Do you love the Legend of Zelda games but don’t own a Nintendo console, and don’t want to buy one for the purpose of playing just one game? If so, then Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is likely to be a game for you. Originally released on iOS in 2013, Oceanhorn has recently found its way to home consoles, ready to be enjoyed by a new audience. Playing as a nameless hero in search of his father, who in turn went in search of the titular monster Oceanhorn, players are tasked with traversing the Uncharted Seas in an attempt to bring peace to the land.
For those unsure of just how much influence Oceanhorn takes from the Zelda series, I’ll put it this way: if you put a green tunic and cap on the protagonist, it would be a Zelda in everything but name. Plagiarism isn’t a problem often encountered or spoken of in the videogame community, but Oceanhorn is perhaps the closest I’ve seen in a legitimate videogame release. However, this isn’t just a cheap knock-off that attempts to gain favor by tapping into the good feelings for an already existing series. Instead, Oceanhorn is a good game in its own right.
Our hero’s quest begins with a mysterious hermit briefing them about the history of the ancient world, and how Oceanhorn was created as a living fortress to protect the civilization of Arcadia. Having since turned evil, Oceanhorn needs to be defeated, and this can only be done by obtaining the emblems of Earth, Ocean and Sky. In true Zelda fashion, these emblems are found at the end of dungeons, which inevitably contain a new piece of equipment for our hero to use, and a boss which needs to be defeated by using said equipment.
Perhaps the main difference between Oceanhorn and the Zelda series is the inclusion of an XP system. Experience can be gained from defeating monsters, finding crystals in chests, or earning achievements, and this system proves quite addictive and one of the main driving forces in the game. Each time your level increases you’re granted a predetermined bonus to your character, which can range from increased carrying capacity for certain items to a gun for your sailboat. It’s always exciting seeing what your next bonus is going to be, and it gives players encouragement to defeat every enemy that they encounter and explore every inch of each island that they land on.
Oceanhorn presents a strong sense of adventure and does a good job of nailing the feeling of venturing out of you comfort zone and finding new and exciting opportunities along the way. Though some of the islands that you will visit are found through progressing along the main narrative path, there are other, smaller islands that can be found by talking to island residents, reading messages in bottles, and even spotting them through the lens of a telescope. When this is combined with the wonderful sense of whimsy present within Oceanhorn, it makes for a thoroughly charming experience.
Though Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is an almost shameless copy of the Zelda formula, you can tell that it has been made by a team of developers that know how to make a good game. Combat is solid, regions are varied, and exploration is fun, and though some veterans of the genre may complain about the lack of challenge, there’s still enough content on offer to keep fans busy for close to fifteen hours. If you’re looking for a Zelda-esque game on consoles made by someone other than Nintendo, then Oceanhorn is probably about as close as you can get, in terms of both content and quality. It’s a little bit of a moral quandary, as it does seem so much like a copy-and-paste of the Nintendo series, but when a game is this well made, it can almost be forgiven.
