Endless Ocean Luminous is the third part of a series that hardly anyone expected Nintendo to bring back from obscurity. And this despite the fact that the predecessors on the Wii have become insider tips. You can find out in our test whether the third diving adventure achieves something similar on the Nintendo Switch.
It lacks depth
As a diver you explore the Hidden Sea and primarily want to complete the encyclopedia, which includes over 500 different creatures. You do this by scanning the surroundings while swimming and taking a close look at a large number of fish at the same time. You will be supported by an AI, which goes by the appropriate name Kiki, and will provide you with information about all living creatures if necessary – so you will also learn something.
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Unfortunately, there are no opportunities to interact with the creatures. They neither respond to you nor interact with each other. So there are no situations in which you have to observe fish or follow tracks to discover secret paths or new species of fish. It is only possible that you choose living creatures as companions and they swim after you. It was completely different in the predecessor: You could feed and touch fish and even had to calm sharks in dangerous situations. All of this is missing in the Switch offshoot.
A different approach is also taken with the game world. Instead of a level selection, there is only one map that is randomly generated for each dive. This ensures that you never know exactly what to expect and are always surprised. But this only works until you notice how the maps are structured. There is a main attraction (freshwater, iceberg, ruins, canyon, deep sea), which is complemented by coral reefs, kelp forests, caves, etc. The problem with this is that, for example, not one ravine is randomly generated, but there is only a single ravine that is used again and again. The components are always the same and because there are too few of them, everything will seem familiar after a dozen dives at the latest.
Is this supposed to be a story mode?
Aside from the diving mode, you will also find a story mode in the main menu. But this quickly turns out to be a bonus. In short chapters that are no longer than five minutes, you will be introduced to game mechanics and introduced to the ocean areas. A premise for your research work will also be established. So you should save the Tree of the Seas by scanning many living creatures, collecting light that will benefit the tree.
The story mode is no comparison to its predecessors, where you could control your character outside of diving expeditions, interact with other characters and have to tackle various tasks.
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But there is one significant aspect, and that is the puzzle board. This is an ancient tablet with 99 fields that you have to reveal by completing certain tasks. To see the end of the story, you have to solve all 99 puzzles. However, this doesn't happen in story mode, but in expeditions. So it's back to diving mode.
This is a good time to mention that you can find over 300 treasures in addition to the sea creatures. For almost half of the puzzle board tasks you also have to recover certain treasures. In addition, you have to read stone tablets or explore certain locations. So there is less puzzling and more searching. But there is a real type of puzzle: To do this you have to decipher the clue on an ancient stone slab and guide the described sea creature to the stone slab. In addition to the so-called UL missions, these are the most exciting tasks.
In the UL missions mentioned, you have to find and scan anomalous fish in order to get one Unknown creature appears. These are mysterious fantasy creatures that represent a highlight of your research work.
The most fun is in co-op mode
The tasks in Endless Ocean Luminous are designed so that you have to search every spot on the map in search of treasures, stone tablets and anomalies. If you're playing alone, this can all take forever. It quickly becomes clear: The game primarily wants to be played in co-op mode.
In the co-op dive you explore the map online with up to 30 players. All participants help uncover the map and they can mark treasures and rare fish for other players. All players also contribute to the progress of the UL missions, so it can be completed after five minutes. Solo, however, a mission can take an hour with a bit of bad luck.
To stand out from others in multiplayer, you can buy new skins, stickers or gestures. Your research work will also be rewarded and you will gradually unlock new things as you level up.
Conclusion on Endless Ocean Luminous
As a fan of the series, I'm a bit disappointed. Both the gameplay and the story have been reduced to the minimum so that the concept works in multiplayer mode. The expeditions with friends are really fun at the beginning, but here too there is a lack of variety.
I mostly had to play it alone and the game is simply not designed for that. I also noticed that at some point the sea creatures were no longer the focus for me. Then it was just a matter of scanning the map to complete the puzzle board in search of stone tablets or treasures.
If you're looking for a cozy co-op game that you wanted to play with friends anyway, then Endless Ocean Luminous is recommended. However, I advise against the single player experience. New Pokémon Snap, which has a similar gameplay principle, is a much better alternative.