Call of the Sea Review

 "Call of the Sea"

Reviewer: Carless Yen

Developer: Out of the Blue

Publisher: Raw Fury

Release Date: 12-08-2020

Platforms: XBOX and PC

Price: 19.99 Currently on GamePass

Description:

It is 1934, in the far reaches of the South Pacific. Norah has crossed the ocean following the trail of her missing husband’s expedition and finds herself on a lush island paradise - a nameless, forgotten place, dotted with the remnants of a lost civilization.

What strange secrets does it hold, and what might Norah unearth in her quest for the truth?

EXPLORE THE BEAUTY

Explore a stunning tropical island (meticulously modelled in Unreal Engine 4), brimming with fantastic sights, lost ruins and occult mysteries.

MEET NORAH

Experience a charming character study of a woman on her quest to discover the truth of the disappearance of her husband and to find out who she really is, fully voiced by Cissy Jones (Firewatch, The Walking Dead: Season 1).

DIVE INTO THE DEEP

Immerse yourself in a story-driven adventure full of emotion, suspense and surreal surprises.

SEARCH FOR MEANING

Investigate the clues left by a previous voyage, piece together what happened, and solve a variety of clever puzzles.   

Review:

      I was interested in this when I saw it was coming to Game Pass. I was even more excited when I saw it pop up in my email before it was released on there. After putting about 6 hours in to it, I can honestly say I'm glad to have it in my collection. I thought it was a really quality adventure. I've read people say it is slow game. I think those people may have struggled with the puzzles, or were just used to action packed titles. To me it's a challenging puzzle solving game, that will really test your mind. Some puzzles can really stump you, and I enjoyed that. I loved spending a hour on a couple puzzles, and the rewarding feeling of finally figuring it out. I loved the story, as well as the time period. You play as Norah, a woman with a strange unexplainable disease. It leaves spots on her hands, and makes her feel very sick. her husband goes on a expedition to a island in the South Pacific to find a cure for her. he has yet to return so Norah goes to find him. She finds much , much more on this beautiful island. The story really changes as it goes, and towards the end really has a Lovecraft feel to it. 

    The game is just so beautiful. From the lush island to the under ocean scenes, Even the Dark caves, and other creepy areas just look so great. I really enjoy the art style of this one a lot. The colors are so vibrant, and the areas are designed so well. It is some what linear, but yet still let's you have areas to some what explore for clues. I never got lost or felt like I only had one path. Looking for clues, and hidden items just gave me a really nice level of enjoyment. Each clue found, and puzzle solved just feels you with a high level of reward. I experienced no glitches, or areas that gave me issues as far as design. It all really works quite smoothly. That goes for the controls as well. The entire experience is just really well designed. I'd go to the point of saying maybe one of the best designed games this year. I was pulled in from start to finish, and only a few times felt repetition or like it was dragging on. I never felt like the game was rushed, or felt any design flaws. I actually felt quite the different. I felt that this one was sort of a hidden gem. I hope people take the time to play it on Game Pass, and then add to their personal collections. 

I can't end the review without talking about the voice acting and music. The sounds of this game may actually be the biggest reason to enjoy it. The music is just out standing, and fits right along into the adventure making it feel so epic at times. the sounds are perfect from oceans to the sounds the puzzles make as you solve them. It all just sounds amazing. The voice acting is also such positive point to the story delivered. Every one does an amazing job, but one performance just stands out far above the others. Cissy Jones. I believe, and yes this is my opinion. Cissy Jones is the best voice actor in video games today. She has done so many outstanding characters from Fury in Darksiders 3 to Delilah in FireWatch. Joyce Price in Life is Strange to Kelsey in The Wolf Among Us. Could go on and on like Norma in the Walking Dead or Sloane in Destiny. She is just a legend in the industry, and any time I see she is voice acting in a game it's a instant pickup because I know the quality of story telling, that will more than likely be delivered in game. If you don't know the name, and you enjoy quality story driven games check out more of her work. Call of the Sea is another one of her masterpieces, and the story is just unforgettable. 

                                                                                                                                                                      

The game's art style is beyond beautiful

Cissy Jones and the rest the cast deliver quality voice acting.

The puzzle's are challenging.

The story is really interesting, and draws you in from the start.

The game design is top quality. 

Music is outstanding. 

Puzzles and Story drag on a little towards the end.

Can get a tad repetitive towards the end.

(But still ends on a EPIC level story wise)

                                                                                                                                                                      

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

I was blown away by the quality of "Call of the Sea" from start to finish. I couldn't wait to figure out puzzles, and see how this journey would end. Towards the end it ran on a little bit, and became obvious how it all would come to a end. I still had to go on though with the angelic voice of Cissy Jones, and the great character of Norah really had my complete attention. I had to see for myself how their journey ends. 

Video Review Below: