Endless Ocean Luminous | Out now | ★★★★
Endless Ocean Luminous is a strange game to review. It’s far from a bad game, but it’s also not something one would recommend to everyone. Despite the fact that I think everyone should play it, even for a moment.
It’s the continuation of the Endless Ocean series, originally seen on the Wii back in 2009. Like its predecessor, Endless Ocean Luminous is built around a single idea, and it never veers away from that simplicity. You’re a diver, and the ocean is your playground. There’s nothing fantastical about it, nor do you get up to any high-flying adventures. Instead, you swim, explore, and observe. Taking in every bit of the natural miracle that is our planet – before we wreck it entirely.
While it’s natural to feel disappointed by the lack of distinct gameplay, I don’t think Endless Ocean Luminous should be judged by the same standard that we apply to, say, Super Mario. While the latter is instant gratification with a super solid gameplay loop crafted for generations, Endless Ocean Luminous is a completely different kind of game altogether. More meditative, experimental. Almost a nature documentary that you control at your leisure.
Every undersea creature can be scanned, and the more you do, the more you learn about them. The voice-over is soothing, and there’s a wealth of information packed into the game. If something like this had been available when I was a kid, I would have spent dozens of hours just soaking in what I could.
Which leads to the gameplay loop that Endless Ocean Luminous seems to reach. This isn’t a game you pick up with the intent of “winning”. It’s a cozy, slow experience that you pick up for a while, and return to days, weeks, even months later. In my notes, I had initially compared it to an informative screensaver, but that feels like a backhanded compliment when it isn’t mean to. There is an immense amount of joy to be found in deliberate slowness, and Endless Ocean Luminous understands that perfectly.
The minimalist interface, melancholy music, and pared down controls all emphasize the experience. You’re not meant to get lost in the mechanics, because the focus is on the wildlife. There’s a story mode, but it’s sparse, and the multiplayer is even sparser. There’s some joy in communicating with strangers entirely through emotes (after all, you’re underwater), but most of Endless Ocean Luminous is best experienced alone.
My one major gripe is that the playground is surprisingly small, and the wildlife isn’t as interactive as I’d hoped. Again, this isn’t a game of total interactivity, but I wish the world would react to my diver even minimally. For something that wants me to remember what a miracle the aquatic world is, Endless Ocean Luminous stumbles with the robotic patterns its digital creatures follow.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Endless Ocean Luminous, warts and all. It’s not a game that would be my first recommendation for most, but it is something that I wish everyone gave a chance. There’s a lot to love in any project that has this kind of purity of vision. Even if it’s vision to a fault. Put aside expectations of achievements, points, and constant action, and you’ll find a vast love letter to our planet that reminds us why our oceans are to be preserved no matter the cost.