First off I'd love to shout-out the game's accessibility options, they're heads and shoulders above most games, especially ones that were coming out at the time. While I'd recommend playing the full game without them if you can, they're both really welcome and fun to dick around with, which is always nice.
Anyways, Even the Ocean... I've played a lot of Analgesic's games, and liked most of them, but I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. It brands itself as a puzzle platformer but I felt like it was closer to a precision platformer a la Celeste, though infinitely easier. The mechanics are good and explored in fun ways, but I did wish that the game tried pushing them a little bit further, even the final levels are pretty simple and more of a fun romp than a challenge. Which is fine, I don't wanna bash ETO for something that it isn't trying to be, I just wanted it to be on record that there was a lot of potential to expand in that direction. As things stand, it's a pretty fun platformer, the core gimmick is solid, used well and there's a nice pace throughout most of it, though despite every level having its own unique elements, it's maybe a tad bit repetitive in the long run.
In terms of presentation man oh man is this a beautiful game, especially considering the low budget. Every background and stage is rendered in a painting style which looks amazing and absolutely fits the dream-like style that Analgesis often goes for. The characters and portraits are rendered as more standard sprites which I don't think mesh very well (especially the portraits which are weirdly realistic and a bit uncanny), but everything else is amazing, from the weightless, otherworldly music to the PS1-style open world map and the always super creative environments that the game makes you go through, Even the Ocean was a joy to go through.
As I mentioned, the budget is small and it shows, especially compared to the much simpler, and as a result tighter, Anodyne. "Cutscenes" are just a slideshow of one or two (again, beautiful) pictures and dialogue is maybe a little inconsistent in quality (I found myself kind of annoyed at some of the side plots, but also very interested in some other ones). Honestly I don't mind, from even the title screen this just reminded me of playing random free RPG Maker games as a teen, giving EtO a completely unintentional nostalgia bonus that I very much appreciated.
It's hard to discuss the main story, which is ultimately by far the most important part of Even the Ocean's narrative (duh), but I will say that while it feels slightly predictable it is heartfelt, well-executed, and once again happens to, completely by chance, end up fitting one trope that specifically appeals to me, which again, I appreciated. But uh, on a slightly more serious note, I found it pretty impactful, and way less preachy than I'd have expected.
Anyways, Even the Ocean... I've played a lot of Analgesic's games, and liked most of them, but I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. It brands itself as a puzzle platformer but I felt like it was closer to a precision platformer a la Celeste, though infinitely easier. The mechanics are good and explored in fun ways, but I did wish that the game tried pushing them a little bit further, even the final levels are pretty simple and more of a fun romp than a challenge. Which is fine, I don't wanna bash ETO for something that it isn't trying to be, I just wanted it to be on record that there was a lot of potential to expand in that direction. As things stand, it's a pretty fun platformer, the core gimmick is solid, used well and there's a nice pace throughout most of it, though despite every level having its own unique elements, it's maybe a tad bit repetitive in the long run.
In terms of presentation man oh man is this a beautiful game, especially considering the low budget. Every background and stage is rendered in a painting style which looks amazing and absolutely fits the dream-like style that Analgesis often goes for. The characters and portraits are rendered as more standard sprites which I don't think mesh very well (especially the portraits which are weirdly realistic and a bit uncanny), but everything else is amazing, from the weightless, otherworldly music to the PS1-style open world map and the always super creative environments that the game makes you go through, Even the Ocean was a joy to go through.
As I mentioned, the budget is small and it shows, especially compared to the much simpler, and as a result tighter, Anodyne. "Cutscenes" are just a slideshow of one or two (again, beautiful) pictures and dialogue is maybe a little inconsistent in quality (I found myself kind of annoyed at some of the side plots, but also very interested in some other ones). Honestly I don't mind, from even the title screen this just reminded me of playing random free RPG Maker games as a teen, giving EtO a completely unintentional nostalgia bonus that I very much appreciated.
It's hard to discuss the main story, which is ultimately by far the most important part of Even the Ocean's narrative (duh), but I will say that while it feels slightly predictable it is heartfelt, well-executed, and once again happens to, completely by chance, end up fitting one trope that specifically appeals to me, which again, I appreciated. But uh, on a slightly more serious note, I found it pretty impactful, and way less preachy than I'd have expected.