Gold doesn’t seem to play much of a role in Oceanhorn but it’s still handy to accumulate. Merchants provide the service of stocking up your extra items, I.e. bombs, arrows etc. and they can also sell you extra hearts to increase your maximum health.

Levelling up is great fun because each level you reach will unlock a little extra bonus for the game. Some of these bonuses are gaining a gun to shoot monsters or obstacles when sailing around the world, or decreasing the amount of stamina used when blocking attacks.

Another thing I quite like about levelling up is the title rewarded with each level. For example at level ten, you’ll be given the title of “Voyager” and eventually you’ll work your way up to “Legend”.

But one of the most fun additions to journeying through your quest is fishing! Yes!! Everyone loves fishing in a game!

Basically at a certain point in the game you are awarded a fishing rod. Take this good ole fishing rod down to a body of water and commence your new adventure!

You’ll catch different kinds of fish and you’ll also be catching fish of differing lengths. The bigger the better.

Catch all species of fish and I wonder what happens…?

Combatitation (really? you don’t know this word?)

The combat in Oceanhorn is simplistic in nature and does away with all the bells and whistles seen in some hack’n’slash games. Left click swings your sword; right click utilises whichever extra weapon/item you’ve got equipped; the ‘f’ key casts whichever spell you’ve equipped; left-shift brings up your shield to act as defence against attacks; and space-bar toggles sprint, picks up and throws an item or acts as the action key.

If you’re expecting a massive challenge from Oceanhorn, you might be a little disappointed. Monsters found throughout Oceanhorn aren’t that difficult. Some of them will do a lot of damage when they hit you, but you can always block those attacks with your shield. Most enemies will wait a few seconds before commencing their first attack which usually buys enough time to defeat them quickly.

Some enemies are a bit more dastardly and will manage to get a few hits in before you kill them. This will result in a heart or two of your health being taken away. Health can always be replenished from hearts that drop from monsters, or are found when destroying an object like a vase or cutting down grass. If you do end up dying, you’ll respawn at a previous checkpoint.

Thankfully, bosses happen to be quite engaging and fun! Each boss will tend to follow certain patterns or require you to perform a specific action before being allowed to damage them. However, bosses found earlier on in the game can be quite easy and you’ll find yourself being able to handle them with little difficulty. When you get further on in the game, the bosses become more challenging and you’ll be relying on your reflexes, as well as your gear, to dispatch them successfully.

Aesthetic Charm

Graphically, Oceanhorn shines brightly. The environments and colours found throughout are gorgeously detailed and display beautifully on a sharp screen, be it computer or iPad.

Enemy design is well thought out and you can see that a lot of love has gone into their creation. Boss design is brilliant and each one brings it’s own flare to match the area you’re traversing perfectly.

The music is nice to listen to but certain areas might have you reaching for the mute button. In particular the Hermit’s Island. Sound effects aren’t too bad but some sounds, such as when your character runs out of stamina and starts puffing, come across as a bit forced and sound like it could have been done better.

Voice acting isn’t that great. The actors sound wooden and devoid of emotion. That’s why I preferred to play with subtitles on so I could still follow the story without having to listen to the dull voices.

Final Thoughts

In summary, Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas is a splendid release from both FDG Mobile Games GbR (iOS version) and Cornfox & Bros. (Steam version). The whole game is a joy to play and would be best enjoyed by younger gamers as an introduction to RPGs.

The game’s main story takes around ten to fifteen hours to complete, but if you want to fully explore everything and get one-hundred percent complete, you’ll probably find yourself investing quite a few more hours.

Beautifully designed and superbly created, you’ll find yourself wanting to jump back into the world of Oceanhorn quite often. Definitely worth a look!

Score

4 stars – gorgeously animated with an easy to follow story and challenging gameplay