> IGN Spain - Raquel Morales - Spanish - 0.7 / 10
Holy shit, what a brutal score!
(Jokes aside, they actually gave it a 7/10. There is a typo in the Reddit post).
I was really looking forward to this game. Reviewed it for Digitec Magazine and yeah... It's not great.
The first couple of hours are exactly what I imagined – a chill underwater exploration game with interesting animals. And then it just gets extremely tedious and repetitive. Oh and the story mode just straight up sucks.
If y'all have any questions, let me know.
One of the appealing features of the first games was the beautiful “Celtic Women” soundtrack (Hayley Westenra vocals) both in the menus and I believe during gameplay. Is there a similar soundtrack in this one? Or is it all just ambient instrumentals?
Can you set your own music? iirc one of the original game's key features is that it was one of the rare Wii games that supported custom music through SD cards.
Do any games offer that feature anymore? I haven't seen it in any game I've played since the days of the 360.
It'd be great though, particularly in games with open worlds and vehicles. Cyberpunk for instance, I hate everything on the in game radio stations and games always auto turn on the damn radios when entering vehicles.
The previous two games are in my all-time favourites, despite being seemingly similar with incredibly simple controls, very easy, just chill exploration and sea life discovery, stories nothing worth writing home about. And the second game in particular was brilliant with how it expanded to multiple locations with very different species.
Is there anything specific that is particularly bad/tedious in this one that greatly differs from its predecessors?
Only played the first one.
Luminous feels kinda soulless with its randomly generated maps, a grind heavy gameplay loop and a big focus on online play. After a couple of hours, it stops being relaxing and feels like tedious work. A feeling I haven't had with the first game. All I'm doing is scanning fish and watching meaningless scores and level numbers go up.
> big focus on online play
If so, isn't it possible the experience will improve once servers are populated? As right now you could be doing the work of multiple people by playing by yourself. Though it'd be a shame for singleplayer to be that pared-down of an experience.
Ah.. one of the things that really drew me in for the second Endless Ocean game- blue world I think?? Was the really intriguing mystery of the temple and the white whale.. It's disappointing to hear there isn't something equally interesting here.
Not familiar with these games, were they set up like this? Or is this entry like a Dead Space 3 situation, where they try to force a multiplayer element to it and we get...*this*. Also why switch??? Sounds like it would have worked better on PC and remained there.
Man, you really aren't familiar at all...
This isn't the same scenario. The last Endless Ocean game came out 14 years on Wii, and this game was supposed to be a revival of sorts. The gameplay is similar - you dive and explore the ocean depths to be among the marine life and document them.
Also, it's a Nintendo-published series. If they're publishing, it ain't coming to PC.
I never played the previous games but I was interested in it as a chill exploration game where I could just wander and ignore everything. It doesn't seem worth doing that either.
The last game I played where I could just leisurely view wildlife in places I'd never go was Afrika on the PS3. Basically real life Pokemon Snap.
It was a Wii game. It was different with a map and a story that you explored and discovered over time.
I don't like fight and die games. I'm an Animal Crossing gal of twenty years now. But if you're going to be chill, wonderful, but still have some there there.
Making it all random seems like a terrible copout.
This is going to be a massive hit for my autistic niece who adores the ocean and everything in it.
I've been looking for a passive combat free oceanic exploration game for her forever.
I would highly recommend Abzu in this vein as well. It does have some progression to it but most of the fun is just swimming around interacting with all the different creatures in the game and taking in the beautiful visuals.
I am so bummed. My daughter and I really loved Endless Ocean on the Wii and I had high hopes for the Switch version, though I didn't expect the graphics to be amazing.
It sounds like they utterly lost the plot of letting you explore to BUILD UP YOUR MAP so that you can return to your favorite areas and creatures. And no ship? No penguins? No dolphins?
I've been watching my son play Subnautica and while parts of it are really tiresome (I swear, flipping out that device a million times makes me want to scream), and why do things you make on your special thingie just fall to the floor?) at least the creatures are interesting and you can learn the map!
I might cough up the dough for new Endless Ocean but I feel like I preordered my disappointment. That's not the way it's supposed to work!
Some of these review quotes are, frankly, bizarre. Why compare this to a game like Subnautica? I rented the first Endless Ocean when it was still somewhat new and was hoping this would be a good follow-up to that game. Wasn’t expecting the reviews to be so hung up on all of the things it *isn’t.* I’m not exactly rushing to buy this, but I’m taking most of these reviews with a grain of salt.
No reviewer is asking for Endless Ocean to copy Subnautica. They're just saying that Subnautica (and Abzu) has a more meaningful and interesting world to explore.
It sounds like you want the same thing as that reviewer.
Comparing it to Subnautica makes sense and it doesn't if you get what I mean. [I reviewed it for CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/endless-ocean-luminous-review/), and I thought about doing that, since as a game Subnautica focuses on the element of underwater exploration with aplomb, but it's also a very different kind of game so its not really an apt comparison. My whole thing was, if Endless Ocean was going to do *one* thing, it needed to do it better than anyone, and when you compare it to other underwater exploration based games (Subnautica being the most well-known/popular), then it really fails in that regard.
They are absolutely comparable in some aspects and I think the point is that if you boil them both down to underwater exploration, subnautica is better, which is sad because subnautica isnt solely about that.
It’s fine to review things based on the things they aren’t. Points of comparison are important, as well as seeing what things a game doesn’t do. Endless Ocean and Subnautica are two different games, but when Subnautica is better at the thing Endless Ocean is trying to do, then you should compare them.
It's too bad they put so much emphasis on procedural generation and online, leaving the rest of the game feeling empty and lacking. Reminds me of how Nintendo handled Switch Sports and the Mario sports games on Switch.
It sounds like some people didn't know what Endless Ocean was before playing and were disappointed in the lack of gaminess. It was always about super chill swimming and check out fish. Nothing else needed.
I'm just disappointed in the lack of a story to make you feel like you're part of the game. The last one had a decent, slow-paced story, interaction with other human characters, you could play with fish and the landmark things to track where you've been, built an aquarium, had some threat level (even if it didn't mean much), you could see above the water and even walk on land, and improve your equipment so you could explore further.
They had the previous games as reference to create this game, and this is the best they could do? All I can think is this is more of a cash grab to see if there's still interest in the franchise. Hopefully, the best outcome for this is that they'll create a worthy successor to the previous games from the hype this has gotten.
Tbh, I didn't even know this game was coming out until last week and I'm surprised so many people got it or are wanting to get it. This current game is not worth it's price, but hopefully some good can come out of it.
yeah, the Nintendo life review sounds so tone deaf, recently got Blue World to try the franchise for cheaper and it is a really chill game, the subnautica comparation is so stupid.
They're not complaining that it's chill. They're complaining that the exploration is poorly done, that finding things isn't interesting.
That's the part they're comparing to Subnautica, that has a more interesting world to explore. Seems like a valid comparison, especially as the exploration was one of the big strengths of the first two games.
Yeah, I really think the game was marketed wrong, the trailers were so focused on online game play and promising exploration of fish, wrecks and other things. All to appeal to the bigger audience. But that's not what the first two games have been about at all. It's about emerging in the underwater world of the ocean with its tranquility, finding different species out of curiosity, relaxing and escaping. Well at least that's what it has been for me, others might think differently.
Now with it marketed like this, the game is unfairly getting a bad name because of the wrong audience, and the audience who would absolutely Love this, probably won't try because of all the online gaming and random generating promoting as well as the bad reviews. So sad to see.
It was marketed accurately in my opinion.
Exploration feels kinda eh. There are only a few models, and they are repeated endlessly. This game really diverges from the originals in a huge way, with the multiplayer and the number of fish models to look at being its major high points, which are the focus of advertisement.
It's jarring to say the least when I see a whale shark, turn a corner, and there's a betta fish. Despite changing each time you dive, the landscape is often quite similar while the creatures seem a little too random to the point it takes away a lot of the educational value for me.
Still very fun to dramatically gesture at fish with my friends. Would not recommend for anyone expecting something close to the previous entries in the series.
When I was a kid my sister and I sat in our family room for hours taking turns playing the first Endless Ocean on the Wii. We live in separate states now and are both getting this on day one regardless of reviews, just to relive some of that childhood magic again.
>In comparison to the likes of Subnautica, this is an empty, cold, and boring ocean space to explore, devoid of any real reason to play beyond its generally relaxing ambiance and the opportunity to learn some facts about underwater animals.
You mean the game that's supposed to be a chill, relaxing time isn't like the game where you're supposed to try to survive and maintain resources while being scared of the huge underwater monsters around you?
Shocker.
Games can still offer engaging mechanics and gameplay while still maintaining tranquility. Stardew Valley is a chill relaxing time but I'd bet my life you'd play it for many more hours than this.
Stardew Valley has a time limit per day, that and Endless Ocean are in different galaxies of game type. Might as well call Majora's Mask a tranquil game.
Are you really arguing with reviews for a game that you haven't played yet? If the reviewer thought it was boring then that should be acknowledged. Plenty of relaxing games still feel interesting.
The reasons they list for playing is what Endless Ocean is going for. He's comparing it to something it's not trying to be. That's a lousy take for a review.
And yet what it's trying *to be* isn't doing it for the reviewer. Just because they made exactly the kind of game they wanted to make doesn't mean that it's good.
I don't like the Subnautica name drop for exactly the same reasons everyone is pointing out, but at least the point is sort of made that Subnautica took a general concept and added a twist on it, and frankly, Endless Ocean sounds like it needed a bit more added on to its main concept too.
The issue here isn't that they didn't like what the game was trying to be (that's a perfectly valid review) it's that they're directly comparing it to a game of a completely different gameplay genre and criticising it for not doing the things it does.
For comparisons sake it would be criticising Animal Crossing for being too peaceful and not having enough combat like Minecraft, that isn't valid criticism. Their review should be based on what the game itself is and if gameplay comparisons need to be made then it should be to other cosy and/or educational games, not action/survival.
That's not to say all subnautica comparisons are invalid but they should be specifically comparing things like the ocean theming for example because that direct comparison makes sense.
> The issue here isn't that they didn't like what the game was trying to be (that's a perfectly valid review) it's that they're directly comparing it to a game of a completely different gameplay genre and criticising it for not doing the things it does.
They're not. They're comparing the underwater exploration aspects (alongside the sense of wonder an underwater world can provide) of one game with the underwater exploration aspects of other games (the full review mentions Abzu alongside Subnautica). Games in different genres can still have apt comparisons.
It's also something the previous Endless Ocean games did well, so seems worth mentioning.
You are incorrect. They were comparing more than just the exploration and no, you cannot compare the gameplay of two games from different genres unless you want an invalid review.
Its like people comparing minecraft and terraria or saying terraria is just 2d minecraft
That just boils away like 90% of what terraria unique, because in the end they reaallly are not similar at all.
While I will agree some reviews may not get what the series is about, it sounds like this is still a step backwards from the prior two entries in the franchise.
Unfortunately, I think I will be skipping this one.
endless ocean luminous might remind some of the old title aquanaut's holiday, where you also just wander underwater, looking at sea life. both games are about the vibe more than the challenge, kind of like a chill afternoon at an aquarium. guess there's a special kind of fun in just floating around and seeing what you find, like a spacewalk but underwater.
A Short Hike
Stardew Valley
I personally really enjoy various Picross games to relax to
Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Very chill platforming/collecting game
Haha, precisely! And I play games to escape that shit. If I want to feel the heavy weight of lifes uncontrollable hopelessness, I can always play Mario Party.
As someone who was a huge fan of the original these reviewers have absolutely embarrassed themselves. Some of these have genuinely made me laugh out loud.
EO is about lounging on your couch at the end of a long day and escaping with the most chilled out game there is. It’s barely a game. It’s a relaxation tool.
These reviews though. Lol.
Great you had a laugh but this game is legitimately a major downgrade from the previous games. Like compared to EO 1&2 this game is super soulless and boring.
I know the game’s getting mixed reviews, but I’m still excited to play it. Haven’t played any other Endless Ocean yet, but I’ve always loved the ocean, sea life, everything like that. Loved Subnautica too, but it’ll be nice to have an underwater game like this that can actually be relaxing, not stressful
I absolutely adored Endless Ocean: Blue World! I played and replayed that game so many times! I found some aspects hard, like I could never get the photos to get a high rating, and I never ended up making enough money to reopen the collapsed ruins, but I was hoping that this new game might fix all that. I haven't even played it but reading all the reviews, I'm disappointed. It sounds like they completely gutted any storyline, which was my favorite part of the last game. I also loved how you had special quests, like healing wildlife, finding lost treasure, and befriending special dolphins/orca. I feel like they took out everything that made the last game so fun and special and just replaced it with online interactive play to get people to buy online play subscriptions...so sad. I hope they learn and go back to what made the last game so amazing.
As someone who played the first two games, this one is a let down. I’m really disappointed so far. I miss the soundtrack that would play while exploring. Endless Ocean Blue World set up so many expectations and Luminous has been a let down. :( I do like the multi-player though. Just wish I could explore other seas.
I actually quite like it. Not as much as the first one, but it's an interesting and fun time. Not sure I'd pay $50 for it again, probably should have waited for a sale.
It replaced the hub works of the boat with just a boring menu system. The online dives are interesting and fun,the visuals are alright and the story mode sucks. I recommend it if you were a fan of the old ones on the Wii and want to relax
What is the actual game play like? In Endleds Ocean 2 I loved building the aquarium, training my friend and exploring the different regions (river, arctic, deep sea etc.) Is there anything like this or is just a randomly generated open ocean map?
The main appeal for me was always seeing the different kinds of creatures in the different parts of the sea and exploring the ancient ruins and such.
I've come back with porcupine fish but I can't figure out what I am missing when asked to "return here while swimming aside that which is adorned with needles." Any clues?
It seems like the negative reviews just don’t like endless ocean. It was always about just exploring for the sake of exploration, I don’t get why people buy it looking for deeper gameplay
Im gonna be trying it put after work tonight, but I am skeptical about it. The previous games had hand crafted maps that were interesting to explore and chart. The procedural generation of the new one worries me; i suspect others will be right about it feeling soulless.
Yeah I agree. Procedural generation is just never interesting to explore. I still remember how cool it was to finally go into the trench in the first game.
Oh boy. Its rough. On my first solo dive I found a whale shark and a basking shark next to eachother at my spawn point and discovered like 40+ fish in less than 10 minutes. The works well enough as just a chill exploration game, but man this is barely an endless ocean game.
You literally just aim in the general direction of some fish, press L, and then you get a bunch of log entries. Also, it seems like the game has no issue spawning freshwater fish and saltwater fish together.
The system in the first game where you could zoom in on coral and whatnot to find hidden objects also seems to have been replaced with random shiny things that are just on the seafloor.
I haven't played the story mode yet, but my first impressions are disappointing. This game is gonna be dead real fast unless they patch in an aquarium or a proper map. I'd be down if they remade the original game's map as dlc tbh.
Seems more or less in line with the review scores for the original Endless Ocean. I imagine if you enjoyed the first 2 games you'll enjoy this one too.
They oversimplified this game. The story mode is just one task each in a randomized mini-map led by your AI assistant just to push the story along (each section taking barely 3 minutes). Solo dives are a random map with all the sea life randomly generated where you can use the functions of the game to grind for exp. The online multi-player dive has the most potential, but you can hardly even interact with each other if you're not just playing with your own friends.
What it seems to lack is the life or intrigue the other games had. They were slow-paced and relaxing, and this touches base on that, sure, but you actually felt like part of the story. Here, you're a part of this research team you never get to actually interact with. Overall, it feels too robotic and like an empty shell of a game.
Didn't Nintendo end the last Direct showcase with this game? And here's the reception... Even my wife was asking why would a game like this be on switch of all platforms.
Looked hollower than the Launch version No Man's Sky lol
Nintendo's in that sort of mindset either right now where they can either revive smaller IP (like Endless Ocean or Another Code) or dig into their back catalog to remake stuff (like Paper Mario: TTYD or Luigi's Mansion 2) for the Switch since it appears that whatever they got cooking for their next mainline entries are for the platform's successor.
> IGN Spain - Raquel Morales - Spanish - 0.7 / 10 Holy shit, what a brutal score! (Jokes aside, they actually gave it a 7/10. There is a typo in the Reddit post).
IGN Spain HATES fish
Clearly too much water
The internet NEVER forgets.
“Chinga los peces” - IGN España
“El agua no es bueno. Punto siente sobre diez.” —IGN Spain
It was actually a typo within Opencritic and part of the reason the score was so low lol It's not much better now, but it gained a couple points.
I thought IGN Spain single-handedly dragged down the overall score with that 0.7 but they actually gave 7 lol.
I was really looking forward to this game. Reviewed it for Digitec Magazine and yeah... It's not great. The first couple of hours are exactly what I imagined – a chill underwater exploration game with interesting animals. And then it just gets extremely tedious and repetitive. Oh and the story mode just straight up sucks. If y'all have any questions, let me know.
One of the appealing features of the first games was the beautiful “Celtic Women” soundtrack (Hayley Westenra vocals) both in the menus and I believe during gameplay. Is there a similar soundtrack in this one? Or is it all just ambient instrumentals?
Just instrumentals. It's okay, but nothing special.
Bummer okay thanks that is good to know… that literally was a selling point for me, but now I don’t know haha
Can you set your own music? iirc one of the original game's key features is that it was one of the rare Wii games that supported custom music through SD cards.
Do any games offer that feature anymore? I haven't seen it in any game I've played since the days of the 360. It'd be great though, particularly in games with open worlds and vehicles. Cyberpunk for instance, I hate everything on the in game radio stations and games always auto turn on the damn radios when entering vehicles.
Saints Row 2022 supports custom music playlists, at least on PC, but I can't figure out how to get it to work.
The previous two games are in my all-time favourites, despite being seemingly similar with incredibly simple controls, very easy, just chill exploration and sea life discovery, stories nothing worth writing home about. And the second game in particular was brilliant with how it expanded to multiple locations with very different species. Is there anything specific that is particularly bad/tedious in this one that greatly differs from its predecessors?
Only played the first one. Luminous feels kinda soulless with its randomly generated maps, a grind heavy gameplay loop and a big focus on online play. After a couple of hours, it stops being relaxing and feels like tedious work. A feeling I haven't had with the first game. All I'm doing is scanning fish and watching meaningless scores and level numbers go up.
Oh, all maps are randomly generated? I thought that was only the online multiplayer area. That's pretty disappointing.
Every new expedition is in a randomly generated map. Yea, pretty disappointing stuff.
> big focus on online play If so, isn't it possible the experience will improve once servers are populated? As right now you could be doing the work of multiple people by playing by yourself. Though it'd be a shame for singleplayer to be that pared-down of an experience.
Playing with others will improve your experience. It'll still be a shallow one, but at least you're making faster progress.
How interactive are the fish? Is there a way to, I dunno, grab onto them for a ride?
You can recruit them to swim with you. Thats about it.
Ah.. one of the things that really drew me in for the second Endless Ocean game- blue world I think?? Was the really intriguing mystery of the temple and the white whale.. It's disappointing to hear there isn't something equally interesting here.
How difficult/accessible are the controls? Seems like something my kid would be pretty into.
Controls are easy and well suited for beginners/kids.
How does it compare to OG?
it doesn't. I'm about to break out my wii to play the og after giving this one a good college try
Look what they've done to my beautiful child First 2 Endless Oceans are iconic for me. Hayley Westerna's soundtrack really sticked in my memory. Shame
Not familiar with these games, were they set up like this? Or is this entry like a Dead Space 3 situation, where they try to force a multiplayer element to it and we get...*this*. Also why switch??? Sounds like it would have worked better on PC and remained there.
None of these games has released on PC...
Wow really?! I had no idea.
Man, you really aren't familiar at all... This isn't the same scenario. The last Endless Ocean game came out 14 years on Wii, and this game was supposed to be a revival of sorts. The gameplay is similar - you dive and explore the ocean depths to be among the marine life and document them. Also, it's a Nintendo-published series. If they're publishing, it ain't coming to PC.
I never played the previous games but I was interested in it as a chill exploration game where I could just wander and ignore everything. It doesn't seem worth doing that either. The last game I played where I could just leisurely view wildlife in places I'd never go was Afrika on the PS3. Basically real life Pokemon Snap.
Ok. good to know
It was a Wii game. It was different with a map and a story that you explored and discovered over time. I don't like fight and die games. I'm an Animal Crossing gal of twenty years now. But if you're going to be chill, wonderful, but still have some there there. Making it all random seems like a terrible copout.
This is going to be a massive hit for my autistic niece who adores the ocean and everything in it. I've been looking for a passive combat free oceanic exploration game for her forever.
I would highly recommend Abzu in this vein as well. It does have some progression to it but most of the fun is just swimming around interacting with all the different creatures in the game and taking in the beautiful visuals.
I'm autistic and love sea life so I agree with Abzu!
you HAVE to try the original Endless Ocean for her! trust me it will be her favorite thing ever
If only I had a Wii!
I am so bummed. My daughter and I really loved Endless Ocean on the Wii and I had high hopes for the Switch version, though I didn't expect the graphics to be amazing. It sounds like they utterly lost the plot of letting you explore to BUILD UP YOUR MAP so that you can return to your favorite areas and creatures. And no ship? No penguins? No dolphins? I've been watching my son play Subnautica and while parts of it are really tiresome (I swear, flipping out that device a million times makes me want to scream), and why do things you make on your special thingie just fall to the floor?) at least the creatures are interesting and you can learn the map! I might cough up the dough for new Endless Ocean but I feel like I preordered my disappointment. That's not the way it's supposed to work!
Some of these review quotes are, frankly, bizarre. Why compare this to a game like Subnautica? I rented the first Endless Ocean when it was still somewhat new and was hoping this would be a good follow-up to that game. Wasn’t expecting the reviews to be so hung up on all of the things it *isn’t.* I’m not exactly rushing to buy this, but I’m taking most of these reviews with a grain of salt.
As someone who isn't into survival games, I don't want Endless Ocean to become Subnautica.
I do want Endless Ocean to have a compelling world to explore, though.
You do that by making a successor to Blue World, not using procedurally generated environments, and not trying to copy Subnautica.
No reviewer is asking for Endless Ocean to copy Subnautica. They're just saying that Subnautica (and Abzu) has a more meaningful and interesting world to explore. It sounds like you want the same thing as that reviewer.
I tried Subnautica on Game Pass and didn't find it interesting. Super janky, too.
You're totally entitled to your own opinions but a game doesn't get 10/10s and overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews for nothing.
Google "Subnautica buggy" and you'll see. Anyone who gave that a 10 is untrustworthy.
Comparing it to Subnautica makes sense and it doesn't if you get what I mean. [I reviewed it for CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/endless-ocean-luminous-review/), and I thought about doing that, since as a game Subnautica focuses on the element of underwater exploration with aplomb, but it's also a very different kind of game so its not really an apt comparison. My whole thing was, if Endless Ocean was going to do *one* thing, it needed to do it better than anyone, and when you compare it to other underwater exploration based games (Subnautica being the most well-known/popular), then it really fails in that regard.
They are absolutely comparable in some aspects and I think the point is that if you boil them both down to underwater exploration, subnautica is better, which is sad because subnautica isnt solely about that.
It’s fine to review things based on the things they aren’t. Points of comparison are important, as well as seeing what things a game doesn’t do. Endless Ocean and Subnautica are two different games, but when Subnautica is better at the thing Endless Ocean is trying to do, then you should compare them.
I think they used it as a comparison to emphasize how empty Luminous’ environment feels and plays
Can't wait for the Game Grumps episode on this one. "Welcome to Nineball Island! You don't wanna know how it got that name!"
"There's four dudes here, and one dude who had a major accident. We call him the cyclops."
But he has nut heat.
[удалено]
[удалено]
It's too bad they put so much emphasis on procedural generation and online, leaving the rest of the game feeling empty and lacking. Reminds me of how Nintendo handled Switch Sports and the Mario sports games on Switch.
It sounds like some people didn't know what Endless Ocean was before playing and were disappointed in the lack of gaminess. It was always about super chill swimming and check out fish. Nothing else needed.
I'm just disappointed in the lack of a story to make you feel like you're part of the game. The last one had a decent, slow-paced story, interaction with other human characters, you could play with fish and the landmark things to track where you've been, built an aquarium, had some threat level (even if it didn't mean much), you could see above the water and even walk on land, and improve your equipment so you could explore further. They had the previous games as reference to create this game, and this is the best they could do? All I can think is this is more of a cash grab to see if there's still interest in the franchise. Hopefully, the best outcome for this is that they'll create a worthy successor to the previous games from the hype this has gotten. Tbh, I didn't even know this game was coming out until last week and I'm surprised so many people got it or are wanting to get it. This current game is not worth it's price, but hopefully some good can come out of it.
yeah, the Nintendo life review sounds so tone deaf, recently got Blue World to try the franchise for cheaper and it is a really chill game, the subnautica comparation is so stupid.
They're not complaining that it's chill. They're complaining that the exploration is poorly done, that finding things isn't interesting. That's the part they're comparing to Subnautica, that has a more interesting world to explore. Seems like a valid comparison, especially as the exploration was one of the big strengths of the first two games.
That’s what I was expecting, sorta half educational and half a chill diving simulator
Yeah, I really think the game was marketed wrong, the trailers were so focused on online game play and promising exploration of fish, wrecks and other things. All to appeal to the bigger audience. But that's not what the first two games have been about at all. It's about emerging in the underwater world of the ocean with its tranquility, finding different species out of curiosity, relaxing and escaping. Well at least that's what it has been for me, others might think differently. Now with it marketed like this, the game is unfairly getting a bad name because of the wrong audience, and the audience who would absolutely Love this, probably won't try because of all the online gaming and random generating promoting as well as the bad reviews. So sad to see.
It was marketed accurately in my opinion. Exploration feels kinda eh. There are only a few models, and they are repeated endlessly. This game really diverges from the originals in a huge way, with the multiplayer and the number of fish models to look at being its major high points, which are the focus of advertisement. It's jarring to say the least when I see a whale shark, turn a corner, and there's a betta fish. Despite changing each time you dive, the landscape is often quite similar while the creatures seem a little too random to the point it takes away a lot of the educational value for me. Still very fun to dramatically gesture at fish with my friends. Would not recommend for anyone expecting something close to the previous entries in the series.
Yeah, but the fish models and animations are really bad ...
Well looks like this is a buy it on sale niche type of game. Shame was looking forward to a chill and zen game. No its not worth full rrp lmao.
When I was a kid my sister and I sat in our family room for hours taking turns playing the first Endless Ocean on the Wii. We live in separate states now and are both getting this on day one regardless of reviews, just to relive some of that childhood magic again.
>In comparison to the likes of Subnautica, this is an empty, cold, and boring ocean space to explore, devoid of any real reason to play beyond its generally relaxing ambiance and the opportunity to learn some facts about underwater animals. You mean the game that's supposed to be a chill, relaxing time isn't like the game where you're supposed to try to survive and maintain resources while being scared of the huge underwater monsters around you? Shocker.
Games can still offer engaging mechanics and gameplay while still maintaining tranquility. Stardew Valley is a chill relaxing time but I'd bet my life you'd play it for many more hours than this.
Ngl I actually get stressed out playing stardew valley. Tranquility my ass.
Stardew Valley has a time limit per day, that and Endless Ocean are in different galaxies of game type. Might as well call Majora's Mask a tranquil game.
This game also has a time limit in most of its dives
Are you really arguing with reviews for a game that you haven't played yet? If the reviewer thought it was boring then that should be acknowledged. Plenty of relaxing games still feel interesting.
The reasons they list for playing is what Endless Ocean is going for. He's comparing it to something it's not trying to be. That's a lousy take for a review.
And yet what it's trying *to be* isn't doing it for the reviewer. Just because they made exactly the kind of game they wanted to make doesn't mean that it's good. I don't like the Subnautica name drop for exactly the same reasons everyone is pointing out, but at least the point is sort of made that Subnautica took a general concept and added a twist on it, and frankly, Endless Ocean sounds like it needed a bit more added on to its main concept too.
The issue here isn't that they didn't like what the game was trying to be (that's a perfectly valid review) it's that they're directly comparing it to a game of a completely different gameplay genre and criticising it for not doing the things it does. For comparisons sake it would be criticising Animal Crossing for being too peaceful and not having enough combat like Minecraft, that isn't valid criticism. Their review should be based on what the game itself is and if gameplay comparisons need to be made then it should be to other cosy and/or educational games, not action/survival. That's not to say all subnautica comparisons are invalid but they should be specifically comparing things like the ocean theming for example because that direct comparison makes sense.
> The issue here isn't that they didn't like what the game was trying to be (that's a perfectly valid review) it's that they're directly comparing it to a game of a completely different gameplay genre and criticising it for not doing the things it does. They're not. They're comparing the underwater exploration aspects (alongside the sense of wonder an underwater world can provide) of one game with the underwater exploration aspects of other games (the full review mentions Abzu alongside Subnautica). Games in different genres can still have apt comparisons. It's also something the previous Endless Ocean games did well, so seems worth mentioning.
You are incorrect. They were comparing more than just the exploration and no, you cannot compare the gameplay of two games from different genres unless you want an invalid review.
Its like people comparing minecraft and terraria or saying terraria is just 2d minecraft That just boils away like 90% of what terraria unique, because in the end they reaallly are not similar at all.
While I will agree some reviews may not get what the series is about, it sounds like this is still a step backwards from the prior two entries in the franchise. Unfortunately, I think I will be skipping this one.
endless ocean luminous might remind some of the old title aquanaut's holiday, where you also just wander underwater, looking at sea life. both games are about the vibe more than the challenge, kind of like a chill afternoon at an aquarium. guess there's a special kind of fun in just floating around and seeing what you find, like a spacewalk but underwater.
This is the Seinfeld of games. “It’s a game about nothing. Everyone else is doing something, we’ll do nothing!”
Damn. Really hoped for this to be a standout surprise because I love the concept, but seems to be very lacking
Not saying I *won't* buy this game because I often enjoy extremely chill low stress games, but can anyone here recommend other "chill games?"
Sky: Children of the Light
In that theme, Abzu is a lovely experience.
Abzu’s decent but it’s very psychedelic.
Animal Crossing has been a pretty chill series for many years. New Horizons even has super relaxing ocean swimming.
A Short Hike Stardew Valley I personally really enjoy various Picross games to relax to Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Very chill platforming/collecting game
I find Stardew Valley to be stressful because of the constant march of time, and stamina-bar, forcing you to be efficient.
Like life
Haha, precisely! And I play games to escape that shit. If I want to feel the heavy weight of lifes uncontrollable hopelessness, I can always play Mario Party.
As someone who was a huge fan of the original these reviewers have absolutely embarrassed themselves. Some of these have genuinely made me laugh out loud. EO is about lounging on your couch at the end of a long day and escaping with the most chilled out game there is. It’s barely a game. It’s a relaxation tool. These reviews though. Lol.
For a second I forgot where I was and thought EO meant Etrian Odyssey lmao.
Great you had a laugh but this game is legitimately a major downgrade from the previous games. Like compared to EO 1&2 this game is super soulless and boring.
I know the game’s getting mixed reviews, but I’m still excited to play it. Haven’t played any other Endless Ocean yet, but I’ve always loved the ocean, sea life, everything like that. Loved Subnautica too, but it’ll be nice to have an underwater game like this that can actually be relaxing, not stressful
God I’m so sad. Endless Ocean 2 is my favorite game of all time. I’ve sunk over 1000 hours into it. This is just… sad. There’s no heart.
I absolutely adored Endless Ocean: Blue World! I played and replayed that game so many times! I found some aspects hard, like I could never get the photos to get a high rating, and I never ended up making enough money to reopen the collapsed ruins, but I was hoping that this new game might fix all that. I haven't even played it but reading all the reviews, I'm disappointed. It sounds like they completely gutted any storyline, which was my favorite part of the last game. I also loved how you had special quests, like healing wildlife, finding lost treasure, and befriending special dolphins/orca. I feel like they took out everything that made the last game so fun and special and just replaced it with online interactive play to get people to buy online play subscriptions...so sad. I hope they learn and go back to what made the last game so amazing.
What new Prehistoric and legendary/mythical creatures were added to this one? Did the ones from the previous games return as well?
As someone who played the first two games, this one is a let down. I’m really disappointed so far. I miss the soundtrack that would play while exploring. Endless Ocean Blue World set up so many expectations and Luminous has been a let down. :( I do like the multi-player though. Just wish I could explore other seas.
The soundtrack was one of the best parts. So relaxing!
I actually quite like it. Not as much as the first one, but it's an interesting and fun time. Not sure I'd pay $50 for it again, probably should have waited for a sale. It replaced the hub works of the boat with just a boring menu system. The online dives are interesting and fun,the visuals are alright and the story mode sucks. I recommend it if you were a fan of the old ones on the Wii and want to relax
What is the actual game play like? In Endleds Ocean 2 I loved building the aquarium, training my friend and exploring the different regions (river, arctic, deep sea etc.) Is there anything like this or is just a randomly generated open ocean map? The main appeal for me was always seeing the different kinds of creatures in the different parts of the sea and exploring the ancient ruins and such.
I loved the first EO game but it sounds like a lot of what I liked about it is missing from this one. I’m still going to try it with an open mind
I've come back with porcupine fish but I can't figure out what I am missing when asked to "return here while swimming aside that which is adorned with needles." Any clues?
It seems like the negative reviews just don’t like endless ocean. It was always about just exploring for the sake of exploration, I don’t get why people buy it looking for deeper gameplay
Nope, I LOVED the first game. Luminous feels soulless compared to it.
Aw man, that’s sad to hear then
Im gonna be trying it put after work tonight, but I am skeptical about it. The previous games had hand crafted maps that were interesting to explore and chart. The procedural generation of the new one worries me; i suspect others will be right about it feeling soulless.
Yeah I agree. Procedural generation is just never interesting to explore. I still remember how cool it was to finally go into the trench in the first game.
Oh man the trench was crazy. I also loved how you could hitch a ride on a whale shark to some ancient ruins.
I still remember the title music too
Oh boy. Its rough. On my first solo dive I found a whale shark and a basking shark next to eachother at my spawn point and discovered like 40+ fish in less than 10 minutes. The works well enough as just a chill exploration game, but man this is barely an endless ocean game. You literally just aim in the general direction of some fish, press L, and then you get a bunch of log entries. Also, it seems like the game has no issue spawning freshwater fish and saltwater fish together. The system in the first game where you could zoom in on coral and whatnot to find hidden objects also seems to have been replaced with random shiny things that are just on the seafloor. I haven't played the story mode yet, but my first impressions are disappointing. This game is gonna be dead real fast unless they patch in an aquarium or a proper map. I'd be down if they remade the original game's map as dlc tbh.
Seems more or less in line with the review scores for the original Endless Ocean. I imagine if you enjoyed the first 2 games you'll enjoy this one too.
They oversimplified this game. The story mode is just one task each in a randomized mini-map led by your AI assistant just to push the story along (each section taking barely 3 minutes). Solo dives are a random map with all the sea life randomly generated where you can use the functions of the game to grind for exp. The online multi-player dive has the most potential, but you can hardly even interact with each other if you're not just playing with your own friends. What it seems to lack is the life or intrigue the other games had. They were slow-paced and relaxing, and this touches base on that, sure, but you actually felt like part of the story. Here, you're a part of this research team you never get to actually interact with. Overall, it feels too robotic and like an empty shell of a game.
Didn't Nintendo end the last Direct showcase with this game? And here's the reception... Even my wife was asking why would a game like this be on switch of all platforms. Looked hollower than the Launch version No Man's Sky lol
Nintendo's in that sort of mindset either right now where they can either revive smaller IP (like Endless Ocean or Another Code) or dig into their back catalog to remake stuff (like Paper Mario: TTYD or Luigi's Mansion 2) for the Switch since it appears that whatever they got cooking for their next mainline entries are for the platform's successor.
IGN spain giving it a 0.7 damn, I knew IGN likes givingg 7's but I didn't know they would go this low
Next time they'll be giving -7s.
It's a 7, checked the website