Endless Ocean Luminous on Switch: A Test and Review

Seventeen years after a first popular game on Wii, the Endless Ocean saga invites us back to scan fish on the latest console from Big N. The objective sold by this new part: explore and study an underwater world on Nintendo Switch, and above all discover “all kinds of life forms, buried treasures and much more”. The hybrid machine offers the happy advantage of approaching the license for the first time in portable mode. However, the experience is much more immersive when docked, an installation that we strongly advise you to favor.. The depths can be explored at your own pace alone or by collaborating with 29 online diving buddies, and this is where the unique feature of the episode lies. It is by adopting this last approach that we began the aquatic adventure.

In greater numbers, online multiplayer allows you to cross a map much more quickly, to share the location of certain species with your gaming colleagues and thus to collect points more quickly. Also, certain objectives, the same ones found in a solo game, are necessarily simpler to achieve with others, such as detecting fish that contain anomalies. Despite this advantage, it is difficult to grasp the appeal and added value of multiplayer, in which our dives lacked fun and interactivity. and ultimately seemed very lonely to us. Apart from a few hand signals, the searches are walled in a somewhat lengthy mimicry and end with a screen of scores that are certainly boosted, but which don't really make you jump for joy.

Nice informative panel

Endless Ocean undoubtedly has more to offer on an informative level, which remains minimalist. If you're a lover of fish and other water creatures, you'll probably enjoy taking a close look at more than 500 marine life forms, some of which are considered extinct or even mystical in the game. Once your diver scans a find, a short explanatory text about it is narrated in a very clear and concise manner. An asset for those who take the time to get lost a little. You can even capture your best shot of the beast, and enhance it with a few (not really flattering) filters. Completionists could also appreciate the slew of secondary objectives to accomplish which significantly extend the lifespan, and a map to be completely wiped out which is only revealed as you swing your fins.

In this regard, the movements are very pleasant overall, and your character can accelerate if necessary, making the crossing very smooth.. It’s a shame, however, that the panoramas are so foggy and difficult to appreciate. On the other hand, we like the idea of ​​a renewable sea: the game invites you to swim in an unexplored region whose depths are destined to change each time you return, even if the change of scenery is never total. Note also that the music, while delicate, is really very nice and offers a little character to the ride. A treat to accompany the sounds of the waves.

Loneliness

Alone, Endless Ocean can be approached in two modes: free exploration, and story mode, the whole being interconnected; So to be able to access the new part of a chapter in story mode, for example, you have to scan 1000 additional fish in exploration mode. A system clever enough to increase equity in terms of mode values, but far too demanding, especially when the chapter in question only occupies you for barely two minutes and has practically no story content. Your swimmer witnesses the toxic spread of a sea tree that threatens the harmony of the underwater ecosystem. Fortunately, scanning fish with strange light energy has a healing effect that will allow you to save the place. A starting point that is difficult to commit to later. On a playful level, the proposal also suffers from a very basic game design overall and a certain lack of enthusiasm which is not helped by the narrator's voice simulated by artificial intelligence.

Conclusion