Call of the Sea
€0.99
Tahiti, a picturesque island in the Pacific Ocean, also attracted our great M.R. Štefánik. Thanks to this wonderful logic adventure, we can also go there. From a first-person perspective, we can enjoy the beauty of graphic design, which combines simplicity with a sense of quality aesthetics.
We find ourselves in the 1930s, taking on the character of Norah, who is looking for her lost husband Harry, and following in his footsteps, which can result in two different endings. The game is full of logical puzzles, which we have already seen in other games, so the total playing time can take up to eight hours thanks to them. It is not only a so-called pedestrian simulator, but it also requires a calm pace and mood. There is no hurry and you would unnecessarily ruin the charm of this game.
This is the debut for the developers from the Spanish studio Out of The Blue, and it would be sad if this game fit in just because it is their first film. The advantage for them is that it appeared in cooperation with Microsoft as a part of Gamepass, where now the monthly membership is 1 Euro.
The game will pleasantly surprise you right at the beginning, when you are swimming in the bowels of the ocean. The atmosphere here breathes from every side, but the real nut occurs after arriving on the main island, which the player wins by dark processing. It is necessary to discover every corner of the game map, click and carefully examine every possible object. Photos, diaries, objects – there is a lot. The heroine will say something about everything with pleasant dubbing. The subtitles are also a matter of course. You can rotate objects and many will find links on the other side. In addition to the main storyline about finding a husband, you also get to the life of the crew and its misery. The story is strong and it is in this game that the double rule applies – whoever reads everything has a better experience.
The mysterious disappearance certainly does not avoid a certain dose of the supernatural, but it is dosed sensibly and even the climax in the end makes sense. The debut surprised with the power of the story. But a high rating is not just for that. The authors also skillfully mastered the graphic processing, which, despite its simplicity, can please many players’ eyes. This is exactly the title Microsoft needs in its stable. A relatively short piece, which, however, will gain good ratings and reputation. But Call of the Sea is far from everyone, and many players could literally get bored, as the game flows slowly and requires a dose of patience. The game also avoided bugs, some of which could already be fixed – chopping in one of the chapters and occasional graphic glitches. The music and sounds are also good and they have nothing to complain about and they fit perfectly into the overall concept.
From a game point of view, this is not a miracle, and gradually looking at the subject after the subject and reading a lot of messages can be boring. I also consider it a mistake to read the newspaper clippings only after clicking on the newspaper and you do not read it directly from the clippings, because it is unclear and small. I can’t blame the logical puzzles themselves anymore. Maybe it’s just that there is no form of helper that would simplify the game for lazy players.
There are quite a few puzzles. From various bizarre tools, through imaginative inventions, to massively known objects. A beautiful example of a nice puzzle is the introductory map of the starry sky. There you have to put together the notes and with the help of one device the correct procedure of steps – press the correct tiles in the floor. Equally nice are the rocks on which you can simulate a lunar eclipse. Štefánik would feel at home here.
Call of Sea follows the story from Lovecraft, which is not a horror, but rather a pleasant well-being, despite the despair experienced by the heroine Norah. Appearing on a mysterious island, where the whole expedition disappears, is certainly nothing special, but the concept of the authors is different and imaginative. I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes good stories and adventures, or who grew up on Jules Verne’s books.
