The aging Nintendo Switch continues to surprise with revivals of cult hits. Case in point: Endless Ocean Luminous ($49.99) is the third entry in the casual scuba diving simulation series that went dormant on the Nintendo Wii more than 15 years ago. Now, a new generation can observe and photograph digital marine life. But while the game's relaxing dives offer a great first impression, especially when playing with friends, it’s ultimately too shallow to deliver on its potential.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Fishy Photography
Endless Ocean Luminous focuses on diving into uncharted waters to study and shoot marine life. It’s a bit like New Pokemon Snap, except you can freely explore in all directions. A grid-like map tracks where you’ve been, and displays topographical information like routes blocked by rocks.
The ocean is full of cool things to observe. The game includes more than 500 sea creatures to find and scan. The wildlife looks fantastic—clownfish, flounder, lobsters, manta rays, sharks, squids, and other creatures come to life with great detail, color, and animations. I can’t confirm the virtual aquarium's accuracy since I'm not a marine biologist. Still, I appreciate the various animals and environments. Some real freaks live in the depths. That said, the rest of the graphics sometimes look like something from the Wii era; Pikmin 4’s take on the natural world is much prettier.
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(Credit: Nintendo)
After scanning a fish, you can read a short educational summary or enter the photo mode to apply filters and change angles. You can also swim along with them. This not only looks cool, but solves puzzles. For example, you may be tasked with swimming near certain ruins with a specific creature in tow. Endless Ocean Luminous lets you do whatever interests you, even if that means simply kicking back and enjoying the tranquil ambient music. All this poking around gives you points that increase your rank. With higher ranks, you swim with bigger fish and earn more in-game currency for cosmetic customization (stickers and color palettes—more on those in a bit).
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Initially, the cozy gameplay is intriguing. However, you spend most of the game aimlessly floating around, continuously scanning whatever is in view. Sometimes, it's something you may have seen dozens of times. I have no problem with weird simulation games that require lots of personal curiosity and self-guided motivation without many external rewards. Still, Endless Ocean Luminous’ repetitive gameplay quickly wears out its welcome.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Dive In, Peace Out
Endless Ocean Luminous feels stretched thin, and the few game modes do little to convince me the concept could sustain a whole game. The main mode is Solo Dive. Its most interesting aspect is that you can randomly generate a new ocean if you grow tired of the one you’re currently exploring. That’s a cool idea for increasing variety, like a pacifist roguelike. That said, the algorithm sometimes spits out levels featuring annoying obstacles that hamper exploration; obstacles that a human designer would likely correct. The result is stages that blur together. That's realistic for real-world oceans, but dull in terms of gaming.
A story mode offers a sci-fi explanation for your actions. Whenever you scan a fish, you capture the glowing bacteria that surrounds it. Your goal? Gather enough “light” to restore the dying World Coral before it throws the world out of balance. Story missions bring you to fascinating new locations, but they’re brief experiences. Worse, unlocking each new mission requires scanning hundreds of creatures, turning the campaign into a grind.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Endless Ocean Luminous often feels like the early days of No Man’s Sky, a charming title that inspires strong wanderlust but lacks the substance to support the chill vibe. I’m not saying the game needs to turn into a shooter, but Endless Ocean Luminous has a void that a few mechanics could fill, much like Disney Illusion Island. My wife, a casual gamer who was instantly sucked into Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ peaceful rhythm, wished there was more to do to keep her engaged.
(Credit: Nintendo)
Online Oceans
Fortunately, good company can elevate many experiences, including Endless Ocean Luminous. The game has an online multiplayer mode that lets 30 players join a Shared Dive. I participated in an hourlong online demo Nintendo held before launch, and it was the most fun I had with the game.
Playing Endless Ocean Luminous with other people alleviates solo play's many issues. This isn’t a precision fighting game, so you won’t notice any online latency. Multiple divers exploring the sea quickly opens the map and fosters satisfying teamwork. You can warp to distant players instead of tediously swimming across the area. In addition, you can tag everything from cool fish to treasure spots with emoji so other people can check them out.
Multiplayer also made me more invested in expressing myself. I cared about wearing a pink outfit that contrasted against the blue surroundings so people could see me. I wanted them to admire my pufferfish stickers and marvel at the yoga pose emotes. The exaggerated nonverbal communication felt more appropriate for the environment than voice chat.
Online co-op play is also the best way to tackle the game’s most interesting and content-rich feature. During any dive, you may be tasked with hunting a handful of marked targets. The job is much easier to do with multiple people. After completing the mission, a massive majestic creature called a UML (unique marine life) appears for you to scan. These are essentially bosses, complete with special introductions. You encounter UMLs during solo dives, but it feels like an awesome, nonviolent Monster Hunter raid when playing with friends. Like a live service game, Endless Ocean Luminous is slated to have limited-time event dives with unique content and leaderboards ranking your team dive points.
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Verdict: This Ocean Needs More Motion
I wish I liked Endless Ocean Luminous more. During a few fleeting moments, the game was almost transcendent—I felt one with the sea and was enamored with the stunning marine life. But it didn’t last. If you’re interested in picking up Endless Ocean Luminous, play with patience, online with friends, or in small doses over a long period. Otherwise, this ocean dries up fast.
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Endless Ocean Luminous
3.0
See It$49.99 at Nintendo
MSRP $49.99
Pros
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Hundreds of beautiful fish to observe
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Relaxing atmosphere
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Fun online multiplayer
Cons
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Thin, repetitive gameplay loops
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Slow, grindy progression
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Inconsistent randomized levels
The Bottom Line
Endless Ocean Luminous offers pleasant deep sea exploration on Nintendo Switch, but the fish photography goes from soothing to boring far too often.
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In 2013, I started my Ziff Davis career as an intern on PCMag's Software team. Now, I’m an Analyst on the Apps and Gaming team, and I really just want to use my fancy Northwestern University journalism degree to write about video games. I host The Pop-Off, PCMag's video game show. I was previously the Senior Editor for Geek.com. I’ve also written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m the author of a video game history book, Video Game of the Year, and the reason why everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.
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