Nintendo has been actively supporting the Nintendo Switch, reviving many lesser-known franchises for the platform. One unexpected revival is Endless Ocean Luminous.
Endless Ocean Luminous is a multiplayer-focused deep-sea adventure game centered around discovery. Unlike typical adventure games, players dive into the ocean to photograph and discover new things. The game supports multiplayer mode, allowing friends or family members to join in the exploration.
The game features a variety of random maps, ensuring that no two dives are the same. However, this randomness can detract from the experience, making the game feel less like a well-designed adventure and more like a repetitive loop. Despite its name, the “Endless Ocean” experience can quickly become monotonous after about ten hours of gameplay.
Endless Ocean Luminous is not for everyone. It might appeal to those seeking a relaxing experience rather than a challenge, such as found in the latest Mario game or a Splatoon 3 multiplayer session. While the gameplay lacks complexity, the exploration aspect is well-executed and can be enjoyable when shared with friends. However, playing alone can turn the experience into a chore rather than a source of serenity and fun.
The game’s visuals are generally acceptable, particularly when played in portable mode. The ocean, known as the Veiled Sea, looks impressive on the smaller screen. However, when displayed on a large 4K screen, the graphics can suffer, revealing shimmering and blurriness in the pixels.
In Endless Ocean Luminous, each expedition takes you to a new, randomized portion of the sea. Your primary objective is to catalog the wildlife you encounter. Unfortunately, the procedural generation of these environments can be more of a drawback than a benefit. I appreciate the meticulous work that level or world designers invest in crafting game environments, which procedural generation cannot replicate. After a while, you will have seen most of what the game has to offer, leading to a sense of monotony.
The story in Endless Ocean Luminous is quite shallow, providing little motivation to progress through the game. The repetitive locations further diminish the desire to continue. Each map has a certain completion percentage that must be reached before you can save it permanently using a seed. However, this mechanic offers little incentive to revisit maps, as there is rarely anything new or exciting to discover. While the game features diverse biomes and a wide variety of aquatic life, these elements are overshadowed by the limitations of procedural generation.
I was excited to discover that Endless Ocean Luminous goes beyond current marine life, incorporating prehistoric elements into the mix. Most of the aquatic life in the game is well-designed, but due to the low resolution of the visuals, I found the game is best experienced in portable mode.
Progression in the game is driven by research points earned from cataloging aquatic life. Players also receive money to upgrade their characters. As players level up, they can customize their avatars, although these customizations seem largely superficial and serve little purpose in gameplay. They are mainly for show, adding a social element if you are diving with friends or family members.
Ultimately, the progression system and procedural generation are the biggest obstacles to enjoying Endless Ocean Luminous. The game requires a specific mindset to appreciate, and it may not appeal to everyone. The lack of meaningful progression and the repetitive nature of procedurally generated environments can detract from the overall experience.
Endless Ocean Luminous is a multiplayer-focused deep-sea adventure game that emphasizes discovery and exploration, offering randomized maps to ensure unique experiences. However, the procedural generation of these environments often leads to a sense of monotony, with the game's visuals and shallow storyline failing to provide sufficient motivation for continued play. While the game may appeal to those seeking a relaxing and social experience, its repetitive nature and lack of meaningful progression can detract from long-term enjoyment.