There are many gamers who have a problem with games copying the style of other popular franchises. I personally don’t understand the hatred though, at least as long as the game in question is just influenced by, rather than a direct copy. There’s nothing wrong with attempting to copy the perfect formula to sell games.
With Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm the key influence is obviously that of the Zelda games. We don’t have too many of those types of games on Xbox, so I have been excited to dive into the colourful world.
Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm is a prequel, rather than a sequel to the first game, set a thousand years prior. You are playing as an unnamed hero who has a sword, some blonde hair, playing out life as a knight. Your playground is the colourful world of Gaia and it is this location which is the star of the game. Dark forces and an evil warlock have come to Gaia, bringing with them the most terrible of robotic machines. Your job is to unite all the different factions and destroy the warlock’s plans.
You are joined on your travels by Trin, a female pilot and a robot with a sword. The story and writing are good, focusing on some lovely characters and a world full of intrigue and lore. It’s an amazing place to spend some time in and while not completely open world, Oceanhorn 2 delivers a very attractive place to explore.
Gameplay takes place in the third person and definitely has that Zelda vibe to it. You have combat, exploration, fetch quests, and some puzzle elements to the gameplay. It’s that exploration that is the real joy, as the world is interesting to get around. The controls are very basic though and strangely there isn’t the chance to pull off a jump; something which takes a while to get used to.
In combat terms and again Oceanhorn 2 makes the most of quite a simple setup. You have three hearts as your life bar and those can go quite quickly if you’re not careful. The combat works with a mix of your sword, utilising a slash attack and then blocking with your shield or rolling out of the way. Once you’ve got that down and get your rhythm going it can get quite easy.
There is also an option to use a gun, shot with an aiming sight. But you have limited ammo to keep an eye on. Neatly, there’s special ammo too – like a fire bomb. The downside is you can’t lock on and the camera gets tricky with multiple enemies.
Throughout Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm you’ll find yourself smashing anything and everything around you, hoping to grab items that can be used to get more ammo or crafting opportunities. But there are puzzles too, including environmental ones that involve lighting barrels to open doorways and asking your party members to stand on a trigger. There is nothing too complicated but it is all pretty fun at the same time. It’s that feeling you’ll get throughout the game.
The visuals are a treat. The colours are bright, clean and Oceanhorn 2 looks brilliantly sharp throughout. The character and enemy designs are fairly family-friendly and pleasingly designed. But it’s that world of Gaia which stands out. It is a fantastic place to be in and I’d like to go there on my holidays.
It must be said that the soundtrack is of a very high standard as well, with a good range of different tracks to go with the areas you are exploring. It also features some voice-over work; again, that does a great job of bringing life to the characters and the story.
There is little that is truly original about Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm. In fact, it could be classed as a budget Zelda game. But that would be a harsh criticism because there is loads to love about it – a great world to explore and a good chunk of gameplay as well. And those moments are helped by the fact that the story is fun and the gameplay elements, while familiar, are easy to pick up and play with.
Oceanhorn 2 – Knights of the Lost Realm might be the perfect choice for those looking to get their teeth into a family friendly adventure.
