This game is a colorful action-adventure game clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda, particularly Wind Waker and A Link to the Past. It offers exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, wrapped in a vibrant, cel-shaded art style. I'm particularly a fan of the Zelda games, but I'm not really a Nintendo fan, so I'm biased when it comes to these Zelda-like titles because they are the only way for me to experience Zelda again.

The soundtrack, featuring contributions from renowned composers like Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito, enhances the atmosphere and gives the game a warm, nostalgic tone. And this element is very important since it really helps setting the atmosphere of the game, similar to how the games that inspired it. The game’s strengths lie in its charming presentation, approachable gameplay, and steady sense of progression through new equipment, upgrades, and XP-based perks.

However, its heavy reliance on familiar mechanics means it lacks a strong original identity, combat and puzzles are simple, offering little challenge for veterans, and sailing between islands is mostly automated, making travel feel repetitive. The narrative and dungeon design, while serviceable, don’t always feel as polished or engaging as its inspirations. And there are no RPG elements like many Zelda-like titles tend to have, which brings a little more complexity to the table, so don't expect too much on this regard.

Overall, Oceanhorn is an enjoyable, beginner-friendly adventure with beautiful visuals and a relaxing soundtrack. Don't let yourself be fooled by this game's origin being in the mobile platforms, this is pretty much a full-fledged single-player adventure game. It’s best suited for players in the mood for an accessible, nostalgia-driven journey, but those looking for deeper gameplay or a fresh twist on the formula may find it a bit lightweight.

Pros:
+ Nice soundtrack (albeit repetitive)

+ Decent voice acting for cutscenes

+ Overworld and dungeon exploration/puzzles are done well and enjoyable

+ Felt like a knockoff Zelda clone

Cons:
- Felt like a knockoff Zelda clone

- REALLY ugly character and enemy models

- Fishing and sailing segments were awful and time consuming

- Combat is stiff and unsatisfying

- You never end up hooking up with that dumb girl from town!

Final Thoughts:
Have you ever bought a downloadable indie console RPG from the late 2000's/early 2010's for the 360 or PS3 during the whole "western developer takeover" era? If not, then welcome to Oceanhorn! I remember that when the game's first trailers dropped, they made having Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito onboard as major selling points. Their budget must've gone towards paying them for a handful of contributions because the rest of the game was unable to air out the stench of generic mobile phone game.

You play as your typical silent protagonist in search of his father, traveling from one island to another on the lookout for clues and other junk to save the world from some mythical critter named Oceanhorn. The islands themselves, along with caves and other locales, looked decent enough although there was very little in their respective designs to tell them apart. Characters and enemies, however? Yikes! It definitely feels like there were major budget constraints in that department, as it looked no better than what you might find in a low-budget Dreamcast game. And even that analogy may be giving it too much credit.

In Oceanhorn, sailing to other islands turns the game into an overly simplified on-rails shooter. While it feels like a neat idea initially, you'll soon get sick of it and wish for the ability to just warp/fast travel from point A to point B. The game also offers a fishing minigame that you'll quickly grow to despise. To catch a fish, one simply has to hold the opposite direction of where the fish is swimming (buttons do absolutely nothing), which exhausts its strength meter. Once it is completely exhausted, you catch the fish. The problem is that fish LOVE to constantly switch direction and unless you're holding the opposite direction, the fish will recover its strength quickly which can lead to a 5+ minute long fishing session depending on the type/size of fish on the hook. Fortunately, there's no real incentive to fish, other than getting trophies on the PS4.

Despite these shortcomings, there's still some fun to be had. Once you get past the initial "smell" of Oceanhorn, the game manages to offer some fun item exploration, puzzles to solve, and bosses to conquer. It's a fairly easy game, with only some minor frustrations here and there. Would I revisit Oceanhorn again? Probably not, but that's only because there are likely better bootleg Zelda games out there.