This review contains spoilers
A wonderful combination of two central mechanics that are usually reserved for usage in minigames in other titles - timing-based fishing, and tetris-esque inventory management - along with a strong art direction, and a solid dose of cosmic horror.
The gameplay systems here are fairly simple, but satisfying. The fishing mechanic gets a few switch ups as the game progresses, but they never really stray too far from the original template. The inventory management feels great at the start when you only have a few slots to put simple shapes into. However, you quickly gain more space on your ship, and with the need to hold larger and larger items arising, this makes the feeling of slotting cargo perfectly into place grow more infrequent as the game progresses. Due to the length it takes to complete, however, neither of these main mechanics grew especially tiresome.
One major criticism I do have is that the game is a lot less interesting while your sanity is high, and regaining it by sleeping to pass time has absolutely no negative consequences. I think having something attached to it to push for riskier play and engagement with the supernatural elements - such as a monetary cost - would have been beneficial. Undocking and redocking also felt like a chore at times, especially to sell the content of crab pots.
I felt quite at home with this game's aesthetic. Muted colors are very much in my comfort zone, and the game's palette is primarily composed of them. I also appreciate how the aforementioned comfort zone morphs into a literal safe haven, as bright, saturated colors are usually an indication of eldritch elements at play. Between the dreary towns you visit, the grimy designs of the characters who live in them, and the melancholic music that plays for a minute or two before allowing the waves to do the talking, a firm atmosphere is established.
There's also a huge contrast between the peaceful yet somber daytime at full sanity, compared to the aggressively haunting nighttime with a rapidly blinking red eye at the top of your screen. Seeing the ghost of a ship from centuries past, heading towards it in curiosity, only for a crag to appear out of nowhere and wrench you from your fixation as the ship fades away; this was one of a handful of moments of mesmerization the game provided me with.
I wish there was more I could say about the story, but it was engaging enough to keep me hooked, and the blunt yet evocative writing style ensured there were no dull moments. Narratively, the ending was foreshadowed quite heavily, and unraveled as I expected save for one interesting recontextualization near the end. I would like to give a shoutout to the way the camera moves in that very last scene, making the imagery especially striking.
The gameplay systems here are fairly simple, but satisfying. The fishing mechanic gets a few switch ups as the game progresses, but they never really stray too far from the original template. The inventory management feels great at the start when you only have a few slots to put simple shapes into. However, you quickly gain more space on your ship, and with the need to hold larger and larger items arising, this makes the feeling of slotting cargo perfectly into place grow more infrequent as the game progresses. Due to the length it takes to complete, however, neither of these main mechanics grew especially tiresome.
One major criticism I do have is that the game is a lot less interesting while your sanity is high, and regaining it by sleeping to pass time has absolutely no negative consequences. I think having something attached to it to push for riskier play and engagement with the supernatural elements - such as a monetary cost - would have been beneficial. Undocking and redocking also felt like a chore at times, especially to sell the content of crab pots.
I felt quite at home with this game's aesthetic. Muted colors are very much in my comfort zone, and the game's palette is primarily composed of them. I also appreciate how the aforementioned comfort zone morphs into a literal safe haven, as bright, saturated colors are usually an indication of eldritch elements at play. Between the dreary towns you visit, the grimy designs of the characters who live in them, and the melancholic music that plays for a minute or two before allowing the waves to do the talking, a firm atmosphere is established.
There's also a huge contrast between the peaceful yet somber daytime at full sanity, compared to the aggressively haunting nighttime with a rapidly blinking red eye at the top of your screen. Seeing the ghost of a ship from centuries past, heading towards it in curiosity, only for a crag to appear out of nowhere and wrench you from your fixation as the ship fades away; this was one of a handful of moments of mesmerization the game provided me with.
I wish there was more I could say about the story, but it was engaging enough to keep me hooked, and the blunt yet evocative writing style ensured there were no dull moments. Narratively, the ending was foreshadowed quite heavily, and unraveled as I expected save for one interesting recontextualization near the end. I would like to give a shoutout to the way the camera moves in that very last scene, making the imagery especially striking.