![]() I think Call of the Sea has something to offer a variety of gamers. It reminds me a bit of old puzzle adventure games, like Myst, where the answer isn't always right in front of you but instead hidden around you somewhere. In some cases, you won't know you have all of the pieces for a puzzle until after you return to a spot within your current chapter, making it worthwhile to make sure you complete all of your exploration and examination. From there, it's just rearranging those pieces into a method that makes sense of the madness around you. Most puzzles are about getting all of the pieces through creative methods look around, touch all objects, make sure you're putting your notes into your journal. This is also all chronicled in Norah's journal (on top of any clues you find), giving players a chance to read up on her thoughts about everything she's discovering. That's the critical piece – on top of helping unfold more of what's occurred during your husband's adventure, you build a better sense of the people he was with, the challenges they faced, and ultimately what happened to them. But they're fun, they do challenge you, and they expect you to take some time to look around you. That was at least until chapter four, where I was just unable to wrap my head around some of the puzzles after a couple of hours of trial-and-error. I was actually pretty thrilled at the puzzles' variety since some took more creative thoughts while others were a quick "oh, I should have looked at the back first" scenario. I say that because they at least vary in intensity – some will take some time to solve, others will be more straightforward. The puzzles are not generally challenging, but they do offer some definite opportunities to flex your brain. I only wish I did not have to toggle it by either clicking the right stick or using the right trigger given how slow she was without, it should immediately have become the default once unlocked. She's not really running, but it at least makes her a bit more mobile than her slow walk. Thankfully, as well, the game offers you a "run" button that speeds up Norah's movement. The simplicity of the gameplay itself – interact with A, use the right stick to move things around to find potential clues, use the left stick to change puzzle selections – makes the core focus fall on the puzzles and not on getting around the island. ![]() There's still your fair share of darkness that creeps in, but it just felt so much different amidst the game's stylings. Call of the Sea eschews all of that and brings players to a bright, tropical experience in the South Pacific. Most games that dance around a Cthulhu-esque experience end up being dark, depressing, and set in the dreariness of New England. ![]() Somehow it made the game just pop more throughout the experience. It felt very akin to Rare's version of piracy in Sea of Thieves, but I thoroughly enjoyed the island jungle setting's vivid brightness. The game looks gorgeous, even without HDR support. ![]() Using what info you have, you set out to find him and whatever cure he's hopefully discovered. He sets off on an expedition sometime before the start of the game, leaving you alone without much indication of what's happened to him. Your husband, also educated and well-to-do sees himself as the intrepid adventurer and stops at nothing to find a cure for your mysterious illness. You're Norah Everhart, a seemingly well-to-do and educated woman from Colorado, long-suffering from some mysterious illness that has caused you no end of troubles and seclusion. The old vernacular aside (I'm pretty sure I remember hearing the phrase "good show, old boy!"), the game is a straightforward, fun playthrough. It carefully balances a world-building experience and puzzle-solving with a 1930's adventure on a tropical island. From Out of the Blue, Call of the Sea is a fresh take on the whole Cthulhu mythos and puzzle games in general. ![]()
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