Call of the sea review simulator#

The fact that Call of the Sea features a female lead character feels like a substantial step forward and the game makes it clear that the primitive civilisation hidden on the island predates the human residents.

Lovecraft’s own bigoted representation of racial difference is well known by now and I shudder to think how this story would have worked in his hands. As a result, the setting feels sensitively treated and the mystery aspects are not simply colonial fantasies. Developers Out of the Blue made sure to bring in a consultant from the la Ora Tahiti International School, a foundation whose goal is to teach and promote Polynesian culture. Its use of a Polynesian setting could have resulted in a simplistic white saviour or noble savage narrative. While it breaks out of the homogenisation of so many other Lovecraft adaptations, I was still a little apprehensive going into this game. My only real niggle with the puzzles was that, with some of the more complex examples, it wasn’t made clear that I hadn’t yet discovered all the clues. A simple voiceover of ‘I have everything I need’, or ‘I need to find out more’ would have helped alleviate the frustration in at least one of my examples. The sense of satisfaction from solving a difficult puzzle is always great, and it really added to my enjoyment that I couldn’t lean on a walkthrough as a crutch to get through. I would definitely recommend working through this with as few spoilers as possible, although it has to be said that it would be a shame to leave the story unfinished if you find yourself irrevocably stuck. There were several occasions where I felt stuck enough to stop playing, but then went back after mulling them over and having an epiphany. Some of these involve finding objects to open up doors while others are far more elaborate and involve collecting clues from several locations to work out what to do.

Call of the sea review simulator#

The original music is a genuine highlight too and composer Eduardo de la Iglesia has done a fantastic job at matching the tunes to the setting and feel of the game.Ĭall of the Sea is a hybrid of walking simulator and environmental puzzles inspired by the likes of Myst and The Witness. Their recurring use of ‘dear old pal’ as a term of endearment gives an intimacy to their letters and voiceovers that really connects you to their story. The voiceovers are excellent as well, with both Cissy Jones and Yuri Lowenthal bringing a real feeling of emotion to their performances as Norah and Harry respectively. Whilst this would normally set the metaphorical scene for a character’s increasing madness, here Norah instead begins to feel more at ease and physically recuperated as she delves further into the island’s mystery. As you progress through the island you move from tropical paradise to stormy beaches and weird structures too large to be made by human hand. Your character, Norah, travels to the island in search of her missing husband, Harry, who is looking for the cure to her mysterious illness. Set in the isolated Pacific islands of the 1930s, Call of the Sea makes good use of this novel environment to create a sense of loneliness that seems at odds with the lush and fertile surroundings.

Rather than focusing on the usual aspects of a descent into madness and evil tentacled deities working behind the scenes, Call of the Sea is billed as a story about an awakening from delirium and the acceptance of one’s true nature. Call of the Sea has been turning heads for a while now, its preview footage promising beautiful, almost cel-shaded exploration and an emotional and mature story that takes influence from HP Lovecraft in an original way.