![]() Thankfully, you typically tackle one major puzzle at a time and the vast majority – despite being complex or multi-stage – are easily solvable once your brain has found the connection between several sets of clues. Call of the Sea’s one immersion-breaking concession is how Norah leaves gaps in her journal, an absence that lets you know you’ve missed something vital. The diary can be opened at any time – an essential feature as most puzzles require you to observe visual designs and patterns, taking note of their position or order. … most puzzles require you to observe visual designs and patterns, taking note of their position or order. Not only does exploration reveal more of her character in her commentary and monologues, but it also fills out a list of important clues for tackling each regions major puzzles. Norah notes down everything she sees in her diary, with one section reserved for her interpretation of past events, the other dedicated to recording important puzzle clues. When it comes to the gameplay, thorough exploration of each self-contained region while looking for interaction icons is the key to progression. It’s up to the player to decide if what they’re seeing is real or not. This ties into the binary ending choice, with both feeling equally viable, rather than a throwaway effort to give the player a sense of agency. She’s more than capable – sleuthing her way past multiple puzzles that left the expedition using brute-force – but being both sickly and female has stifled her ambitions in a patriarchal world. Voiced by the immensely-experienced Cissy Jones, Norah manages to both sound sincere when describing her love for her hubby (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal), but also express her frustrations at her role in society. ![]() Unexpectedly, I found myself pushing forward regardless, thanks to the excellent writing, characterisation, and Norah’s constant commentary and reminiscing. ![]() …I found myself pushing forward regardless, thanks to the excellent writing, characterisation, and Norah’s constant commentary and reminiscing. To delve further into Call of the Sea’s story risks spoilers but fans of Lovecraftian stories, even those who only know of his most famous stories in passing, will know the direction it's going well before the finale. Norah’s husband Harry is pushing relentlessly forward, driven by a desire to cure Norah’s debilitating condition, an ailment that – mysteriously – improves while she is on the island. It’s the perfect setup for a relaxed 6-7 hour gaming experience, which has you moving between self-contained chapters as you push deeper and deeper onto the island, picking up the trail of the doomed expedition. You take the role of Norah Everhart, a young woman on the hunt for her husband's missing expedition, exploring a lush island that seems to host the ruins of a lost civilization that predates the Polynesians.ĭespite the promise of otherworldly elements and several ominous locations, Call of the Sea is not a horror game… ![]() To get the most out of the story and narrow down potential puzzle solutions, you need to explore, observe, document clues, and be ready for some mental gymnastics.Ĭall of the Sea takes place in 1934, on a mysterious island off Tahiti in the South Pacific, shunned by local fishermen. It’s a stylish, otherworldy, first-person “walking sim” at the most basic level, however, unlike so many of its peers, it has a clear narrative arc and a strong focus on complex puzzles with minimal hand-holding. Call of the Sea is the first game from new studio Out of the Blue Games (a studio made up of veteran developers).
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