We analyze the return of the legendary Endless Ocean saga, a different experience that seeks to relax the player.
If the video game stands out as a medium for something, it is because of the enormous diversity of proposals and artistic expressions. Although the headlines are filled with titles with million-dollar budgets and trends on the Internet, just below the surface there is a catalog of experiences for all tastes. Some even serve a purpose other than simply entertaining.
Because life is busy enough without your leisure to maintain that level of tension. From there arise proposals like the one we find in this text. Endless Ocean Luminous is oxygen in the form of pixels for our daily lives . You grab the Joy-Con, put on the headphones and immerse yourself body and soul in discovering the secrets of the ocean.
The ocean in front of you
The return of the franchise to Nintendo Switch was one of the surprises of the first Nintendo Direct of this 2024 . For those who do not know what Endless Ocean is about, we are faced with a game that rejects any hostile element or survival mechanics . Its objective is to relax the player and show the richness and diversity of species that converge offshore.
We are looking at more than just an entertainment product. Even leaving aside its value as a balm that drowns out outside noise, it is an excellent teaching tool about the seabed and the species that live there . Did you know Praya Dubia? You may be familiar with something else because of its common name, Dubious Sea Hump. If it doesn’t tell you anything, you shouldn’t worry, it’s normal: the number of species that we have discovered while playing has made us feel completely ignorant about life in the oceans.
The Japanese Blanquillo, the Golden Cuttlefish or the dogtooth tuna are just some of the examples that we have found during our expeditions. We could continue naming species for dozens of paragraphs, and the game compiles up to 578 different species . How do we identify them? Very simple: just click the left side button. By pressing the button we will begin scanning all the fish that are in our range of vision. You can get the details of a large number at once, but they are grouped at the bottom left in a drop-down menu that can be controlled with the crosshair.
The fish models are really good. Some have less details than others, but in general they maintain the type very well. In fact, Endless Ocean: Luminous is a game that looks and sounds great on any of the Nintendo Switch modes. Inside the dock it holds the type with ease.
Immersion alone or with your loved ones
Every time you grab the oxygen cylinder you will have the opportunity to select the type of adventure you want to have. The story mode divides some mechanically relevant moments into chapters. There is a small narrative thread that gives substance to the scenes, but in general terms what really matters is discovering the seabed . Most of the chapters are blocked until a specific objective is reached, which is usually to scan a certain number of species, fish or directly uncover the 99 mysteries that exist on the seabed.
Let’s raise an eyebrow here. We don’t like having our progress stopped so many times in a row . It breaks the pace of the story, and what should be an introduction to the ocean becomes tiny capsules of information that feel detached from the rest of the game. In the end what really matters are the two types of immersion, whether alone or in a group.
If you decide to go alone you will have unlimited time within a map generated at the time of its creation. There you can explore at your own pace and discover what the game has prepared in this environment. It should be noted that there is a depth beyond what is initially apparent. If you discover a cave, the logical thing is to follow it until you drop meters on the height counter. If you approach the closest point of the lower limit you will find unique species that only live in low light environments.
As for group immersion, with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription you can join or create meeting points for up to 30 simultaneous players. You can invite 10 friends, for example, and let the rest of the gap be filled with other unknown players. Group exploration enhances the sensations at the controls . It is true that progress is made at a much greater speed, but the really cool thing about experiencing it with others is that the discovery is shared with greater enthusiasm. Of course, there are more things to do than scan fish. Discovering lost objects or solving small puzzles shown on tables from another civilization are some of the objectives. Hence the 99 mysteries. We will not go into details, although we can say some objectives are linked to the existence of special marine species…
CONCLUSION
Endless Ocean: Luminous is a pleasant experience that seeks to reduce the noise generated by our daily lives. It is an excellent teaching tool; The more than 500 marine species it includes promote the discovery of life forms that you surely did not know about. We highlight group dives, a fantastic way to share the discovery with your loved ones. We would have liked the story mode to not dwell too much on completing objectives outside of the story. It makes the pace hard to digest. Apart from that, if you are looking for a relaxing experience that is different from the usual, you will find yourself in your element here.