Sea of Solitude

I could go on and on about this game, but just know that games like Sea of Solitude are important. It personifies Kay’s journey with mental health issues, and brings to light different types of situations that people suffering from MHI might encounter. It also brings with it perspective that some people absolutely need should they know someone going through MHI and potentially a starting point when it comes to getting help for that individual.

Sea of Solitude makes one o the better and more realistic recreations of some mental issues that are more common that most people think.

A brave, harrowing exploration of a troubled psyche which proves very powerful indeed. [Issue#180, p.83]

Sea of Solitude on Xbox One is too short, some of the gameplay doesn’t ever push hard enough in terms of what could be done, and the last act isn’t as interesting as it could have been. But the way the story and the journey are crafted and told through its characters, themes, visuals, and audio is superb.

Sea of Solitude offers a surprisingly deep adventure that not only toys with perception, but inadvertently encourages you to look inside yourself. Whilst the gameplay would have benefited from a bit more depth, what’s present is well balanced, well varied, and well paced. Collectively, this makes for a massively involved journey that showcases its developer’s heart remarkably. Whilst slightly flawed, Sea of Solitude is unlike anything else.

Sea of Solitude might be flawed but that makes it more human than any perfect game would ever be. There’s a little bit of classic Ico in the game, especially in the way the journey is concluded, and more than a passing resemblance to Hellblade as an imaginary pilgrimage through a retrospective hardship. When Sea of Solitude states it’s a personal journey, it really is so. It could be about anyone’s passage to understand better not only themselves but also the people around them and that’s the game’s biggest strength.

The game from Jo-Mei is committed to a powerful narrative and visual beauty, but forgets to take risks in the gameplay side.

Looking through my review notes felt like I was reading the journal of an increasingly depressed individual. There's amazing praise at first but that quickly turns to frustration, irritation, and even anger at times. With that said, I'd recommend Sea of Solitude for the school chapter alone. The entire adventure is also only a few hours long so thankfully, it won't overstay its welcome.