Endless Ocean Luminous Review: "Pretty And Serene, But Lacking Depth"

screenrant.com:

The aquatic exploration game,, provides an immersive experience on the Nintendo Switch for players to dive deep in the ocean to swim with all manner of fish, whales, sharks, and more. Developed by Arika and published by Nintendo, the game is a simulation adventure that tasks virtual divers with documenting over 500 species of aquatic life and salvaging relics from past civilizations. Whether playing alone on a solo dive, or experiencing the beauty of the ocean with up to 30 other players, the game is a beautiful, if slow, experience.

is actually the third installment in its series, with its previous entry being for the Nintendo Wii in 2009. is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, which is a bit disappointing as the beautiful underwater environments of the game would be exquisite to see in higher quality than the Switch can provide. Still, the game is beautiful, particularly when using the OLED screen of the newer model consoles, and it provides a deeply immersive experience.

While diving in the fictional Veiled Sea,players are tasked with the job of documenting marine life while gathering a special luminous energy from them. Conveniently, gathering this «luminous energy» is also a visual indicator for players to then know which creatures have been scanned already, as they will no longer have a glowing quality to them and will then have a more traditional look.

The bulk of the game is spent in dives, although there are some story moments interspersed. During a dive, players explore a randomized section of this unexplored, fictional, region of ocean, swimming anywhere they want within the massive section for the dive. Throughout the simple mechanics of scanning sea life, finding treasures buried in the ground, and even exploring shipwrecks and temples,it is a peaceful and stunningly gorgeous adventure.

Even in seemingly scary moments such as encountering a menacingly scarred shark swimming at the diver or when swimming into tight caves with flowing underwater lava,