Call of the Sea

It would have been a quick, ENJOYABLE, 2 - 4 hour game with replayability in trying to get all the achievements, but... the walking pace is hideous. (And I'm not going back for the achievements.) You can either tiptoe, which they consider walking, or you can walk at the speed of someone in absolutely no hurry to get anywhere, which they call "run", that requires clicking L3 or holding down R2 the entire time while moving. This added 4 hours to the gameplay of, "Oh, I'm sorry. You turned left instead of right so you can't interact with that clue properly yet and will have to spend 10 minutes walking back over there and then another 10 minutes walking back over--" Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. Even worse is if you went the correct direction first but thought you went the wrong way and that the puzzle you came across wasn't solvable without more information, so you spent the 10 minutes to go the other way only to discover that IT'S the puzzle that can't be solved without the one you went to first but hadn't solved.... There's one large room where you can see the exact path you should have taken, in hindsight. I showed my boyfriend what the optimal route would have been. Say 1, 2, 3, 4, 1 is the correct route... the one I took was: 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 and a death glare at 1 when I realized I had to go back there again. There is nothing new or interesting in between each point when you're having to backtrack, which is where an ACTUAL run button would be nice. In another example, where 1, 2, 3, 4 is the correct route, I went: 3, 1, 2 (didn't realize I could solve it), 5 (a path that wasn't necessary outside of an achievement), 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (trying multiple solutions in an area that took a few minutes per attempt because I wasn't sure if I was missing something or not doing it correctly and I didn't want to spend 10 minutes backtracking if the latter was the case), 3 (found a missing clue), 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (got fed up and looked up a guide), 2 (looked at the guide again because I was still missing something based on a photo I'd seen while skimming through the guide), 3 (to find the other thing I missed), 4. So no. I would not recommend this game unless the run button was changed to actually make the character RUN.

WOW. just... WOW! I am an avid puzzler, having played the Layton games all throughout my youth, and I must compliment the puzzles in this game. They were involved, challenging, interesting. Sometimes even so much I had to get a second opinion! And the story was just *chef's kiss*. This game truly deserves the high praise because it is a masterpiece. The landscapes, sounds, everything was so beautifully crafted and deliberate. I cannot wait for time to pass and me to forget about this game so I can experience it all over again!

[i]"In real life, true love stories don't end with a wedding."[/i] A magnificent game telling a truly beautiful love story. I was just amazed by everything in this game. The graphics were simply stunning. I loved exploring every corners of the environment, examining every detail and reading every document I could find. I also really liked the game's take on Lovecraftian themes. The plot kept me intrigued from start to finish, blending emotional storytelling with Lovecraftian mystery. And the various puzzles were well designed and logical to solve, especially after finding all the notes and logs in the in-game journal. I absolutely loved this game and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys story-driven adventure games. Looking forward to play Call of the Elder Gods next!

The game is beautiful, but ultimately the story and the puzzles left me kind of untouched and wanting something more.

Bought as a puzzle game, enjoyed for its beautiful vistas and art style. This could be considered an entry level puzzle adventure game as there is only ever a single problem to solve and all information collected is sorted in the journal. This makes solving the puzzles very straight forward, only in the last 2 of the 6 chapters the complexity ramps up a bit. What made me keep playing was the atmosphere that slowly changed from colorful island to something more sinister. And in the end even the story had more depth than expected. For the lenght of the game I'd recommend waiting for a sale, 20€ (when writing this) feels a bit steep for only a few hours of gameplay.

Call of the Sea seemed interesting - the island, the story, the hints of horror. I really wanted to like it, just have some cozy time solving puzzles. I didn't think the slow walking speed mentioned in reviews would bother me, but it did! Moving around felt clunky and it was hard to spot the objects you needed to interact with. For me not being big on puzzle games meant lots of walking around, dreadfully slowly and my finger got tired of pressing the "run" button. I decided it was not worth my time and find it hard to recommend for the reasons mentioned.

There are four main elements of this game: Norah's monologuing, the narrative, puzzles, and the art. I will list and explain them from worst to best. 1. Norah's monologuing: Norah is our protagonist, and simply will not shut up. This is my biggest gripe with the game because it is so constant, and absolutely ruins it for me. Norah points out every single obvious detail, which I guess in some games would be fine, but in a puzzle game, you have trusted that the player is smart enough to finish your (sometimes complicated) puzzles, yet inserted dialogue that points out that the sky is blue when you're looking at it. Thus implying that your player isn't smart enough to notice the details to solve your puzzle. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't a line of dialogue for literally everything. Additionally, a lot of the monolguing is so deeply saturated in the racism and colonialism of the early 1900s that I wanted to throw something at my computer. I understand it's the 1930s, but do you NEED to tell me that you find Polynesian people and an ancient civilisation to be primitive and unable to create technology? Also saying that you feel the pain of slaves and resonate with them immediately after saying you are in the best mental shape of your life is INSANE. The game is fully voice acted, with full cast, which is really cool, and I think all the actors did a great job. Unfortunately, the voice acting I liked the least was Norah's. 2. The narrative: Female protagonist :) but the story is still all about a man :( , and all of her decisions turn out to be made by that man. Take it or leave it, you might not mind it. Kind of forced ending that had no build up and really makes no sense (and we examined EVERYTHING we could while doing the puzzles). A lot things are not explained mainly being how Norah's family got the illness they have (trying not to spoil too much), so the ending does not feel satisfying in any way, no matter what you choose. Norah and Harry call each other "Dear Old Pal" which is meant to sound endearing but really just sounds like the lyrics to Michael Buble's "Santa Buddy". Can't believe Harry friend zoned his wife like that. Harry had more chemistry with Frank #pride. The amount of crates and stuff these FIVE people on this expedition are able to bring with them up a mountain is wild - apparently these, once again, FIVE people brought like 15 tents and set them up everywhere they went and abandoned them as soon as they went somewhere else. Pick up your litter people! 3. The puzzles Some are fine, some are sort of fun, some are tedious, and all involve too much walking, and she is sloooooow. Even when she's sprinting. The fact that there is a journal that automatically takes notes for you is a nice feature (however, only writes down things you interact with, which can be annoying). Definitely got some use out of it though. Sadly, I never felt really satisfied when I finished a puzzle, a lot of them felt like I was just going through the motions. 4. The art Worst thing first, the icon that pops up when you can interact with something is white, small, and super easy to miss, and you have to be right up on it when you click on it. Also, the glinting off of anything reflective is distracting and makes it seem like you can interact with it when you can't. This game is gorgeous, which made it run poorly on my computer sometimes, but it was worth it. Even on a lower resolution the colours and the architecture were really lovely and very immersive. Did not disappoint, especially in the latter half of the game. The drawn parts (in letters and photos) are also quite nice. The soundtrack was also amazing, great at building suspense and felt really well rounded. Honestly could've done with more of it. Would I recommend this game? No, but if you're looking for a puzzle game to pass the time, wait until it's on sale and have a fun time yelling at Norah.

Beautiful game with an unexpected story. It tells a beautiful bittersweet story.

A really fun adventure puzzle game with a different look at the deep ones.

Short, but a solid Lovecraftian story. Being familiar with some of the source material I knew where it was going from the opening cutscene, but it was fun getting there. The puzzles are balanced well; I had to think a bit to figure some of them out but never felt stuck, and it's quite a poignant story.

Fun mystery puzzler, the artstyle and the way the story and athmosphere develops are really well done. took me about 11 hours, including time spent afk, so this is a rather short one, if you are used to puzzle games in general. Combined with the slow pacing it is certainly not for everyone, but It pulled me in after a while. The most annoying thing for me was that the environemt sometimes does not really communicate your boundaries, so I spent quite some time bumping into invisible walls after wanting to explore my surroundings. Also I encountered two softlocking glitches, but a reload fixed the first one, the second one was fixed like this: https://www.gog.com/forum/call_of_the_sea/chapter_6_softlocked_on_a_flight_of_stairs. All in all, had fun, felt very casual, I liked the puzzles and story, next game by this studio is probably nice if they fix their exploration mechanics/communication a bit more.

A lovely puzzle game, with an intriguing story. It was nice to have puzzles that required some exploration of the area and context to solve, it was a nice level of difficultly that felt challenging whilst still being achievable. Would recommend, 10/10!

(no spoilers) this game is really sweet! it starts off kind of simple, and then you really deep dive into it and the lore. (i swear, my pc crashed like five times when i played chapter 3, the game gets bigger). the puzzles are well made and some of them are very tricky - and i think coming from me that's saying something because i really only ever play puzzle games. the only thing i felt like it was a filler was all the walking from here to there and back again during some puzzles. but it's ultimately worth it. the plot twist of the story itself was well delivered, and honestly i had kind of forgotten about the package she received, so early in the game. overall i'd give it a 9/10, great acting, art and singing!! loved it and recommend.

Shallow story, bad voice acting, too easy puzzles, unrealistic details (tape player in 1934?). On a pro side: Very beautiful sea life underwater.

Beautiful visuals, nice puzzles and the right amount of storyline. Really enjoyed this!

Sad but beautiful All achievements ∼7-8h Amazing art style, great atmosphere, great story, fun puzzles Gameplay can be a bit slow (climbing ladders, swimming and certain interactions felt super slow) Glad i got to experience it

Pros: Stunning graphics and art style. Cool puzzles, good story pacing. Soundtrack is chill. Overall beautiful atmosphere. Cons: Very slow walking and running speeds. Not a single characters shows up on game, just pictures. They didn't bother to model a single character. Sometimes she talks to much and helps way to soon with the puzzles, would like to have figured out somethings without her hinting at me immediately. It's a 7/10, if you like puzzles and find it on sale, you should buy it.

ah very very very beautiful game the story is pretty fine The monologues are really boring. She's just saying what she sees. and holy molly all the running, I was playing on Steam Deck and I was considering checking some puzzeles online only due to the location size. The ending is amazing, I didn't expected that and really like that this was done.

I bought the game only because I found an unofficial Arabic translation on an external site. I was hesitant at first, but the translation really helped me enjoy and understand the story. I hope the developers consider adding official Arabic support in the future. Great game for fans of puzzles and mystery-driven narratives

I adored this game. the puzzles were built well balanced in difficulty, and every piece of information you might have needed to memorize was built in to a notebook in game. The story was so moving and powerful and I found the game to be a work of pure art. I highly recommend to anyone who is even slightly on the fence. Beautiful graphics and an amazing soundtrack, I highly rate Call Of The Sea.

This game is the perfect amount of spooky and mystery. The story is compelling and the visuals are stunning! I wish I could play it again for the first time.

This game is beautiful. From start to finish, it felt like coming home. It is now the standard to which i will hold all puzzle games. I was never bored, nothing was repetitive, i couldn't wait to get back into the world and finish the story. Utterly beautiful.

Fun and unique story. Beautiful visuals and good voice acting. Some of the puzzles take big wrinkly brains, though :(

This game is very enjoyable and well done! The graphics are good and the island your exploring is beautiful on land and under water. Even though I usually dislike anything involving "health", I still found myself wanting to continue and figure out the mysteries of the island, the MC, and her LI. The best part for me is that the puzzles are actually puzzling at times. There were a few times when I had to step away and really think about how to approach solving them or what the notes in the MC's journal could possibly mean. If you are looking for a game to play at your own pace with challenging puzzles and a beautifuly heartbreaking story then this game delivers.

I highly recommend this game. The story is engaging, the puzzles are challenging, and, most of all, the environmental design is absolutely breathtaking. I found myself slowly wandering around each level, just enjoying the view. I am a huge fan of the Lovecraftian elements, and it reminded me of the animated Atlantis movie in some respects. Absolutely worth a playthrough.

Movement speed and game speed in general is incredibly slow, and the narration by the main character is repetitive, obvious and way too frequent. The first chapter was nowhere near engaging or fun enough to convince me to get past these down-sides to continue. The visuals are pretty nice, if a little same-samey. For Steam to list this as "similar to Outer Wilds, Obra Dinn and Edith Finch" is an insult to those games.

Meh, only get on sale. Game is too easy and not replayable at all. I only had trouble once with one puzzle and even then it turned out I did solve it correclty but got confused in the solution implimintation. Better get one of "the room X" series.

Truly loved it. If you like puzzles and story games, I really recommend it. Puzzles are honestly hard, but I'm proud that I didn't ever looked for outer help or hint, so they are solvable. Also the story... don't want to spoiler it to anyone, but it's really, really interesting. You will feel a lot of emotion for sure. [spoiler] Not sure if it's really a spoiler, but just in case I write it here. I cried a LOT at the end, the final choice was very easy to make but the aftermath... oh god, made me ugly cry haha. [/spoiler] Scenery and music are obviously amazing, can't even get the right words to say how beautiful everything is in this game.

A very good storyline with great graphics of the island, ship, caves, undersea, etc. For the most part, the puzzles were intuitive but there are a few that made no sense to me at all (the mural puzzle, for instance) and I would still be marooned there but for online walkthroughs. Also, the dimness underwater and in the caves impeded visibility to the point of groping around in the dark. Overall though, this was well worth doing.

I'm always up for a good Lovecraftian game (sans the...erm... rather hefty racism of the original HP). This was beautifully, colorfully made, but also suspenseful and creepy with some subtle little touches (shapes moving in the clouds/ shadows) that added a lot of atmosphere without resorting to jump scares. Solid story line (although I think there's a missed third ending😉), puzzles that were challenging but logical, which saved SO MUCH frustration! a beautiful, unique, and complex backdrop with some neat navigation effects (loved the current-riding), a strong protagonist who built the story in first person, and movement that, except a whole lot of juddering getting on ladders, really suited the scenario... I loved how swimming adjusted depending on speed and direction, that was some thoughtful detail. This very satisfyingly tapped the interactive-mystery nerve Myst let me know I had, a gazillion decades ago. Nice work.

beautiful visuals and a compelling story!

Nice puzzles, very good story and well made environment

Solid first act, but runs out of steam pretty quickly. The puzzles weren't really [i]that[/i] hard except for [spoiler] the section where you are meant to decipher and then rotate dual meaning symbols in your head, and then match them to a grid!. One too many layers there! [/spoiler] But that puzzle was pretty satisfying to solve. Probably frustrated a lot of people though. Act three was rough, and the ending was unearned: [spoiler]there's zero buildup to her choice. It's also unclear when she actually performs the ritual. Beyond that, she always seems to know things that the player never experienced, and she'll just have random character development at moments with no clear reason[/spoiler]. The walking speed was the most frustrating thing. It's always a crawl, and if you want to alleviate it at all you have to hold your finger on the right trigger permanently. It's a solid puzzle game though, just don't go in expecting a satisfying story.

Please ignore the bad reviews and try this game. People complaining about "easy" puzzles probably do nothing but play puzzle games. Saying "walk around until something clicks" you mean, walk around and find clues and read notes for the story to figure out clues to solve puzzles... you know, the point of the game, I do not see that as a negative in the slightest??? Not sure what those reviewers are going on about. At no point did i get frustrated over puzzles, at no point did I find a puzzle that didn't make sense as long as I read all the story notes and looked around the area. You are playing as a woamn looking for her husband after he never came back from an expedition, of course you need to look around and figure out what happened THAT IS THE POINT. Anyway, the game was BEAUTIFUL, I wanted to explore and look, even found some secret things doing so. The voice acting was great, the story was great, I was up till late late because I wanted to know what happened next so bad. From the moment I booted up the game I could tell how much care went into this game. I hardly ever leave reviews but after seeing what some people were saying about the game I HAD to because what they are saying is just not true in the slightest.

Like the game! Had to google for help a bit tho, i'm an idiot :D

Cool story bro

10/10 I am a sobbing mess

Dear Old Pal

Return to fish

GOOD