Ocean's Heart Reviews
In the great pantheon of top-down 2D Zelda-alikes, Ocean's Heart is right up there with the lovely Blossom Tales. The world is well designed, the items and abilities are perfectly judged and it is aware enough of its influences to feel like a loving tribute rather than a cynical clone. Combine this with some nicely written dialogue and you have a winning formula. A great remedy for the January blues and a nostalgic trip back in time.
Ocean's Heart is an excellent tribute to the Zelda era on SNES, but it also knows how to shine with its own light both in the pleasure of exploration and in the narrative tone.
Review in Italian | Read full review
From start to finish, Ocean's Heart is an enjoyable, albeit short, adventure following the familiar 2D Zelda formula. Having a brand new world to explore, filled with various side quests, should be enough to get any fan of that classic top-down template excited. While the writing and dialogue feels subpar at times, the familiar, yet still-solid gameplay makes up for it. Ocean's Heart is undeniably a 2D Zelda game in all but name, but Tilia's adventure shows that a game doesn't always need to be groundbreaking to be a good time.
When it isn't going through the motions with its main story, Ocean's Heart is an imaginative retro adventure worth your time.
Still, Ocean's Heart is a tremendous experience even with some rough edges. It's evocative of the likes of Minish Cap in all the best ways and succeeds at being more organic and open than a lot of similar games. I'd love to see this game's foundation build and grow because the promise is immense, but even if this is the peak of Ocean's Heart's developer Max Mraz, it's still an enjoyable game.
Ocean's Heart is a charming, albeit uninspired, Zelda-like 2D adventure that wears its influences a bit too heavily.
There are moments when the difficulty spikes a little too harshly but that's compensated by the simple continue system. The map can be unhelpful and the borders between spaces a little hard to always detect. But Max Mraz knows how to make the player feel welcomed inside the world he builds and I cannot wait to see what he can deliver next, after Yarntown and Ocean's Heart.
When you're looking to emulate a known quantity, especially when it's a Nintendo franchise on a Nintendo system, you know the risk you're taking...
Ocean’s Heart is a flawed, but entertaining Zelda-like experience – minus the protagonist dressed in green, of course.
"Princess sister from another mother."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Ocean’s Heart feels like a mixed bag for a number of reasons. It has great dialogue and side quests but features a lacklustre protagonist and a world brimming with unexplored potential. It riffs off of 2D Zelda combat but fails to execute it nearly as well. While it borrows elements from the classics, it doesn’t always stick to the landing. It feels so close yet so far to being a great top-down RPG, but overall leaves a lot to be desired.
Overall, Ocean’s Heart is a pleasant RPG adventure that will tickle the fancy of any Zelda fan. While there are minor navigation issues, these do not detract from the experience. The game is stuffed full of content, puzzles, dungeons, and quests, making for an expansive, well-balanced, and well-crafted experience that belies the fact that it’s from a small development crew. Through and through, this pixelated pirate adventure has found its true home on the Nintendo Switch console. So set sail: the heart awaits!
As an action role-playing game that feels familiar even as it makes its own choices, Ocean’s Heart wears its influences proudly.
Ocean's Heart is an entertaining and accessible Indie game, the only question is whether it is a useful marketing choice to make a comparison with the Zelda franchise. These games are not the least to be compared with, making it almost inevitable to come out as lesser. Nevertheless, you can spend quite a few hours in this game, and it is certainly a very suitable game in terms of price for the novice gamer who wants to get acquainted with the RPG puzzle-adventure genre.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Overall, I had an absolutely wonderful time with Ocean’s Heart and loved it the whole way through. With that old-school Legend of Zelda vibe in both gameplay and art style, add in some unique twists and takes, and couple it with an immersive world, and you really have a recipe for success. While there were a few technical problems and design choices that I didn’t agree with, most of the time it wasn’t a big enough issue to truly worry about for the most part. With tons of bonus quests, caves to explore, and a secret boss, Ocean’s Heart is sure to keep you well entertained!
Ocean's Heart is a charmingly sassy action adventure RPG. There are pirates, mysterious ruins, exploration, and monsters along the way. It embraces the Zelda style for an engaging yet casual experience.
Is Ocean’s Heart worth playing? Absolutely. The low difficulty and complexity make it feel like Zelda for beginners, but that’s not necessarily a fault either. It might not reinvent the wheel, but Ocean’s Heart has just enough heart to make it worth it.
Ocean’s Heart is a charming adventure, even if none of its ideas are new. I would have liked a bit more polish and consistency in the mechanics, but Ocean’s Heart’s sense of discovery and whimsical fun was enough that I enjoyed my playthrough.
The game's not perfect — its dungeons and combat are relatively mild and its main campaign is eclipsed by more engaging optional content — but it successfully channels the adventurous spirit of Nintendo's fan-favorite Zelda franchise, particularly in its overworld.
Ocean’s Heart is a colourful, quirky action-adventure game with some charm. It is pretty easy to play, but it can lead to a few frustrating moments as the controls aren’t always precise. It’s more a love letter to the top-down RPG adventure than a clone. If classic action-adventure games are your thing, give Ocean’s Heart a try.