Have you ever played any of the Zelda games? Did you like the Zelda games? If your answer is yes, then Oceanhorn is a game for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that you are not going to want to miss out on.
Oceanhorn is a game you can buy from the App Store, that works across all your iOS devices. And you don’t have to buy it separately for each of your iOS devices, buy it once and you can download it for free on your other iOS devices.
It’s Zelda… but for your iOS Device
Oceanhorn could practically be called a ripoff of the Zelda games, this is because it pretty much is a Zelda game. If you’ve ever played any of the Zelda games, you’ll spot the similarities right away. You start off with a stick as a weapon, then upgrade to a sword and shield. There are treasure chests, bosses, annoying flying birds that attack, bombs, bow and arrows, and even a boat that you use to explore the vast map.
Oceanhorn also has all those convenient annoyances you’ve come to expect from Zelda games such as not being able to buy bombs, until you go into the cave, solve the puzzles and then beat the boss. Remember those duku scrubs that would shoot seeds at you? That’s in Oceanhorn as well, and yes, you can use your shield to reflect them back.
There are lots of puzzles to solve as you traverse the mazes of dungeons. Most puzzles are fairly simple and don’t require much more than pushing a pressure block or shooting obvious switches. There are some puzzles that aren’t as simple to solve though, I can’t deny that some puzzles took me a little while to figure out.
Great Graphics, Gameplay & Music
For a game that you can play on your iOS device, the graphics looks absolutely amazing. The gameplay graphics look a lot like Windwaker, although for the most part when playing, you are in a top-down view mode. When you get into your boat the view somewhat levels out to let you get a grasp of everything in the distance. Facial expressions on the other hand are practically none existent. The main character seems to always look angry.
The gameplay is smooth on both of the devices I tried it on (iPad 4 and iPhone 5s). The controls are easy to use and the buttons are large enough that you aren’t constantly frustrated at missing it. The controls aren’t perfect, but that’s because it of course uses touch controls.
The music is superb and the occasional voices aren’t bad either. It makes it feel like you’re on an epic adventure. Dungeons have music that is somewhat spookier than when you are simply exploring while on your boat. Traditionally the character you play doesn’t say a word, however some of the other characters speak.
Bottom Line. Is it fun?
Absolutely! When I first downloaded this game, I played it for 4 hours without putting down my iPad. There are many islands to unlock as you go through the game and each island is explorable. There are treasure chests that unlock awesome new weapons and collectable heart pieces that increase your HP.
Basically if you are like me and were a fan of the Nintendo Zelda games, then you’ll like Oceanhorn. Without a doubt this is one of the best iOS games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Don’t just take my word for it, watch this:
about the author:
Editor in Chief at AppDucate. Damien Zander likes Graphic Design, CSS and is a big fan of everything Apple. Stay up to date with his articles by following him on Twitter & Google+.
