Endless Ocean: Luminous MSRP $50.00 Score Details Pros Chill exploration Tons of fish to scan Collaborative multiplayer Cons Repetitive gameplay loop Poor story missions Inconsistent sound and visuals In Endless Ocean: Luminous, the sea is an ever-changing natural wonder filled with aquatic mysteries.
Actually uncovering those secrets, though, isn’t quite as awe-inspiring. Related Everything announced at February’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase Nintendo is getting creative to fill out what’s likely to be the Switch’s last full-year lineup, and its latest exclusive is a surprise revival of developer Arika’s ocean exploration series from the Wii era.
The series contains a laid-back conceit that seems more well suited to a modern generation of gamers who embrace “cozy games.” It’s simply a relaxing diving experience about cataloging thousands of fish and hunting for salvage.
It’s an elegant concept, but one that isn’t friendly to a gaming world that measures value by the amount of “content” included in a game.
To modernize an old series, Arika would need to keep players coming back — and that’s where this particular dive runs out of air.