Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 64
  3. Negative: 11 out of 64

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  1. marysavage
    Sep 9, 2016
    10
    I really enjoyed this game. I love the colorful graphics and beautiful music. Enemies are a bit easy, but I think it suits well for this type of adventure which is more about exploration anyway. Boss battles are well designed and fun. Recommended buy!
  2. LastNinja1987
    Sep 9, 2016
    10
    I loved Oceanhorn on iOS and I bought it again for my PS4! It looks even better than I remembered and the game has amazing soundtrack by composer legend Nobuo Uematsu! Looking forward to play the sequel on my PS4.
  3. Labrynna
    Sep 9, 2016
    10
    When I saw screenshots of the game (iOS version) I directly fell in love with Oceanhorn. It looked just like the type of game I enjoyed so much during childhood. But since I don't own an iOS device I never was able to play it - until now.
    Certainly, it's not a perfect game (There's always room for improvement, isn't it?), but I definitely got what I expected: a lovely crafted, fun game    When I saw screenshots of the game (iOS version) I directly fell in love with Oceanhorn. It looked just like the type of game I enjoyed so much during childhood. But since I don't own an iOS device I never was able to play it - until now.
    Certainly, it's not a perfect game (There's always room for improvement, isn't it?), but I definitely got what I expected: a lovely crafted, fun game that brings back the good times of my childhood I spent with Link, Ark from Terranigma, Maxim from Lufia and many more.    … Expand
  4. SNESFanForever
    Sep 10, 2016
    10
    Finally a game that can compete properly with Zelda!
    Oceanhorn has its own charm and it is absolutely gorgeous whether for its graphics or the outstanding music. Don't believe the haters who always complain about this kind of title being a copy of Wind Waker: if it was branded with the Zelda name on it, this would be one of the best from the series.
  5. stamito
    Dec 5, 2017
    9
    I think this is a severely underrated game, it is simple fair enough, but it is good fun and in my humble opinion, it is not simply a Zelda clone.

    So, yes I think is fair enough to say that this game took obvious inspiration from Zelda, specially gameplay wise where a lot of items work in very similar ways, for example bombs. Basically, oceanhorn plays a lot like Zelda; this is a link    I think this is a severely underrated game, it is simple fair enough, but it is good fun and in my humble opinion, it is not simply a Zelda clone.

    So, yes I think is fair enough to say that this game took obvious inspiration from Zelda, specially gameplay wise where a lot of items work in very similar ways, for example bombs. Basically, oceanhorn plays a lot like Zelda; this is a link to the past or a link between worlds, not the 3d zeldas such as breath of the wild or skyward sword. This is and exploration and action adventure kind of game. You just walk around islands, exploring caves and other venues killing monsters, fighting bosses, solving puzzles, using different weapons and items as you advance in the story. This is where this game is very similar to Zelda in a lot of things, is it a clone? In my opinion, it is very similar but different enough not to be considered a clone, but people like to take things out of the context. For instance, Alundra is a cult game, considered by a lot of people as a fantastic game (myself included), it took a lot of things out from Zelda as well, and there wasn’t any general outrage about it being a Zelda clone.

    This is a multiplatform game in the most extensive use of the word. I mean it’s even out for android and IOs. That means that when it comes to the game itself in ps4, there are some limitations you need to be aware of. First one and more obvious, is the graphics, the graphics are cartoony styled and nice enough, but obviously we’re not looking at high-end graphics, they’re quite simple but they work all right (I mean take a look at some screenshots). Also, artistically speaking the game is quite simple, so you won’t find any venues that will make you wow, but within its simplicity it does a good job at making different islands feel different. Although nothing special, you won’t find islands boring or repetitive.

    Sound and music, sound is good, I think sounds and voices are well made, no complain in there. Music is fantastic, but looking at the people involved, that is hardly surprising (e.g. Nobuo Uematsu, etc.). Beautiful OST that helps enhance the overall quality and overlook things like the simple graphics.

    The story and the universe built around it was surprisingly good. This is the main thing that in my opinion makes this game feel very different from Zelda, and makes me believe a lot of the people that say this is a clone have not actually played or finished the game. The story is kind of simple, but it works quite well and I don’t think it’s any worse than in some of the Zelda instalments. Then, the universe felt rich and well developed, some good ideas and interesting lore around it, I’m personally very interested to see where the sequel will go with this because it is a genuinely interesting universe. This universe and its lore are completely different from Zelda’s and I think it takes very little inspiration (if any) from Zelda and, this, in my opinion is what definitely prevents this game from being a clone. The lore is interesting and gives this game its own personality.

    Finally, there are quite a few things you could actually criticise about this game. The graphics and simplicity (this includes things like animations), but it is an indie game with low budget so I don’t think a lot more could have been done. Nevertheless, it’s something to improve and it looks like is actually going to improve significantly in oceanhorn 2. Also, gameplay wise, more items and more ways to interact with stuff around you would help, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t close to what Nintendo has achieved in this kind of game. Finally, and probably the most average part of the game was boat travelling. So the world is an archipelago basically, so you have to go by boat between the different islands. You can’t really control de boat, just sit while it goes to whatever island you’ve chosen to go, you can shoot around some stuff but boat travelling feels far too simple and tedious. Some interesting stuff could have been done, but boat travelling is just boring. Good stuff is you get an upgrade for your boat to go faster fairly early in the game, so at least you don’t spend a lot of time in the boat. It doesn’t drag down the experience, but it is something that needs to go or be completely redesigned in oceanhorn 2.

    Summarising, it is a game that given its indie status, low budget and multiplatform approach has its limitations, especially noticeable when playing in a system like ps4. However, if you’re open minded enough (e.g. you don’t automatically hate something that is not called Zelda), you’ll find a very funny action adventure game. If you like Zelda, as long as you’re open minded, if you like adventure games, I think you’ll have fun. If you cannot get past some of the limitations, like graphics, it’s fine (all opinions and tastes are good and acceptable), but spend your money elsewhere as you won’t like this.    … Expand
  6. joedane
    Sep 9, 2016
    10
    + Super fun old school gameplay
    + Nice graphics style
    + Music from my favorite composer(s)
    + Story
    + Boss battles
    - Would be nice to have more islands...
  7. judegronberg
    Sep 9, 2016
    9
    This is definitely the best Zelda-like game for PS4. To me, that is enough to give 9/10 for this game. This is like the games used to be. My favourite parts where Island of Whispers (you have to talk to the man at the pier to get there) - that was a nice "hidden" side quest. Maybe there could be few more island in an update?
  8. mattivah
    Aug 19, 2018
    8
    Game was nicelooking and relaxing to play. it took about 12-14h to get platinum trophy. I didnt find any bugs and game didnt crash. music was great and gameplay solid. controls were fine, maybe a bit too simple. Story wasnt very impressive, and lots of things were copied from Zelda windwaker. But i can recommend this to my friends. Totally worth of its price
  9. SuperkenGaming
    Sep 11, 2016
    8
    Oceanhorn – Monster of Uncharted Seas
    A Great Adventure
    Ocean Horn is a Legend of Zelda Styled Adventure Game where you play as a boy who finds his father has left to slay the oceanhorn.. You then set out on an adventure to help him... The gameplay and level design is quite simple… You have a sword, shield and magic… Before you can defeat the oceanhorn you must find the emblems of    Oceanhorn – Monster of Uncharted Seas
    A Great Adventure
    Ocean Horn is a Legend of Zelda Styled Adventure Game where you play as a boy who finds his father has left to slay the oceanhorn..
    You then set out on an adventure to help him...
    The gameplay and level design is quite simple…
    You have a sword, shield and magic…
    Before you can defeat the oceanhorn you must find the emblems of the Earth Ocean and sun
    and to get to these locations you need information…
    You run around each island looking for new information to send you to the next… this is a bit of a goose chase… and such an enjoyable goose chase
    As you run around there will be enemies trying to stop you, treasure to collect, bloodstone to find… new equipment and magic to help you in other locations…
    Spots you can’t get to yet…
    There is such a great feeling of discovery here…
    It’s so fun to explore and figure out how to get to different areas…
    Leave an island to search for a different item to reach an area you can’t quite get to…
    This treasure collecting and environmental puzzle solving is the majority of the game…
    Its 12 hours of the same thing from start to finish, but the pacing here is so well balanced that it never gets tiring.. there’s a perfect balance between adventure, combat, and problem solving…
    When it is finally time to go after one of the 3 emblems, there is a boss there guarding it…
    And this unfortunately is when the bad of the game starts to show…
    Don’t get me wrong... I loved the bosses in this game…
    They are challenging in their own way…
    But the mechanics of the actual game hinders this otherwise great experience…
    For starters... the camera is atrocious, especially during the ocean emblem boss battle…
    The camera will lock onto the boss, cause the camera to go underneath your character, in front of your character, to the side…. Instead of sticking with you…
    I’d much rather let the boss run around and do his thing while I set up to take him out…
    It adds an unnecessary layer of frustration to an already tough to deal with situation…
    Another annoyance I have here is that when you do die... which you will, a lot…
    Your inventory of bombs, arrows, mana, and health does restore…
    The health is the biggest slap in the face as no matter how many heart containers you’ve found, if you die you respawn with only 3 health… witch btw only takes one hit from a bomb in the 2nd to last boss battle to kill you… Sure there are tricks like going out of the room to break containers for drops, but it’s an annoying hassle to have to go out and manually restock your items and health…
    It’s like you did so great the first time when you died going in with full health magic, and 10 bombs, try again with 33% of your health no magic and no bombs
    And to make it worse, despite the game remembering the progress of your item usage.. It completely forgets the damage you did to the boss…
    He gets to start full health…
    Garbage rules and camera aside
    Each and every boss fight is enjoyable and insanely satisfying when you take that punk down…
    Ocean Horn is a great game…
    So much adventure, so much content…
    I couldn’t put it down…
    I give Oceanhorn Monster of Uncharted Seas
    an 8/10    … Expand
  10. dowseman
    Sep 10, 2016
    10
    I enjoy a lot Oceanhorn, I'm half-way and it's a nostalgia trip to my childhood. Of course the Zelda series comes to mind and the comparison holds up! And the music is fantastic.
    It's not a perfect game, but boy I go back being that 10 years old kid playing on his Snes.
    A sequel is in the work, I hope it will at least half as good as this installment.
  11. KaiserSaucisse
    Sep 10, 2016
    10
    Ce jeu est une bonne surprise sur PS4.
    On retrouve bien le feeling des jeux classiques (souvent en 2d) dans un univers très sympathique et coloré, le tout en 3d ce qui ne gâche rien. La direction artistique est inspirée et sans fausse note.
    Que du bon !
  12. SWERY_51
    Sep 7, 2016
    8
    It looks like Zelda Windwaker was ported on mobile. Not very original, but it's a nice little adventure game with cool mechanics, XP, exploration, collecting things, boss fights... Quite enjoyable but not especially fresh.
  13. Chipzahoy
    Jan 17, 2018
    7
    A great game for those that love the Zelda style adventure games. A cross between traditional old school Zelda mixed with Wind Waker. Gameplay is smooth, exploring is fun and some good puzzles. Music is good and the game is just long enough to warrant the price tag. Most locations look the same with different textures but are just different enough to set the atmosphere for each zoneA great game for those that love the Zelda style adventure games. A cross between traditional old school Zelda mixed with Wind Waker. Gameplay is smooth, exploring is fun and some good puzzles. Music is good and the game is just long enough to warrant the price tag. Most locations look the same with different textures but are just different enough to set the atmosphere for each zone they are aiming for.
    For you trophy hunters out there, this is an easy Platinum. (So easy you can Platinum without beating the game)    … Expand
  14. Letiste-Gaming
    Sep 8, 2016
    7
    Desde los minijuegos, el apartado artístico a la jugabilidad (con lanzamiento de vasijas incluido) es evidente que los muchachos de Cornfox & Bros son bastante fans de la saga de Nintendo, y han querido hacer su propio Zelda. La inspiración es evidente pero, ¿es eso algo malo? En absoluto.

    No tenéis nada similar en PS4 o Xbox One de momento, y si queréis una aventura de estas    Desde los minijuegos, el apartado artístico a la jugabilidad (con lanzamiento de vasijas incluido) es evidente que los muchachos de Cornfox & Bros son bastante fans de la saga de Nintendo, y han querido hacer su propio Zelda. La inspiración es evidente pero, ¿es eso algo malo? En absoluto.

    No tenéis nada similar en PS4 o Xbox One de momento, y si queréis una aventura de estas características creo que esta lo suficientemente bien realizado para proporcionaros unas horas de diversión, con una aventura que es muy poco original, pero a la vez muy divertida y bien realizada.    … Expand
  15. KayVen17
    Sep 3, 2017
    6
    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln    Deutsche Review - Kritik

    Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden?
    Dann sind hier meine Punkte.

    Mein persönlicher Score = 61/100
    Mein User Score = 6/10    … Expand
  16. SSDDCC
    Sep 27, 2018
    6
    Valorar una propuesta como Oceanhorn es una tarea más compleja de lo que puede parecer a priori. Es un juego francamente divertido, con una duración apropiada (cerca de 14 horas la historia principal), y aspectos sorprendentemente cuidados como la banda sonora, con partituras a cargo de Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy VII) y Kenji Ito (Secret of Mana).

    El problema reside en su completa    Valorar una propuesta como Oceanhorn es una tarea más compleja de lo que puede parecer a priori. Es un juego francamente divertido, con una duración apropiada (cerca de 14 horas la historia principal), y aspectos sorprendentemente cuidados como la banda sonora, con partituras a cargo de Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy VII) y Kenji Ito (Secret of Mana).

    El problema reside en su completa falta de personalidad: si quien prueba Oceanhorn nunca se ha se introducido en la saga Zelda (Nintendo, 1986), le encantará y se construirá una impresión bastante diferente de la que alguien familiarizado con Link elabore.

    Por tanto, para los que nos situamos en el segundo grupo, no existe factor sorpresa ni remotamente, y los parecidos que encontraremos con la franquicia de Nintendo serán tan atroces, que nos arrancarán más de una carcajada.

    Es difícil no disfrutar con Oceanhorn, ya que sigue al pie de la letra una fórmula que divierte a borbotones, pero su ausencia de carisma e ideas propias termina penalizándole.    … Expand
  17. AncapMetaleiro
    May 13, 2020
    7
    Oceanhorn é um jogo simples, mas bem divertido. Recomendo comprar se estiver em promoção

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. GameSpot
    Nov 1, 2016
    50
    It's still a fundamentally unimaginative example of the genre it's aping, and completely fades out of memory the second you remember there are other fish in the sea.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 31, 2016
    80
    A little and cute Zelda-like adventure games that moves from its iOS origins to PC and home consoles without losing its charm. A fun game for old and young players that will entertain and awe you with a nice story and a cute graphic.
    Read full review
  3. CGMagazine
    Sep 23, 2016
    40
    Oceanhorn is a passable-at-best adventure that just made me want to go back and play the games it took everything from, because they did it better.
    Read full review
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