What the team Out of the Blue created, within Call of the sea, it is an experience that seems like a real blast from the past. Not only for the historical period in which the adventure described here is set, that is the 1934, but above all for the playful structure itself concentrated almost exclusively in the completion of the puzzles. Unlike most of the titles in the current market, which attempt to combine multiple genres to offer a complex product complete with features, the very first creation of the Spanish team focuses solely on this playful element and little else. The result is a product that is certainly suitable for a specific audience, but which manages to surprise both for the goodness of the commitment in level design and in a narrative not to be underestimated.
A love that overcomes the disease
The story tells of Norah Everhart, a young woman who is afflicted with a mysterious incurable disease. Apparently, the protagonist's family is passing on this evil from generation to generation, something that develops slowly by delivering the unfortunate from within. Shortly after witnessing the disappearance of her mother, due to this kind of curse, our protagonist is also affected by the same disease, thus ending up being forced to stay in bed and live with some spots on the body. Fearing for the survival of Norah, her husband Harry Everhart He then sets out on an expedition in search of a cure. Our heroine, however, manages to feel better with time but, unfortunately, for months her partner hasn't sent any more letters from her dangerous mission. This at least until a dagger arrives from the island of Thaiti, a message that encourages Norah to go on a journey to find out what really happened to her Harry, hoping to find him alive and well in any remote part of the globe.
Call of the Sea being a purely product narrative, we prefer to stop the story here in order not to incur any spoilers that may ruin your play experience. However, it is enough to know that the script turned out to be one of the most successful parts of Call of the Sea, going in directions that always manage to surprise the user without ever looking for a predictable or trivial solution. Norah is found practically alone for the duration of the adventure, so much so that we never observe the faces of the characters, except during flashbacks, photos or some kind of visions. The result is an evident intelligent writing by the authors, which focuses a lot of the user's attention on the thoughts and questions that Norah asks herself during her journey. The work even has the advantage of offering a feeling of loneliness and anguish to the gamer, even though there is no enemy on the island capable of causing pain to the young woman.
A short but surprising journey
The side gameplay of the work of Out of the Blue proves a lot compact and functional, taking advantage of few but well thought out features. The title identifies as a kind of point and click in first person, in which the player travels through some restricted areas over the course of six chapters that make up the whole adventure. The player then has the task of exploring every corner of the levels in search of objects with which to solve environmental puzzles, find elements that expand the lore of the product or simply to observe the landscape. The player's task is not to have to fight against some type of monster or military, so much so that our protagonist is practically defenseless with no possibility of being able to be able to in any way. In fact, the structure of the game is based solely on the elements we have just described, and perhaps that is why the adventure is relatively short. The duration to complete Norah's journey varies between three and five hours, time that does not increase much if you decide to bet 100%. Being a mainly narrative product and that practically goes in one direction only, the replayability of the work is reduced to a minimum.
I environmental puzzles they are probably the spearhead of Call of the Sea, being very varied and well built. The areas of each chapter, apart from that of the prologue, put the gamer's ingenuity to the test, leading him to look for every single clue to solve the problem of the moment. Norah doesn't own it though no maps or inventory, while keeping every single relevant thing annotated in a small but convenient diary. Thanks to Norah's excellent ability in the art of drawing, the player can access the clues at any time. This feature is launchable during every single action of the game and, of course, also while solving some kind of puzzle. Unfortunately, not all of them are actually clearly legible at first glance, with situations where the player could find the solution of the puzzle by chance. Their difficulty is not so exaggerated, but they manage to offer a relaxing experience without ever really putting you in crisis. Finally, the enormous presence of puzzles is a good incentive for lovers of the genre also thanks to the difference of each one and the ability to fully exploit the game world around them.
Call of the Sea is not only distinguished by its simplicity of gameplay and in a plot with a good script, but also by its real artistic side. The game published by Raw fury it proves to be a real joy for the eyes, thanks also to the diversity of the environments presented and its bright colors. A truly enviable style the one directed by Daniel Nombella Lòpez and created by the small Spanish development team. The graphic engine used for this work is the well known one U, which again demonstrates its versatility not only in the stylistic style but also in the pure and simple gameplay. The soundtrack and sound effects are also to be rewarded, which despite not being all this creative originality manage to let the player enter the mysterious atmosphere of Call of the Sea.
