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Codename: Ocean Keeper Review

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Codename: Ocean Keeper Combines Mining and Shooting

There aren’t too many genres of game that I haven’t played, however, the latest to cross my desk had a description that I hadn’t seen before: a “mining roguelike shooter with a top down view”. 

Yes, Codename: Ocean Keeper from RetroStyle Games is something that I’ve not played before, and so hopes were high as I set out on my mining survival adventure. Was my optimism borne out as I played, or is this another of the long list of games that promise a lot and fail to deliver?

Codename Ocean Keeper Review 1
A mining adventure plays out

Underwater Exploration

Presentation of the game is, to use a well worn cliche, very much a game of two halves. There are two basic screens that we play on, one being a top-down, twin stick shooter style, and the second being the mining screen, which is presented as a side-on scrolling screen. 

Both are quite nicely designed, and the things we control, be it an armed and armoured mech in the top-down screen or a little diver fella as he digs, are nicely realised. The enemies are also quite well done, and appear to be variations of actual underwater creatures; you may well half recognise them. Oh, did I mention that Codename: Ocean Keeper is set under water?

Alongside those visuals, the audio is fairly decent too, with the weapons on our mech all sounding suitably threatening, and the creatures that attack expiring with a squelch. One thing that I do like is the sound of the drill powering forward as we mine for resources, which sounds like an underwater drill would sound – at least in my head. All in all, the presentation of the game is pretty good, without being groundbreaking. 

Uncovering the Story Behind Codename: Ocean Keeper’s Gameplay

We then get to consider the story of the game, the narrative as to why we are digging away beneath the surface of an ocean? Well, it is the usual kind of sci-fi nonsense we have come to expect from the indie gaming market, to be brutally frank. 

Having seemingly crash landed on a planet, we’re left to mine, forgetting about sending any distress calls, focusing on digging some holes! As that plays out, resources arrive and these can be used to purchase upgrades for the mech and the diver, although I’m not sure who we are buying these upgrades from, given that we seem to be alone on this planet. Maybe Amazon deliver to the galaxy?

Codename Ocean Keeper Review 2
Dive deep!

Dig, Drill, and Destroy

Taking my cynical head off, the gameplay found within is all pretty good. As we begin a run, we are on the ocean floor, hunting for a cave to go and explore. These take the form of a hole with a blue glow coming from it, and as our mech passes over one, the opportunity arises to press “A” to dive down. From there it’s all about removing blocks with our drill, various colours of which can be dug up with a swift press of the “RB” button, grabbing what we want before returning to the mech by swimming back to the top. The more we carry, the slower we move, and this is important as there is also the need to keep an eye on a timer. You see, when the timer runs down, waves of sea creatures will turn up to express their displeasure at the way that we are wrecking their ocean home, and it’s always best to be mech’d up when this happens. 

One other thing we can find while exploring the caves are ancient artefacts and these allow the opportunity to – by some miracle of technology – add a new weapon to the mech. Obviously, the more firepower, the greater our chances of survival, and the more easily we can defend our mech from the many creatures that rock up in each wave. Of course, there are bosses to face as well, and to take one of these down will require you to really up your game. 

Apart from finding weapons lying around on the seabed, all of which can be nailed to the mech, the resources can also be used to upgrade various aspects of our life. We can upgrade the diver, giving him faster movement or a more powerful drill, for instance. We can also use the same resources to upgrade the mech, giving it more health or a faster movement speed, or those same resources can be put to us upgrading the weapons attached directly, allowing them to be more powerful or fire faster. Obviously, there isn’t an abundance of these resources to be had, only as many as your little guy can carry to the mech, so it is a balancing act to make sure you upgrade the right things at the right time. 

Codename Ocean Keeper Review 3
Stomping around in a mech is fun

Unlocking Upgrades and Enhancing Your Runs

Codename: Ocean Keeper wouldn’t be a roguelike if your upgrades didn’t carry over in the event of your death, but that is indeed the case here. Play through Codename: Ocean Keeper and you’ll be able to unlock extra slots on the mech for weapons, give it more speed and even get new weapon types to take on a run by spending the in-game currency at the start screen, dug up as golden ore in the main game. As you can see, the gameplay loop feeds into itself very well, and the challenge is always there to save up enough to make your next run last that little bit longer. 

A Refreshing and Engaging Roguelike with a Unique Hook

All in all, Codename: Ocean Keeper is an interesting game that blends two different bits of gameplay together quite well. The risk of mining is balanced by stomping about in a mech with machine guns attached, and the boss fights really require you to be on your toes.

It isn’t often that we see a game try something new, but the hook found in Codename: Ocean Keeper is pretty strong indeed. 


Buy Codename: Ocean Keeper on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/codename-ocean-keeper/9n7r8jg9r6hm


SUMMARY

Pros:
  • Good gameplay loop keeps you playing
  • Boss fights are crazy
  • Building a walking death machine is quite satisfying
Cons:
  • Story is complete nonsense
  • Can get a bit samey after a while
Info:
  • Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, RetroStyle Games
  • Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), Xbox One, PC
  • Not Available on Game Pass Day One
  • Release date | Price - 19 December 2024 | £12.49
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<b>Pros:</b> <ul> <li>Good gameplay loop keeps you playing</li> <li>Boss fights are crazy</li> <li>Building a walking death machine is quite satisfying</li> </ul> <b>Cons:</b> <ul> <li>Story is complete nonsense</li> <li>Can get a bit samey after a while</li> </ul> <b>Info:</b> <ul> <li>Massive thanks for the free copy of the game, RetroStyle Games</li> <li>Formats - Xbox Series X|S (review), Xbox One, PC <li>Not Available on Game Pass Day One <li>Release date | Price - 19 December 2024 | £12.49</li> </ul>Codename: Ocean Keeper Review
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