Endless Ocean review (Wii)

In 2007 we saw many familiar faces. We saw our old friend the first-person shooter, our uncle driving arcade sim, cousin platformer and of course our best friend EA sports game. We’ve all played those kinds of titles before - although some of them vary in style, design and overall quality - we like those games, we buy those games. It’s these genres that shift software, hardware and basically keep the gaming world afloat. So if you, like me, are one those gamers that enjoys all of the above but our gaming appetite is such that we also want something else, something different, something that isn’t quite sure what it is - you know the types of game I mean, the Viva Pinata’s or the LocoRoco Coccerecho’s and the Portal’s of the this world – then I can’t recommend Endless Ocean enough.

This game is a scuba diving sim (yes, your read that right). You are a scuba diver and your working off a boat together with a marine biologist gathering information about various types of fish and other underwater life. Occasionally, you’ll be requested by other divers to take them out on a dive and try and locate a certain type of fish that they’re interested in and you even get to befriend a dolphin along the way. That’s about it really. There’s no plot, no real depth to speak of – and by depth I mean in terms of variation – no guns, no quick reactions needed and no multiplayer: just you and the sea and its inhabitants.

Down Down Deeper and Down

I was instantly overwhelmed by the game’s rewarding simplicity. It figures as part of Nintendo’s Touch Generations series which is aimed at creating games so simple your dog could play it. You simply point the Wii-mote (no nunchuck needed) at the screen, hold down ‘B’ and swim. When you come across a fish, you simply waggle the mote over it pressing ‘A’, and the species and general background of that particular type makes itself apparent to you. And that’s the game.

However, discovering new species of fish starts to become like collecting stars in Mario. You simply find yourself having just ‘one more dive’ before bed and before you know it it’s the middle of the night and you should have been asleep hours ago. It’s not only the addictive nature of species discovery that sucks you in, however. The graphics are simply beautiful. Not all smooth lines and high res textures, but stunning bright colours and sprite design to die for. Even the changing hue of the sea itself as God-rays cascade down onto the sea bed from the surface make you instantly forget the Wii’s shortcomings in the high definition graphics race that it competitors are fighting over. It immerses you because it feels real and goes a long way to prove the horsepower isn’t the be all and end all of games and gaming.

Diver Down

The music too is as you’d expect; ethereal, enchanting and perfect for the game. It’s one of those scores that is great when you pay attention to it, but as your mind wanders back to what is happening on screen it is the perfect partner to carry you along almost subconsciously until you notice it again. If the music isn’t your thing however, then simply pop in your SD card and play your own music as you dive and explore.

Endless Ocean offers hours of game play as there are simply so many different types of fish, each containing several layers of information that you need to be creative in order to extract. Simply rubbing them and identifying them will reveal the first layer, but perhaps feeding them something or even playing with them might reveal the second layer? However, there is certainly enough life in the game even if you just want to explore each area of the ocean, and simply put the names to those wide-eyed faces. I could keep pointing out every little fun, quirky detail to this title but the fun of the game is exploring and discovering these things for your self and if I divulge any more information as to what you can expect your experience will be compromised.

Endless Ocean is admittedly not for everybody, ‘niche titles’ like this never will be [hence the classification – Ed]. But even if you’re falling asleep whilst reading this review just do me this one favour before you finally dose off: one day, when you see it cheap, lying forgotten in some rusty old bargain bin in a dark corner of your local indie where the fluorescent light needs fixing and it smells of old cat, pick it up and try it out. It will be unlike any game you’ve ever played. That isn’t necessarily a mark of quality on its own, but what it does mean is that it’s something worth experiencing even if you end up coming to the conclusion that it isn’t for you, your gaming perspective will have been broadened.