Phantom Hourglass Style Game “Oceanhorn” Moves to PC

In 2012 the heavily Zelda-inspired game Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas released in the app store, but now its adventure and JRPG elements have made it popular enough to be picked up by Steam. It is available for purchase in the Steam Store for $14.99 and has received very positive reviews. Oceanhorn is an adventure game set in a world that blends fantasy and technology, its story surrounds an ancient sea monster that tirelessly tries to hunt down the player; Siliconera spoke with the game’s Creative Director, Heikki Repo about his inspiration, the move to PC, and the chance for a console release of the game.

When asked if it was his intention to make a game in a style so similar to Zelda, Repo expressed that he was always a “huge fan of console adventure games and JRPGs, and [his] lifelong dream has been to create a game like Seiken Densetsu, Final Fantasy, or Zelda.” He said the development team finally decided on the Zelda style because there weren’t enough adventure games in its genre. Additionally, they weren’t thrilled with the direction in which Zelda and other games like it were heading. Repo said,

“We wanted to create a game that would take the console-style adventure genre back to its roots! No more handholding or two hour glorified tutorials. No compass pointer that takes you through the maps. Jump to the game and play it however you want: explore the world at your own pace, enjoy a story that never tries to be anything it isn’t, and when the time comes, prepare to take on the epic bosses.”

Repo said that his team is looking into its options for a console release, and would love to bring the game to home and handheld consoles, but can’t announce anything at this time.

For those who feel Oceanhorn is a direct clone of the DS Zeldas (with its exploration by boat, touch controls, cartoon style 3D-graphics, heart containers, and top down view of a young boy with a sword), Repo feels that the game has its own spirit, plays more like the classic games of the genre, and has an unique plot and backstory. He also boasts that his “Adventure-Rank” system is new for the genre– but Adventurer Ranks are unlocked by completing optional Challenges or “micro-quests” on each island in-game, and these sound a lot like side-quests to me.

Either way the game seems to be doing really well, and if you’d like a chance to play a game that’s much like a handheld Zelda on iOS or PC then this is your best option! What do you think of the game? Are you hoping it’ll get a console release? Have you played it already, and is it worthwhile? Speak your mind in the comments!

Source: Siliconera

Alexis S. Anderson

Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.