Ocean's Heart

 PC
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. 4P.de
    Jan 21, 2021
    73
    Small and sometimes clumsy, but nonetheless charming action adventure in the tradition of The Legend of Zelda.
  2. RPGamer
    Jan 26, 2021
    70
    Ocean’s Heart is a quirky action-adventure game with a lot of charm added in. It is a breeze to play, but if the controls weren’t always so precise, it would be easy to fully immerse in this archipelago and see where the tides take Tilia. Combat is simple but fun, puzzles are in the same boat, and the game puts an emphasis on exploration and adventure with an easy-learning curve. Jumping in to the game to sail the seas searching for the next upgrade and for clues to what happened to Tilia’s family is an interconnected and wholesome endeavor, leaving the player plenty to enjoy and experience.
  3. GameSkinny
    Jan 21, 2021
    70
    Ocean’s Heart is a charming, albeit uninspired, Zelda-like 2D adventure that wears its influences a bit too heavily. Despite that, Ocean’s Heart would feel right at home on SNES, featuring a lovely 16-bit pixel art style that really shines through. Old-school Zelda fans will likely enjoy it and as a retro-styled RPG, it still comes recommended despite these flaws.

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best PC Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
  1. mbestvina
    Apr 12, 2021
    8
    This is a loving homage to Zelda and specifically, feels like a mashup of Wind Waker and Minish Cap. If you love those games, you shouldThis is a loving homage to Zelda and specifically, feels like a mashup of Wind Waker and Minish Cap. If you love those games, you should absolutely take a look at Ocean’s Heart. There is definitely some indie jank here but I’m blown away by how well this game recreates the Zelda magic.

    + Classic Zelda gameplay: Bombs, Arrows, Dungeons, Heart Containers etc.
    + Amazing pixel art, clearly channeling The Minish Cap
    + Excellent world design: Clearly inspired by Wind Waker. It's made up of countless small islands that are connected by bridges, swamps, etc. No sailing, which gives the game a unique vibe even compared to WW and Phantom Hourglass
    + Giant world full of secrets. Mini dungeons, sidequests, and collectibles are everywhere.
    + Lot of freedom to explore at your own pace. Most of the game is optional content and even the first main dungeon can be skipped
    + Feels like BOTW or Souls at the start where you're so weak and just want to explore to get stronger
    + Weapons and armor can be incrementally upgraded with hidden items, incentivizing exploration.
    + Enemies don't drop hearts or money. I didn't like this at first but it's one more thing to make you want to explore and find upgrades and chests
    + Main Dungeons are good too, especially in the second half of the game. The ship graveyard is probably the best 2D Zelda dungeon I've played

    - Some control oddities: Can't use joystick and d-pad, only 2 item slots, menu-rotate buttons cannot be used for other function. Hopefully these can be patched
    - Difficulty fails to keep up as you progress. There is an in-world difficulty toggle that I'd recommend for veterans. You can turn it off if you don't like it
    - Enemies respawn in overworld whenever you go into a cave or house which is really tedious. Thankfully doesn’t happen in dungeons
    - Item roster is pretty weak, few puzzles require anything but bow and bombs
    - Magic is similarly worthless, you can’t get 3 of the 4 spells until you’re at the very end of the game
    - The story lacks urgency and direction, even if the writing is good. You’re just trying to find your father for the entire game and you slowly get pulled into stopping some pirates, with little reason to care
    - My biggest issue is there are too many villages and a few of them are too large. It can take an eternity to talk to every single NPC to get sidequests when you just want to explore the world. I was skipping all NPC dialog by the time I was halfway
    - The game also starts with back to back villages so I really disliked the first hour. But stick with it for a couple hours and hopefully you’ll be as hooked as I was.

    Ultimately these problems are pretty minor. I cannot understate how excellent the world design and exploration are in this game is. It’s a massive, well-constructed world that’s bursting with secrets that are actually valuable. It’s got some rough edges but the core Zelda experience shines brightly in this gem. Many Zelda-style, such as Alundra (too many dungeons/puzzles) or even Twilight Princess (too linear, worthless secrets/money), fail to capture the sense of adventure that this game has, even if it isn’t as polished. I’m shocked more people aren’t talking about this game and if nothing else, this game is MUCH better than the very generic Blossom Tales.    … Full Review »
  2. alivemau5
    Mar 29, 2021
    2
    i had high hopes for Ocean's heart, but it was clear from the get-go that a polished game, this is not. First off the controls are just plaini had high hopes for Ocean's heart, but it was clear from the get-go that a polished game, this is not. First off the controls are just plain wonky, why is "action" the same button as "roll" with no option to separate the two? most of the times i'm rolling when im trying to talk to someone, or talking to a sign when i'm trying to roll... WHYYY?? speaking of rolling, the game has no run button but the roll does make you faster. meaning you're just constantly mashing roll everywhere you go. third, the quests are absolutely terrible. Your "mission" from the get-go is just unimaginative. The quests all boil down to.. oh you should talk to X, maybe they know what to do. then you proceed to go to X. which then forwards the quest. "you should go to Y" which then proceeds to you to the next part. Sidequests? just as boring. "hey someone over there wants you to get something", goes to npc, "hey, i want you to get get this for me" like.. what. who writes these dialogue? everything is just mediocre. Skip this one even if it was free.… Full Review »
  3. Vespi
    Jul 24, 2022
    9
    I can not understand what kind of problems people have with the controls of this Game.
    I finished the Game without any issues.
    Fun Game to Play.
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