attention to detail and optional islands and quests to discover alongside the core story. Unfortunately its mobile roots do show, however, and not enough has been done to improve it for console gaming. Combat is simplistic and often very easy, as we're using physical controls to fight foes designed to go easy on mobile players grappling with touchscreen inputs. Enemy AI is also painfully dull, occasionally missing you entirely or walking into water to drown, meaning our only deaths came from our own sloppiness. The visuals, while nice in general play and in the environments, also needed an upgrade; characters have little to no facial expressions, scuppering some attempts at emotional storytelling, and a few animations are unfortunately crude and limited at the wrong moments.

It's an experience that has some downsides, then, but that's not to say it should be dismissed entirely. It took us around 9 hours to clear the adventure with a decent number of collectables and sub-quests completed, and it was a pleasant time. The excellent soundtrack, some pleasing environments and a relaxed vibe ensured it was enjoyable, even if the flaws of the title always lingered and made their presence felt. We may not rush back to play it again, but also don't regret the time spent working through to the final heroic confrontation.
Conclusion
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is an ambitious title that does some things rather well, finding a way to endear itself to players. It has a few problems, some from design choices and others from its mobile legacy that should have been adjusted for console, but what it doesn't lack is heart. The desire of the developers to pay homage to classic adventure series, but in their own way, shines through. It's a flawed title, but if you're willing to overlook those issues you may find it to be an enjoyable experience on the Switch eShop.
Comments 74
I do wonder if this had the title of Zelda, would it have gotten a higher rating?
Looks like Zelda BOTW clones but in Isometric angles.
I'm so envy this game has Physical release for PS4 but still digital download for Switch version.
Well... better I take a look first about this game.
The only thing stopping me from getting the Switch version, is the fact that I already have it on PS4. Not a bad review! Well said.
Edit: If you have any doubts and own a PS4, there's a demo for the game on there that's worth a try. I'm sure they'll make a demo for Switch though.
Damn! I was hoping this was good, really liked the visuals of the game. Oh well. Guess I'm not missing out on anything.
@Moms-Meowth Maybe lower because expectations would be higher.
This is a fair review. It's nice to see this game on mobile platforms because this sort of thing is rare but it's not made for physical controls and it was made years ago. The team has continued to improve the graphics and I'm looking forward to the sequel and I'm glad the team is ambitious, but consoles were never the target of the design.
Maybe I'll try the demo on PS4 but I'll definitely wait for a price drop IF I like the demo enough.
@Moms-Meowth No, it wouldn't have. Wonder no more!
@Anti-Matter this game was originally released before we even knew what botw was. It's actually more of a wind waker clone, but far less awesome. I played it on mobile a few years back. It's a pretty good game.
I don't support cheap imitations, thank you.
@Moms-Meowth I don't think so. There are some poorly reviewed Zelda titles out there, and in terms of actual game quality, they beat this for sure.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Psst... buy Switch now if you want to play this game.
Wii U will NEVER got this game !
@Anti-Matter Give it a rest please.
@Anti-Matter why would anyone want to buy a switch for this game. This is s mobile game. You can easily get it on the Apple App Store for 7.99. I warn you though. It gets boring repetitive quickly. Enjoy
i can't support a game that's such a blatant rip-off.
It does look decent but in an era of exceptional games that I have yet to play I am not sure decent will cut it for me. If the gameplay was more challenging I would consider it, if I get it I will probably be waiting on a sale.
It's less about being a Zelda clone, and more about being an older mobile game that does this in for me. That and I already played it on iPad.
Although, yes, people are biased with Nintendo's IP...
I mean, BotW getting a 10/10?
That LoZ had huge flaws.
Never played it. For $15 I am still going to give this one a shot. Looks fun.
Currently I am heavily into ARMS, Gunvolt, and Cave Story. So I may pick this up at a later time. It looks alright.
I don't want to spend my limited time on earth playing anymore lackluster games than I have. Thanks for the warning NLife. goes back to playing Mighty Gunvolt Burst
I played this on the XBox One, and I enjoyed my time with it. It's a reasonably good Zelda-like with a lot of heart.
@UK-Nintendo
Well... I will watch first from Youtube.
Better watching first than wasting my money before getting know the gameplay, right ?
I'd like to play this. The only thing stopping me from buying it is that for now the eShop has not been updated yet. I wonder what are they waiting for :/
@Moms-Meowth
That's always an interesting question. I personally think Zelda is held to an even higher standard than most original IP.
@Smokingspoon A score of 10/10 doesn't mean that a game is perfect, just very good. BotW definitely has some flaws. The biggest ones for me are the framerate issues and the lack of big dungeons (which is kind of insane for a Zelda game, if you think about it. That's one of the things the series got famous for in the first place!).
But it did so much right in it's open world and game mechanics that is I think it definitely deserves a 9/10.
If the character was Link, and the history was a history like Legend of Zelda, with characters like Legend of Zelda, it would be 7.0/10, which is very good. But it's not. So, 6/10.
I played this on mobile and it's one of my favorites. I don't see it having much traction on the Switch though. For obvious reasons.
The art style makes it an instant buy for me.
This game definitely deserves a 7 - 7,5 at least. A 6 is way too harsh. I found it to be charming and quite enjoyable to play, and personally, I did not find that it lacks heart, at all.
Although it may not be as completely engrossing as a larger adventure, it's fun to play if you see it for what it is: a smaller Zelda-like game, that does have it's charms and the occasional expressionless characters didn't bother me in the slightest.
Removing so many points from a review score for basically a single point of criticism probably removed more heart from this game than it had in the first place, though...
Here's a gameplay video and a video review, so people can decide for themselves:
Thanks for the great review.. I like the Look of the game and it is definitely a genre I love so I am going to get it at some point .
My son loves zelda and i let him hack and slash monsters on BotW sometimes. Could anyone tell me if this'd be a good game for a pre-schooler to play- simple controls, no blood, etc.? I've been looking for an easy adventure game he could kindof play by himself on the switch.
I would have loved if Nintendo could have remade Link's Awakening DX with these graphics.
I enjoyed this a lot on the mobile, so I find the review score unreasonably low.
Looks like a generic Zelda knock-off. I'll pass.
I am surprised by how low the score is. I have Oceanhorn on Vita and it is quite good. If you are looking for a Zelda level of quality and polish then you will not find it here. However, for $15 I think it is a good value.
Looks like a fair review. Admittedly it looks decent at most, even less.
Well given the review I'll stick with my plan, buy it on 75% off sale when it does that over at GoG.com for PC instead. End up paying under $5 for it then.
However strange this might sound, I like it more than Breath of the Wild. And I am a long-running Zelda fan (started with A Link to the Past and never missed a major console or portable release). Of course, it's a clone, but it clones those old-school LoZ games without the open world mechanics. While executed greatly, I really doubt those cooking and weapon-collecting mechanics with easy deaths are good for LoZ. It frustrates and distracts from using your brain to acrually progress the story. After the fantastic A Link between Worlds, this is what a Switch LoZ game should have been in my book. Executed with Nintendo craftsmaship, of course. But I'll buy this one for the 4th time (own it on iOS, Steam and Xbox One already) to show support for developers and to send a message to Nintendo.
Fair review.
Watch the animations in combat and you start to see where the major issues are with this game.
It's pretty, but only if you don't look too hard to see how often trees repeat and water textures miss there edges.
It's a fine game, but not a great title. There are better things to play. There are worse things to play. It depends on you and to whether that is enough.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE This is a prime example of why you don't make mobile games into console games 9/10 times.
This review didn't sound as a 6 mark game.
Visually it looks beautiful, but the depiction of the game in the review makes it sound like the kind of game that would annoy me with it's design limitations. It does LOOK quite pretty though!
@ThanosReXXX Thanks for the second opinions.
@zionich You're welcome.
@Moms-Meowth I am reviewing this game right now and I have the same oppinion as this review. Has nothing to do with the Zelda branding... The game plays REALLY stiff, animations are not very good, bad actually. Looks like a very unpolished game, released before gametesting. Has a lot of issues, it's repetitive nature, certain gameplay aspects are just thrown in for the sakes of it, lots of items just appear, and the objectives are not really clearly conveyed.
Game is gorgeous, sounds really great but that's about it, imho...
For all you curious multi-console owners, here are the demo versions of this game for Xbox One and PS4:
Xbox One USA version
Xbox One UK version
PS4 USA version
PS4 UK version
EDIT:Okay, somehow, the weird auto-adapt stuff on this site changes a valid url into something that doesn't work, so apparently it's too long or whatever. I've tried several tricks and variations, but the site won't allow it for some stupid reason, so for the PS4 versions, you guys will have to simply copy/paste the links, otherwise it won't find the page due to only part of the link being highlighted and working.F-ing frustrating...Phew! FINALLY got it working properly. What a hassle for a few links...
This review seems fair. I played this game on my Apple TV a while ago with a Bluetooth controller. Was pretty fun. But the game is uninspired, completely derivative, and basically a low rent Wind Waker rip.
@Moms-Meowth It has everything from Zelda but the gorgeous level design and pacing.
So no, it lacks the core aspect that allows perfect 10/10 scores every time.
@countzero Oh it's still an excellent Zelda, but it's just weird how almost everyone is dismissing the flaws.
I won't spoil anything. Although, all I'll say is, yes, severe lack of real dungeons. The shrines are interesting, but they really are a single puzzle (of a type. Mostly physic related).
I hoped the whole game for deep creepy caverns to explore with a torch, but there were none... There's that one place you can use a torch, but that's it.
A lack of enemies. There's about 18 enemy types, all with color variations for their level of difficulty (Sadly I find the hardest ones dumb and easy).
And some designs in that game are just way lower in LoZ quality standards. Bland, tbh.
@jancotianno No, it would be 6/10.
@Smokingspoon I've seen people complain about dungeons in BotW, but really, the divine beasts are one of the most epic ideas I've ever seen in any Zelda game. Between the larger interconnected puzzles of the beasts and the smaller shrines, I never missed traditional dungeons, not for a second.
As for this one, definitely getting it tonight. Been waiting on it for a while, actually, and I skipped it on PS4 so I could get it on Switch.
13.50 when it's years old and is 7 quid on the App Store- crazy. Utterly mind bending why anyone would pay that. 🤔
@ricklongo Yeah, they were. Especially one of them with the water. But they were VERY short-lived and easy.
I don't have much negative things to say about the main dungeons. Except, maybe, that they only have 2 type of enemies, all of them the same 2. But they were very cleverly designed anyway.
If Nintendo ever decides to hold a sale (snickers, we earn them via MyNintendo) I'd pick this one up for half off. Maybe.
Some have been saying I wouldn't give a Zelda game 6/10 (which is 'Not Bad', after all). Well... https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/legend_of_zelda_tri_force_heroes
If you played and love WW, than you not gonna like it.
an 6 an 6 one best art styled games on switch for indie play just ike zelda game it gets 6 roflmao this is easily an 8.5 or higher one best indies on switch besides shantae at moment
I feel the reviewer was harsh on this title, I played it on Xbox and was very impressed it's not a first party release but it holds its own well worth a second go I think bought it yesterday...
I ve been playing this today and in my humble opinion its a solid 8. I believe a 6 does not do it justice.
I think the review was right on. I played this game when it first came out on iOS, on an iPad. I thought the visuals and audio were impressive for a mobile game, but the gameplay got stale after a couple of hours for the same reasons the reviewer stated. Later when I got a Bluetooth controller for my iPad I tried it again to see if I'd like it better, but playing it with a controller just made it more apparent how dumbed down it was to cater to touch controls.
Bottom line, it's a pretty good game by mobile game standards, but pretty mediocre by console game standards.
Wow, reading the comments I'm shocked at all the outrage over imitations or "rip-offs". It's different enough-- but even if it's not, what's wrong with more Zelda? I'm all for more
Having played this for a couple of hours, I must say I'm very impressed. It's fun, colorful, well-designed, and my one complain right now is the limited camera controls.
Also, I think Wind Waker isn't necessarily the best point of comparison for this game - that would be Phantom Hourglass. Thankfully, we have physical controls for this one, at least in the console version.
I picked this up in a Humble Bundle for a dollar last year on PC. Would say 6 or maybe 7 is a fair score. It's really slow-going at the start though, it got better once the puzzles got more difficult and you had more equipment to play with. I think most people would come away satisfied but for the full $15 there's just so many better games you could get.
I bought ocean horn last night and so far I am enjoy the game and the art work. Worth the money.
Hmm, only a 6. A poor man's Zelda, even if it looks nice. Might still try it someday though, when I have a Switch.
Theres paying homage(i.e. Shovel Knight) and theres ripping off(i.e. The Great Giana Sisters) and this seems more like the latter. It looks like all the puzzles were taken straight from Zelda games (torches, arrow targets, even a beamos lol) and this was just from the trailer.
I have to respectfully disagree with the "6" this game was given. While it certainly is very strongly influenced by Zelda, it really is a fun game. It translated well from tablets to the switch, and the controls make all the difference in the world. The graphics are lovely, the gameplay is fun - the repetitiveness of enemies is no bigger problem with this game than it is with the older Zelda's. I also think the story is good, too.
If I were to add anything, it would be HD Rumble. I am so used to it on the switch now, that games without it feel flatter.
This game deserves a 7.5 at the minimum, and would be an 8 if they added HD rumble, and maybe a little motion control option for tossing bombs and such.
Give it a shot.
I think it's pretty good and deserves a bit more than just a 6
Should I wait for this game go on sale or no? What % off I wait? What be reason % off?
Finished this over the course of two sick days and had a really good time. Only 57% complete with a couple of spells and lots of bloodstones left to collect at about 9 hours. This one is priced right and the quality is commendable.
I've got the iOS version of the game and I really enjoy it. I think i'll get on the switch too.
Physical copy now available from the Limited Run website!
I just finished this game today and thought it was great. It took around 18hrs. Lots to explore. The controls were fine. I just liked the game. Oceanhorn 2 looks really nice...
Oceanhorn is not really bad game its really enjoyable with achievements and new skills throughout the game.
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