Endless Ocean: Blue World Review Reviewed

With seventy-one percent of the earth’s surface covered by oceans, it’s surprising that more games aren’t been set within this vast aquatic realm. Excluding a handful of submarine simulations, a few PlayStation-era titles such as Treasures of the Deep and Aquanaut’s Holiday, a scant number of console titles have allowed player to explore realistic recreations of the seas.  Two years ago, Nintendo owners were offered Endless Ocean, a tranquil anomaly in the Wii library, which allowed players to explore a variety of well-rendered, maritime environments.

For many, Endless Ocean had a number of barnacled facets, from the title’s clunky above-surface interface to undemanding objectives that rarely taxed players. Undoubtedly, developer Arika has paid close attention to critics, as most of the flaws with the game have been eliminated with the sequel, Endless Ocean: Blue World. While the title isn’t likely to garner the attention of action game aficionados, anyone looking for an alternative to the deluge of puzzlers, mini-game collections, and tawdry family-oriented fare should take a protracted look into Blue World.

At the commencement of the game, players step into the flippers of a young protagonist, recruited by the L&L Diving Service. By answering a series of questions from the title’s timeworn seadog, Jean-Eric, a stalwart character is generated for the player and the impetus for the game’s adventure in discovered. Along the journey, players will encounter a growing roster of personalities who assist on the endeavor, giving the title a subtle role-playing vibe.
 
Unlike the previous expedition which presented a single diving region where the world’s marine creatures implausibly convened, Blue World sends player globe-trotting through a variety of distinct environments. Each of these underwater ecosystems is well-designed with clandestine nooks that invite exploration and drop-offs that insinuate gentle menace. Nearly of these regions are also filled with activities and quests- from identifying fish to locating submerged treasure, each bestowing one of 150 unique titles onto the player. With so many objectives to complete, Blue World lives up to its moniker, offering players a boundless set of appealing goals.

Digital divers have two options to direct their subaquatic sightseeing- using the Wiimote or the Classic Controller. The first method uses IR functionality to direct an on-screen cursor, with players using the ‘B’ button to move in the direction of the pointer. While the approach is largely intuitive, problems arise when gamers want to do a quick reversal in direction- as only sluggish, wide turns are permitted. Sadly, control pad support seems grafted on. When used, the peripheral doesn’t allow direct control of the diver, but the on-screen cursor is steered with the left stick, while the right handles camera functionality. Inexplicably, support for the nunchuck is omitted; the analog stick and extra buttons could have been an ideal control method for the title.

The first Endless Ocean cast players into innocuous waters. For this excursion, Blue World cleverly incorporates a handful of threatening creatures to add tension to the proceedings. Luckily, players are equipped with a pulsar- a fictional tool which ingeniously repels aggressors while healing ailing sea life. The device presents an enjoyable reprieve from exploration and treasuring seeking, and grants the game the ability to create sporadic moments of trepidation absent from the previous title.

Visually, Blue World is an undeniably impressive title, with shimmering water textures, and swirling light sources emanating from the ocean’s surface. Each aquatic animal is delicately rendered, as is the title’s undersea floras which are sporadically available for closer inspection. While a few of the vocalizations on the game’s soundtrack are overwrought, the majority of dive music is astutely minimal, and doesn’t puncture the title’s carefully crafted vibe.