When you emulate an iconic game series like The Legend of Zelda, you best do it right. In the new game Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, developer Cornfox Bros. has created a love-letter to the legendary Nintendo franchise with a game that is high on adventure and exploration, and with some incredible music by some of gaming’s most famous composers.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is the story of a young teen, whose father left him to go fight a mythical monster known as Oceanhorn and never returned. Now the teen sets out on an adventure, using his father’s journal, to try and find the old man, and take down Oceanhorn. In addition to the simple pretext of the game’s story, there are more wide-reaching mythos at work here, and the young teen is soon wrapped up in the greater quest to stop an evil wizard from destroying what’s left of the world.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas takes place in a colorful tropical land that has been flooded, and now exists as an archipelago of sorts. Throughout the journey, the young hero will find clues to new islands which hold valuable bloodstones for mining, epic, puzzle-filled dungeons to explore, and other needed items for the adventure. Travel between the islands is done on a sailboat, but the actual sailing is on rails, leaving the player free to shoot obstacles and sea monsters who appear.
There are 10 islands to explore, and the game uses a three-quarters isometric set up, meaning that there are surprises behind every nook and cranny. Combat is sword-and-shield based, and devolves into hack and slash, with the occasional blocking. Tools found in dungeons give the player some variety in his attacks, but the sword seems to the be the weapon of choice.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas tasks the player to find three artifacts, left by the gods, each guarded by a race of creatures native to this world. These creatures rule sea, air, and land, respectively.
While all of this sounds disturbingly close to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and it is, trust me, there is still enough new here in Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas to give the game its own identity. I could spend this entire review comparing the two games, and it would make some people uncomfortable (life meter is measured in hearts; extra hearts can be found by collecting four pieces; the player must find weapons and tools in dungeons, like bombs, and bow and arrows to beat that dungeon’s boss and continue the story), but really, developer Cornfox Bros. has not tried to hide that this is an homage to the Zelda series.
I can’t, in my right mind, vilify this, while singing the praises of a game like Axiom Verge, which is, itself, a Metroid clone — and the best Metroid game since Super Metroid. Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is an homage, and one that is done exceptionally well. In fact, the hero wears clothes that are similar to what Link will wear in the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, making Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas the perfect game to sate that adventuring thirst for Zelda fans waiting for that next huge release.
In addition to all of the Zelda-like goodness on display here is an incredible soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito, two masters of video game scoring. Uematsu created the music for the first 10 core Final Fantasy games (and many others), and Ito worked on the Mana and SaGa series. The 10-plus hour adventure is that much more enjoyable with these masters’ works playing. There is limited voice acting, saved primarily for story scenes, and it works here.
All in all, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is a solid adventure game that relies heavily on the game series it is trying to honor. While some of the comparisons can come off as heavy-handed, there is enough here to separate the two, leaving Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas the perfect appetizer for whatever Nintendo has in store for fans next March when Breath of the Wild blows into stores. With an engaging story, some fun boss battles, and a whole world to explore, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas may not be the most original game on the market, but it sure is fun to play.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is available now for the Xbox One and Playstation 4. It is priced at $14.99, and worth every penny. This review is based off a PS4 review code provided by the publisher.
