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[chickdigger802]

(The Game is out in New Zealand. It should be out in US at about 11 PM EST and Europe at around 12 AM UK time. Size of the app is 170MB. Price in NZ is 12.99$ which should translate to USD $8.99)
Appstore link

Why should I care?
* Zelda like zelda game. Bombs, spin attacks. etc. etc. (a bit poor timing at when its launching, but it sure is purty outside of the iffy protagonist)
* Open world water stuff is similar to Phantom Hourglass where you draw paths and your ship follows. Also nice looking.
* Soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) and Kenji Ito (Seiken Densetsu)
* 10+ hour main campaign.
* iOS 7 Controller support for when those are out.

Description

SET SAIL AND EMBARK ON AN EPIC JOURNEY
Grow from a boy to a legend.

You wake up and find a letter from your father. He is gone…
The only lead is his old notebook and a mysterious necklace. What happened?

Explore the islands of Uncharted Seas, a world filled with many dangers, puzzles and secrets. Fight monsters, learn to use magic and discover ancient treasures which will help you on your quest. Use all your wits and skill to unravel the mysteries of ancient kingdom Arcadia and sea monster Oceanhorn.

Oceanhorn combines captivating storytelling, breathtaking 3D visuals and exciting gameplay into one massive action adventure experience you will never forget.

Enjoy an incredible soundtrack from the best video game composers in the world:
Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy*) and Kenji Ito (Seiken Densetsu*)

Master the game effortlessly with accurate touch controls or iOS7 Controller.

FEATURE OVERVIEW:

-Music from legendary Nobuo Uematsu and Kenji Ito
-10+ hours of story driven gameplay.
-Master magic and swordfight
-Find ancient items to help you on your quest
-Game Center Achievements
-Accurate Touch Controls
-iOS 7 Controller Support


Recommended Hardware:
-------------------------------
iPhone 4s and higher, iPod touch 5th gen, iPad 2,Mini or higher***

Not compatible with iPad 1

***Oceanhorn takes advantage of the latest in graphics technology and delivers the best and most enjoyable experience only on the recommended devices.

Screenshots:

Debut Teaser
Gameplay preview

Reviews

GAF Impressions

 

[Comandr]

Will buy.

 

[Cowie]

You weren't kidding about "Zelda ass Zelda clone". This is Zelda as fuck.

Curious enough to give it a shot.

 

[SmokyDave]

Blimey, I'd forgotten about this. I reckon I'll grab it once I have a decent iOS controller.

 

[D-Back]

I'm ready

 

[Rootbeer]

Somehow I feel like calling this a 'clone' is putting it too lightly.

It still looks FANTASTIC though, I want to play it. But not on my Tiny 4S... I need an ipad dammit

subbed to remind me to buy this down the road :3

 

[chickdigger802]

buying it mostly for the music. TA preview makes it sound like its a bit less hand holdy than you'd expect.

could be neat if the level design holds up.


gonna be a great game to test out the new ipad mini retina

 

[Majestad]

Seems like a nice little diversion until A Link Between Worlds Drops.

 

[luokyl]

Holy mother of god that is a Zelda ass Zelda clone Zelda, for Zelda in Zelda of Zelda Zelda Zelda. Jesus, I thought you were kidding until I saw the screens.

 

[chickdigger802]

Seems like a nice little diversion until A Link Between Worlds Drops.

A bit sad that the art direction feels stronger here lol.

 

[infiniteloop]

Really gone off iOS gaming recently with the IAP push, will pick this up though.

 

[Tizoc]

One of these days someone is actually going to state wtf genre 'Zelda' is.
Until then, will get for the iPad I have at home.

 

[heringer]

Might grab it tonight. Don't hate me but I like the visuals better than A Link Betwen Worlds (even art wise). Though animations are a bit too simple.

 

[Fergie]

Blimey, I'd forgotten about this. I reckon I'll grab it once I have a decent iOS controller.

Same.

But oh LAWD does it look good.

 

[Myriadis]

Might grab it tonight. Don't hate me but I like the visuals better than A Link Betwen Worlds (even art wise). Though animations are a bit too simple.

I think most agree that A Link Between Worlds doesn't look that good anyway (at least when seeing screenshots on PC).

And we need more Zelda clones that have at least some effort behind it. This one looks like a good start.

 

[Nilaul]

I would buy this on anything but iOS and android.


Postives and negatives based on game-clips on youtube:

+ Nice Outdoor art style
+ The overworld design seems interesting.

- There is something terrible wrong with artstyle/effects when your navigating your boat, its like the water and the sky are from a different game
- Some of the sound-effects the enemies are laughable ( What does the evil soldier say? "yah! yah!")
- The animation of some enemies are terrible ( No one taught them how to use a sword)

 

[Hero of Legend]

I would buy this on anything but iOS and android.

Yeah, this looks like the perfect game for Wii U eShop. Was it made on Unity?

While I'd question if Nintendo would allow it, then again, Angry Bunnies happened.

 

[co1onel]

This actually looks alright. I might have to give it a try.

 

[Nilaul]

Yeah, this looks like the perfect game for Wii U eShop. Was it made on Unity?

While I'd question if Nintendo would allow it, then again, Angry Bunnies happened.

Yeah, this game would had been brought up by the "Nintendo audience"; but even Steam would do.

 

[HBroward]

Wow this has been in development for years now, it's crazy that this is finally coming out. Looks really nice, can't wait to try it out.

 

[Tokieda]

This is why I never want Nintendo to leave the business.
Many have tried, but noone can emulate their games well.

 

[Deleted member 8095]

Finally! I remember when the first screen shots of this game came out and I've been patiently waiting ever since! So excited it's finally here! I feel like games like this at $8.99 are a huge sign that traditional mobile gaming devices could be in trouble.

 

[Ricker]

Looks nice and like Zelda graphically anyway but does it have the gameplay...?

 

[Dr. Buni]

Might grab it tonight. Don't hate me but I like the visuals better than A Link Betwen Worlds (even art wise). Though animations are a bit too simple.

Well, it is not hard to top A Link Between Worlds in terms of art style. That game looks ugly.

On topic, this Oceanhorn thing looks great. Uematsu music is a big yes, but Kenji Ito is meh. Anyway, I would play it if I had iOS.

 

[hongcha]

I miss the days of games like Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, Illusion of Gaia, Ragnacenty, Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn), and other such action RPG adventures. We didn't call them "Zelda clones" back then. But nowadays, when such a game comes out people just dismissively label it a "Zelda clone" before they even play it. It's sad to see.

Anyway, I'm buying this later today, and I'm very much looking forward to diving into it.

 

[mjc]

I would try this out but I can't stand touch controls with virtual joysticks.

 

[chickdigger802]

This is why I never want Nintendo to leave the business.
Many have tried, but noone can emulate their games well.

still, i wish there were more zelda style games around. I can guess its not the easiest genre to attempt lol.

 

[Famassu]

Looks bad. Combat looks super-cumbersome and the game doesn't really seem to have any of the complexity of a Zelda game (even shitty one like Phantom Hourglass). Art style is nicer than A Link Between Worlds, though, that game is FUGLY as hell.

 

[Jackano]

I miss the days of games like Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, Illusion of Gaia, Ragnacenty, Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn), and other such action RPG adventures. We didn't call them "Zelda clones" back then. But nowadays, when such a game comes out people just dismissively label it a "Zelda clone" before they even play it. It's sad to see.

Come on just check the previous topic here on GAF about this game. Clone isn't even the correct word...

It's certainly sad but not because people aren't gonna give it some credits (some here like you will), but because the shameless steal of The Wind Waker and other Zelda games style really ruins everything else. They did put some effort into it (music for instance) so why ripping off the rest? They can't even design a new compass, they had to take the artwork from TWW and replace the blue color with brown. How they manage to get to that point is beyond me. I'm kinda disapointed by Uematsu and Ito here.

Worst part, iirc, there is another very similar case but with one of the former Rare composer... Can't remember exactly maybe I'm wrong.

 

[FaintDeftone]

I hope there is some sort of trial, because I'm always skeptical of mobile games. Looks good, though.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Aonuma: ~laughs~

 

[Deleted member 8095]

I hope there is some sort of trial, because I'm always skeptical of mobile games. Looks good, though.

Could wait for GAF impressions. I will be brutally honest with mine if the game isn't good. I've been waiting forever for it and I don't want to be let down!

I wish there were more Zelda clones in this world.

 

[heringer]

Come on just check the previous topic here on GAF about this game. Clone isn't even the correct word...

It's certainly sad but not because people aren't gonna give it some credits (some here like you will), but because the shameless steal of The Wind Waker and other Zelda games style really ruins everything else. They did put some effort into it (music for instance) so why ripping off the rest? They can't even design a new compass, they had to take the artwork from TWW and replace the blue color with brown. How they manage to get to that point is beyond me. I'm kinda disapointed by Uematsu and Ito here.

Worst part, iirc, there is another very similar case but with one of the former Rare composer... Can't remember exactly maybe I'm wrong.

Eh. Outside of boat and ocean the game really doesn't look that much like Wind Waker, to be honest. Actually, if people only saw screens of the game without the ocean and not knowing it's a Zelda "clone" no one would be screaming "WIND WAKER!".

 

[Donald Bubbins]

So I've played the first 10 mins or so of Oceanhorn and I tell you guy, we have a winner on our hands.

It looks, sounds and controls great. Very polished and very smart.

Impressions...

Spoiler

Right away it starts off rainy and moody (as it was in A Link to the Past) and has great track by Nobuo Uematsu.

I was surprised to find it has some voice acting during key scenes which was nice.

This is definitely a game you will want headphones for.

Spoiler

Which is odd for me to say because I almost never play iOS games that require sound.

Then it just gets right in to letting you play. The movement is really responsive and combat so far has been fun. It really captures (copies?) Zelda well. I can't wait to play more at lunch.

 

[PixyJunket]

Wow, this is a fairly shameless copy.

On the other hand, apparently charm is not something that is easy to copy.

 

[heringer]

Almost 2 hours in... I like it. It's pretty much a Zelda clone (it's indeed pretty shameless sometimes) but it's decent, I'm having fun with it. Probably more than I did with PH and ST. Navigation is more Phantom Hourglass than Wind Waker.

Tip: block just before an enemy attack and it will bounce, giving you an opening. The visual cue is very subtle (animation is not hot in this game) so I discovered this by accident. Some enemies like ogres will block you, so it's usefull to know,

 

[chickdigger802]

what are yall playing on?

Is there icloud sync?

 

[chickdigger802]

Game is out in US store!

 

[hongcha]

I played for about 20 minutes. It's a lot of fun so far. It runs fairly well on my ipad 2, but the framerate is not always smooth. Controls are generally good, and the music is really lovely. It doesn't remind me much of Zelda so far, I am getting more of a Landstalker vibe, maybe due to the isometric viewpoint.

Anyway, I'm off to play some more.

 

[Tankshell]

Downloaded this during lunch... it's good.

 

[chickdigger802]

Game is quite good. Missing a level of polish found in nintendo games (dude seems to get a bit funky around walls and edges), and the animations are serviceable at best, but everyone else is quite good.

Super pleasant visuals that pop on retina displays, while the ost compliments it well.

game doesn't really hand hold you either. It's quite possible to get 'stuck' if you miss something or a npc to talk to.


Also, zero iap or ads, which is increasingly rare these days.

 

[Totobeni]

Funny it look million years better looking graphically (and in art style) l than A Link Between Worlds.

will there be an andoid version or is this an iOS only game? I might get it for nvidia Shield if there is an android version.

 

[heringer]

Game is quite good. Missing a level of polish found in nintendo games (dude seems to get a bit funky around walls and edges), and the animations are serviceable at best, but everyone else is quite good.

Super pleasant visuals that pop on retina displays, while the ost compliments it well.

game doesn't really hand hold you either. It's quite possible to get 'stuck' if you miss something or a npc to talk to.


Also, zero iap or ads, which is increasingly rare these days.

Yeah, I'm loving this. The game kinda lets you explore and figure out things by yourself. No walls of text, tutorials, etc.

 

[Danielsan]

Looks better than the 3DS Zelda game.

 

[stuminus3]

So I've played the first 10 mins or so of Oceanhorn and I tell you guy, we have a winner on our hands.

Mobile gaming... -.-

 

[hongcha]

will there be an andoid version or is this an iOS only game? I might get it for nvidia Shield if there is an android version.

The developer has stated this week that this game will be only on iOS.

The choppy framerate is starting to kill my enjoyment of the game. I'm on iOS7 on an ipad 2. Many parts are really choppy. I know this problem would go away if I bought a newer ipad, but all my other games run fine, so I'm not going to do that any time soon.

 

[R.I.P]

Would be interested in trying this out, but not right now. I started replaying Twilight Princess yesterday and with ALBW coming out in a week my Zelda itch will be scratched for a while.

 

[chickdigger802]

Mobile gaming... -.-

uh... it was miyamoto that said that if a game doesn't get you hooked in the first 10mins, the game is pretty much shit.

The developer has stated this week that this game will be only on iOS.

The choppy framerate is starting to kill my enjoyment of the game. I'm on iOS7 on an ipad 2. Many parts are really choppy. I know this problem would go away if I bought a newer ipad, but all my other games run fine, so I'm not going to do that any time soon.

to be fair, its a bit choppy on ipad mini retina too. hopefully the devs polish it up a bit more for a7. it seems to run a bit better on my iphone 5 (there doesn't seem to be icloud saves though).


Sea stuff really does like quite good.

 

[Totobeni]

The developer has stated this week that this game will be only on iOS.

The choppy framerate is starting to kill my enjoyment of the game. I'm on iOS7 on an ipad 2. Many parts are really choppy. I know this problem would go away if I bought a newer ipad, but all my other games run fine, so I'm not going to do that any time soon.

Thanks for the info. oh well :/

uh... it was miyamoto that said that if a game doesn't get you hooked in the first 10mins, the game is pretty much shit.

that just so wrong, If I go by Miyamoto's "get hooked in 10 mins or the game is shit"" logic then all Zelda games after Alttp are shit.

 

[v1oz]

Is this any fun to play on an iPhone? It looks look the type of game to play on the ipads bigger screen.