Call of the Sea

 Xbox Series X
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 114
  3. Negative: 15 out of 114

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  1. cyklopPL
    Dec 17, 2020
    4
    Call of The Sea was a bumpy ride for me.

    It started great. I was loving the adventure and the graphics + performance on Series X. However, after around 30% of the story the game starts going downhill and continues till the end. Puzzles are ok, graphics are great, performance ok (later in the game there are SERIOUS frame drops). The thing that made me give this game such a note is    Call of The Sea was a bumpy ride for me.

    It started great.
    I was loving the adventure and the graphics + performance on Series X.

    However, after around 30% of the story the game starts going downhill and continues till the end.
    Puzzles are ok, graphics are great, performance ok (later in the game there are SERIOUS frame drops).
    The thing that made me give this game such a note is story.
    It just wasn't for me apparently.
    As mentioned, I was loving it till a certain point, but afterwards the narrative turns and goes into a different direction, that I was just not a fan of. Disappointing ending as well for me.

    At least the game is in game pass and is 4h long, so you are not risking a lot by giving it a try.    … Expand
  2. shishiMANGO808
    Dec 10, 2020
    10
    I'm not one for puzzle games, but the sheer beauty drew me in so much that I actually gave puzzles a chance! I think that perception in itself lies where COTS succeeds. It's easy to think of it as a puzzle game, but its honestly so much more. The art style and storyline are crafted so well, that I forgot I was trying to do puzzles and saw it more as a means to progress to the next chapter.I'm not one for puzzle games, but the sheer beauty drew me in so much that I actually gave puzzles a chance! I think that perception in itself lies where COTS succeeds. It's easy to think of it as a puzzle game, but its honestly so much more. The art style and storyline are crafted so well, that I forgot I was trying to do puzzles and saw it more as a means to progress to the next chapter. If your a fan of light-hearted mystery games, well crafted puzzles and beautiful Lovecraft art style, then give this game a play for sure!… Expand
  3. Ethanl234
    Jan 3, 2021
    10
    I don't really like puzzle games regularly, but this one looked so good I had to try(it's on gamepass) I came for the amazing visuals and stayed for the great story, music and puzzles, totally recommend
  4. AnasDh
    Dec 17, 2020
    3
    This game had a beautiful premise but it just caused me a huge migraine trying to solve unsolvable puzzles. It is an understatement to say that the game was difficult. Even the YouTuber that helped me get through it struggled more.
  5. Tom007CZE
    Jan 2, 2021
    10
    Game is beautiful, challenging but still very relaxing to play. And what a story! I can highly recommend this game to anybody.
  6. Malkair
    Dec 10, 2020
    6
    Juego con una trama muy interesante y gráficos preciosos, pero con un gameplay desesperante por dos razones principales: La primera, la lentitud, incluso teniendo permanentemente pulsado el botón de correr se hace eterno ir de un sitio a otro. Y la segunda, y principal, muchos de los puzzles son poco coherentes, raros e incluso alguno de ellos tan absurdo que parece metido con calzador. SeJuego con una trama muy interesante y gráficos preciosos, pero con un gameplay desesperante por dos razones principales: La primera, la lentitud, incluso teniendo permanentemente pulsado el botón de correr se hace eterno ir de un sitio a otro. Y la segunda, y principal, muchos de los puzzles son poco coherentes, raros e incluso alguno de ellos tan absurdo que parece metido con calzador. Se le pueden echar unas horas a este título, pero no pasará a la historia. Aún así, se notan el esfuerzo y cariño invertidos por los desarrolladores.… Expand
  7. SuperkenGaming
    Dec 10, 2020
    7
    Call of the Sea
    Crashing Waves
    Call of the sea is a first person adventure puzzle game where you play as Norah who sets out to find her boo Henry on an island and uncover the secrets of an illness she had.. and overall the story is the best part of this 5 and a half hour long journey, ontop of that the puzzles are just challenging enough to feel like a little enough of a nussance to kind    Call of the Sea
    Crashing Waves
    Call of the sea is a first person adventure puzzle game where you play as Norah who sets out to find her boo Henry on an island and uncover the secrets of an illness she had.. and overall the story is the best part of this 5 and a half hour long journey, ontop of that the puzzles are just challenging enough to feel like a little enough of a nussance to kind of be enjoyable to solve, and the world and its art style is so vibrant and pretty.. great environment, great story, decent puzzles… but the problems come with this games pacing and overall performance… Letspretend everything ran smooth.. call of the sea gameplay wise just never gives you a break to let you stop and smell the roses, youre constantly trying to solve a chapters bigger puzzle to open a gate and progress, youre thrown into an era, figure out how you have to arrange things to unlock a door just do it again, its non stop, I get it’s a puzzle game but still, spread it out a bit, give me a brain break… otherwise I feel overwhelmed trying to play through your game… but call of the seas biggest issue other ttan pacing is its performance, ive never played such an unstable game in my life… l tested across multiple high end gaming pcs with xbox game pass, I had issues with crashing going into chapters 2 and 6.. I eventually got chapter 2 to work, but I only got to see the beginning moments of chapter 6.. call of the sea just refuses to load leading me to have to watch the remaining 40 minutes on youtube to get this games ending… and the issue isn’t expclusive to what is admittedly a beta system in xbox game pass for pc, after looking into it, there are reports on all of the sea causing console crashes as well, there was also a bug where I would be shown a giant white blob where cinnmematics were supposed to b shown throughout the entire game!
    If you can get through Call of the Sea, this is a really interesting and pretty straightforward puzzle game.. but if you do decide to give this one a go, don’t do it through xbox game pass for pc
    it probably wont work
    I giv Call of the Sea
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  8. Tonimar17
    Dec 12, 2020
    8
    Immersive, beautiful and zen. However there is some drop in framerate during some walks.
  9. Cedoch
    Jan 3, 2021
    8
    Ça fait du bien de jouer à un jeu non violent ! On peut y jouer en famille et c’est une très bonne chose.
  10. Thecutegamer
    Dec 13, 2020
    10
    Good and fun game with great story , and some fun puzzles . And i advice anyone to play it
  11. docRhino
    Dec 11, 2020
    8
    I really like the puzzles in this game, they keep me coming back and require a decent amount of thought without being frustrating. The gameplay is pretty good and the graphics do the job well. But it says optimized for Xbox Series X and does not run at 60fps. What exactly did you optimize?
  12. Crazy_k3ll3r
    Dec 12, 2020
    9
    game has a great enviroment and history and the puzzels are fun and can make you have fun
  13. Notle
    Dec 13, 2020
    8
    Excelent game. With Gamepass, you dont need to buy it, just play it. If you like puzzle games, this is a good One.
  14. ThatGuyOzzy19
    Jan 14, 2021
    10
    Just incredible. If you’re looking for a game that’s out of your norm, I definitely recommend this game.
  15. Sospe
    Jul 8, 2021
    9
    Es una absoluta maravilla, capaz de que alguien como yo que no juega nunca juegos de puzzles, se vea completamente atrapado por la historia. Una gran juego.
  16. ultraviper
    Jan 14, 2021
    6
    A lovecraft-inspired-but-non-horror walking simulator. There's no combat, death, or even failure in the game. You just walk (slowly) and solve puzzles. The puzzles are pretty basic, mostly just matching symbols with things you've seen in the environment. Anything relevant to the puzzles gets automatically added to your journal when you see it so it's a little heavy on the hand-holding. TheA lovecraft-inspired-but-non-horror walking simulator. There's no combat, death, or even failure in the game. You just walk (slowly) and solve puzzles. The puzzles are pretty basic, mostly just matching symbols with things you've seen in the environment. Anything relevant to the puzzles gets automatically added to your journal when you see it so it's a little heavy on the hand-holding. The game is short. 6 levels that take about 5 hours total to finish.

    The graphics are well done and the story is decent enough.

    Runs at 60fps on series X but has a horrible motion blur so it looks and feels like a much lower framerate. There is an option in the menu to turn off the motion blur, but it does absolutely nothing.    … Expand
  17. fabricioacm
    Feb 23, 2021
    9
    Such an incredible and underrated game! Intriguing story with a lot of really hard and well constructed puzzles.
  18. Hektorus-522
    Dec 15, 2020
    8
    I still don't understand how some of those puzzles work, but I enjoyed the game overall. The story, graphics, and voice acting are just great. However, there were some framerate issues, especially in episode 5, and the game uses an extremely low FOV, which made me feel dizzy and brought the entire experience down a notch.
  19. madoblado
    Jan 3, 2021
    9
    Magnífico juego de aventuras exclusivo de Xbox, con un apartado gráfico notable y una buena historia. Los puzzles para resolverlos pueden ser difíciles pero discurriendo un poco se logran sacar.
  20. Broyax
    Feb 21, 2021
    0
    Un jeu d’aventure typique, à savoir rapidement rasoir, barbant et rébarbatif : alors la barbe ! va à la mer, Cocotte névropathe et arrête de nous faire chier ! notamment avec tes énigmes à la con qui filent la migraine en moins de deux… et qui cassent un peu trop les couilles, soit dit en passant.

    Mais c’est du « classique » en la matière, hélas… et dire que les trois quarts, pour ne    Un jeu d’aventure typique, à savoir rapidement rasoir, barbant et rébarbatif : alors la barbe ! va à la mer, Cocotte névropathe et arrête de nous faire chier ! notamment avec tes énigmes à la con qui filent la migraine en moins de deux… et qui cassent un peu trop les couilles, soit dit en passant.

    Mais c’est du « classique » en la matière, hélas… et dire que les trois quarts, pour ne pas dire les neuf dixièmes des gens finissent ce genre de merdes en suivant les « soluces » ou les flux dédiés des youteubés ! alors qu’il s’agit d’une totale perte de temps…

    L’originalité cependant réside dans le fait qu’on est ici en vue subjective et que c’est réalisé avec l’Unreal 4, ce qui devrait assurer un rendu au moins correct… Hélas (encore) n’oublions pas qu’il s’agit surtout d’un petit jeu, et en l’occurrence d’un indé de mes deux et qu’il est donc proposé uniquement en 256 couleurs ! en 4K sûrement mais en 256 couleurs tout droit sorties d’une daube de chez Nintendaube.

    Si au moins, c’était parfaitement fluide mais que nenni, ça se permet de nombreux ralentissements, même sur la Series X alors que c’est un jeu estampillé X|S : encore une daube bricolée par une équipe de stagiaires, donc ! Mais passons, la poubelle t’appelle, l’étron indé, et si ce n’est la poubelle, ce sont les chiottes qui t’attendent avec impatience…    … Expand
  21. Buzzz
    Dec 18, 2020
    9
    More games like this please. She could walk a little faster. That would be nice.
  22. ttj101gr
    May 31, 2021
    6
    The first half is real good nice story and logical puzzles but after that there is little story and most puzzles are just there to slow you down.
    It's like two different games.
  23. Satanski666
    Jan 5, 2021
    4
    It has to be the most boring Lovecraftian story i have ever experienced, Lovecraft Country excluded,
  24. ProfAmateur
    Nov 25, 2021
    6
    Call of the Sea is the prove, that a small, unpopular game studio can create satisfying games. The game contains mainly puzzles in a 3D-World. I was positively surprised about the variety of the level design. For example you start at a really nice beach and after some time, you are in a very scary level in the night with rain and thunderstorm. I also liked the sounds and music. TheCall of the Sea is the prove, that a small, unpopular game studio can create satisfying games. The game contains mainly puzzles in a 3D-World. I was positively surprised about the variety of the level design. For example you start at a really nice beach and after some time, you are in a very scary level in the night with rain and thunderstorm. I also liked the sounds and music. The weakness of the game is a puzzle, which really doesn't make any sense and is therefore frustrating. Unfortunately, it's badly adapt for Xbox Series X.… Expand
  25. Dinarka
    Dec 13, 2020
    9
    Beautiful and relaxing............................................................................................
  26. Karottedraak
    Jan 4, 2021
    9
    Simply one of the best puzzle games I have played! Well it maybe doesn't beat portal but one thing is sure and that is that it brought a whole new experience to me. The lovecraft inpired story is amazing as when you explore you find new information about the characters you never met as a player. Still while you never met them you knew them trough reading different papers spread out to theSimply one of the best puzzle games I have played! Well it maybe doesn't beat portal but one thing is sure and that is that it brought a whole new experience to me. The lovecraft inpired story is amazing as when you explore you find new information about the characters you never met as a player. Still while you never met them you knew them trough reading different papers spread out to the game.

    The first issue I heard people had with this game was the fact that the main character was talking all the time. This didn't bother me and it actually helped me a lot the main character gives helpfull tips about the puzzle and tells how she feels in that situation and everything that happened on the island.

    The puzzles are not really that hard but they seem always impossible at a first sight so thats why you should look around for clue's on how to solve the puzzle. See this game as a sort of escape room, a really big escape room with magical feelings and an amazing world. Because thats what this game is; a big escaperoom like game in a wonderfull world with slightly horror but not the one that scares you.

    This game sure isn't for everyone because not everyone likes thoughtfull puzzle games. But this game is one of the most beautifull games there is and on the next gen hardware this really shows!

    Games like this are very much welcome on gamepass!    … Expand
  27. jyd1626
    Dec 11, 2020
    8
    Some puzzles really did not make sense, however the game has a great enviroment and history
  28. EnglishBean86
    Jun 29, 2021
    8
    Puzzles were the perfect difficulty. To solve them you have to really study the clues that you’ve found.
    Some nice visual scenes throughout with great audio to help bring the levels to life.
    Nice balanced achievement list with some clever misc achievements thrown in.
  29. Derrick76
    Dec 10, 2020
    10
    Beautiful and relaxing. This games allows us to play another kind of games.
  30. isocano
    Feb 10, 2021
    5
    No es un juego malo, ni bueno, de ahí la nota. Pongo los pros y contras en una pequeña lista.

    Pros: - Buena parte artística - Buen trasfondo de historia - Buena variedad de puzzles - Atención por el detalle y diría que se ha hecho con mimo (por este punto he dudado en ponerle un 6) Contras: - Gameplay lento - Historia y puzzles, aunque buenos, creo que no pegan, lo veo con    No es un juego malo, ni bueno, de ahí la nota. Pongo los pros y contras en una pequeña lista.

    Pros:
    - Buena parte artística
    - Buen trasfondo de historia
    - Buena variedad de puzzles
    - Atención por el detalle y diría que se ha hecho con mimo (por este punto he dudado en ponerle un 6)

    Contras:
    - Gameplay lento
    - Historia y puzzles, aunque buenos, creo que no pegan, lo veo con calzador
    - Algún puzzle puntual demasiado random
    - Puede llegar a ser aburrido si no eres fan del género puzzle

    Neutral:
    - Sonido bien (aunque en exterior al inicio del juego el sonido del mar puede llegar a molestar un rato)    … Expand
  31. DarkProtagonist
    Dec 13, 2020
    6
    Call of the sea has a lot going for it so you might like it but I didn't. It's very nice looking and well acted throughout and the puzzles were unique and interesting but not difficult so anyone interested will likely be able to get through it without a guide but not get board with the puzzles. Once the story started to form I felt it was really obvious how it was going to go with littleCall of the sea has a lot going for it so you might like it but I didn't. It's very nice looking and well acted throughout and the puzzles were unique and interesting but not difficult so anyone interested will likely be able to get through it without a guide but not get board with the puzzles. Once the story started to form I felt it was really obvious how it was going to go with little surprise or suspense. It gets a lot of points in telling this sort of story with a much brighter and non-oppressive tone that elevates past something I'd forget about quickly. For the most part it was fine in all the aspects i talked about before but I had some major issues with some of the choices the devs made.

    1. The main charter caries around a journal that basically spells out what's important to puzzles and what's not and some puzzles don't really work without it so it kind of ruins the investigation. If you are playing with something but no journal entry pops up you know you are not supposed to play with it yet and it kind of hurts the puzzles. This can be a plus for people who are not into this so I get that this may be a plus for some people.

    2. Many puzzles are frustrating to put the solution in and slow things in a frustrating way. the worst offender is you visit a large area where you need to flip switches in a particular order but you only get the combo at the end of the area causing you to wonder around finding the right switch and repeated till you find them all. I think it took 10 min game time to do when i knew exactly what to do. it would be infuriating if I was stumped and want to try stuff.

    3. There are a several segments that drag on without much happening way past their welcome. They come at story points that are meant to be impactful and normally I don't mind and like these segments at fist but they go on way longer then you'd expect without anything interesting happening and end up feeling like padding the game didn't need.

    If the art style grabs you or you want to play an adventure game that's not cartoony but not something that's dark and gritty like the sherlock holms games it's defiantly an ok enjoyable game but I wouldn't go out of my way to play it.    … Expand
  32. Grimsy
    Dec 16, 2020
    10
    Atmospheric, relaxing and puzzle-wise fun game with beautiful stylized graphics. Don't overthink the puzzles too much.
  33. flamingo4688
    Jan 1, 2021
    10
    Great game, and on Series X it looks gorgeous. It has a ton of great puzzles and the narrative is amazing. Great lore, great story, especially if you are into Lovecraft stories
  34. Lajouasse
    Jan 29, 2021
    9
    L'ambiance est vraiment sympa, la DA très belle et la mécanique d'énigmes dans la ligné des bon jeu du genre.
    Ca fait du bien de jouer à jeu coloré et un peu feel good même si l'histoire et ce qu'à la femme que l'on incarne n'est pas spécialement gaie. Mais le système d'énigme, la DA, la mécanique de jeu en fait un jeu feel good.
    La lumière qui est magnifiquement rendu et donne une    L'ambiance est vraiment sympa, la DA très belle et la mécanique d'énigmes dans la ligné des bon jeu du genre.
    Ca fait du bien de jouer à jeu coloré et un peu feel good même si l'histoire et ce qu'à la femme que l'on incarne n'est pas spécialement gaie. Mais le système d'énigme, la DA, la mécanique de jeu en fait un jeu feel good.
    La lumière qui est magnifiquement rendu et donne une ambiance particulière selon les lieux où vous êtes.
    Les différentes zones nous dépaysages et nous permet de ne pas rester toujours dans le même décors. Et le coté un peu fantaisiste donne un plus dans l'impression d'être dans un lieu vraiment étrange.
    Pour un jeu indé je trouve qu'ils ont fait du bon boulot.
    Un bon jeu de réflexion avec une petite touche d'aventure. Cette note pour ce style de jeu peu présent et qui amène autre chose dans cette masse de jeu qui sort sur console. Et pour ce genre particulier réflexion/aventure ce jeu s'en sort très bien.
    Un bon jeu pour passer pendant quelques heures un bon moment.    … Expand
  35. sandman0501
    Apr 4, 2021
    8
    Solid puzzle/adventure game, with a good story! Visually appealing, but some frustrating gamma settings that made on-screen text unreadable at times due to blown out highlights. Despite my best efforts at calibration, it didn’t seem to fix it. Otherwise, the game was quite beautiful!
  36. rmw408
    Aug 28, 2021
    9
    A great puzzle adventure. Played this as a family taking turns controlling the lead character while the others would help to solve the next challenge. My only complaint being that it all ended to soon.
  37. The_real_mvp
    Oct 1, 2021
    8
    Solid 8. Puzzles with some good level to them, can be tiring at times. Mechanics not so great, and some repetition here and there BUT none of that can take anything away from the great story, the combination of mystery, emotions, riddles and a fantastic journey of a story. I recommend with a red wax seal.
  38. Bochenki
    Dec 8, 2021
    8
    For someone who doesn't have much experience in puzzle game, this one really had me. It's visually impressive and the story is quite immersive too. The puzzles are challenging, but they tend to be repetitive after some time.

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2020
6
#6 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Het Nieuwsblad
    Feb 15, 2021
    60
    Call of the Sea is basically one big escape room, in which you go from location to location while solving varied and mostly interesting puzzles. Sometimes, however, developer Out of the Blue expects a little too much, which can lead to frustrating moments and a wandering player.
    Read full review
  2. VideoGamer
    Feb 5, 2021
    70
    We get a story whose late twists are telegraphed within the first hour or so, and an ending drenched with homage to the Shape of Water. The journey, however, is worth taking. I relished the spectacle of a stranded ship, its hull gashed with Godzilla-sized claw marks. And, in the wavering depths of a dream sequence, Norah swimming down towards a pair of glowing eyes. Still, that sort of thing is par for the course, when you’re in Lovecraftland. What rescues the game from the descent into cliché isn’t a rise to sanity. Nor is it the call of the sea. It’s Harry. You believe in Norah because she believes in him, and even when the plot goes bats you want to see them back together. Who would have thought that the solution to madness might be marriage? Thanks, Old Pal.
    Read full review
  3. XboxAddict
    Jan 25, 2021
    85
    My only real complaint is that there’s very little replay value outside of getting the second ending (though it’s just a final choice you make, so you could just play the final chapter again), searching for hidden collectables and cleaning up missing achievements. The setting and narrative are fantastic and it’s an adventure I’m glad to have been a part of. You can tell that Call of the Sea was made with much care and love as it’s one of those games that simply has a lot of character and heart.
    Read full review
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