Call of the Sea

Call of the Sea
78
Metacritic
89
Steam
85.959
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$19.99
Release date
8 December 2020
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
89 (2 970 votes)
Recent
81 (49 votes)

Call of the Sea is an otherworldly tale of mystery and love set in the 1930s South Pacific. Explore a lush island paradise, solve puzzles and unlock secrets in the hunt for your husband’s missing expedition.

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Call of the Sea system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7/8.1/10
  • Processor: AMD FX-6100/Intel i3-3220 or Equivalent
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7750, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 or Equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 15 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
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Adventure, Casual, Indie

$9.99 xDr: 55.80
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RogueRhythm
RogueRhythm

It's nothing crazy, just a very solid experience throughout. Well made puzzles, decent story, competent technical design, pleasing aesthetics. And just to nitpick a little, there's only two things that really took away from my experience. The sound design can cause some confusion at times where you think you hear a puzzle piece cause something else in a room to shift, but if you try to figure out what it is it just turns out to be that the audio isn't placed where you expect it to be. Also, a small pet peeve of mine, if generally you don't have your player making a lot of decisions for the character, only to have one seemingly impactful choice at the end, you really need to make sure like the choice feels like it has weight behind it. Ultimately the endings feel pretty much the same given the conclusion that you are presented with at the end of the credits.

But yeah overall a good experience. Nothing crazy, but if you're just looking for something to play casually on a weekend, this is probably a good selection.

Roshambo
Roshambo

You know, walking simulators aren't so bad when you have an engaging plot to carry you from place to place.

thatdarncass
thatdarncass

Two of my favorite games are Myst and Riven. This is the first game to really capture that sense of wonder and exploration that I loved about those two.

You can see the love that went into it. The scenes were stunning and the story was touching. The puzzles were a good range of difficulty, and most made sense within the plot and environment. There was one in particular that I had to look up because the clues weren't well laid out. But the rest were fun to solve.

Overall, I enjoyed thinking and discovering my way through this charming game.

marinaxp
marinaxp

I am not a huge fan of puzzle games but I went for the adventure , scenery and the interesting story and it turned out to be one of the most beautifully made and memorable games I have ever played.

Quicksilver
Quicksilver

It's "The Shape of Water," Indiana Jones, 1930s nostalgia, Pacific island adventure, and a love story, with a little bit of "Myst." If none of those options interest you then perhaps this isn't the droid you're looking for. I loved the look of the game and the sound design is fantastic. The artwork is beautiful too. I used a walkthrough for some of the puzzles simply to cut down time and to avoid repetition. I got the game on sale and it was money well spent. I clocked up 9.7 hours and enjoyed it. Your turn...

Ashe-Tastic
Ashe-Tastic

This story had me captured for hours on end with very little regard for time. I was completely enveloped by the story and the puzzles were fun and a little bit tricky. Despite this, I would absolutely recommend this game to anyone who loves puzzles and a pleasant, intriguing story that keeps pushing you to want to know more. 10/10 would play for the first time again. It sadly does not have much replay value though, apart from getting all the little secrets and finding every achievement.

RustyShackleford
RustyShackleford

Good story, likeable protagonist, beautiful art style, puzzles are often challenging and require you to actually explore to find the clues to solve them. The game is largely a walking point and click simulator from a first person perspective. There won't be any combat here but the story is engaging and will keep you going. Takes lots of elements from HP Lovecraft stories but doesn't beat you over the head with them. Relatively short game but a nice and relaxing break from action/rpg games, racers, and shooters.

Be warned though, the game doesn't look graphically intensive but it will make your GPU run hotter than you would expect. The game also lacks a lot of graphics settings that have become standard on PC. Not FPS capped but feels somewhat limited as if playing on a console

tomprogers
tomprogers

"Are you sure you want to quit this game?" (It asks you this when you try to exit the application.)

I most definitely do not. But having unlocked the mysteries of its island and characters, and seeing its quest through to the bittersweet end, I have no choice. Like Norah and Harry, I'm different now, and I can't turn back the clock.

This was an adventure I will never forget.

Easily the best use of H.P. Lovecraft I have seen in a video game, although the reality is that the gorgeous setting and intricate puzzles and even the disturbing premise are all outshone by the plight of these two desperate lovers.

KaMikAzE NiNja!
KaMikAzE NiNja!

I liked it with gorgeus visual, musics and story. I didnt like that it only took three hours to finish. I wish it had lasted at least 3 more chapters. A couple puzzles are boring, the rest are pretty fun.

JackShandy
JackShandy

This game does a great job of twisting the story "Shadow over Innsmouth" in a unique way that removes the racist message of the original. A unique take on the lovecraft mythos that ends up being fun and emotionally moving. A wonderful short, affecting and highly polished story with gorgeous art.

Storm
Storm

Man I hate writing this but I can't in good faith recommend this game to anyone. The ending is so good and had me tearing up, but damn...playing the game just isn't great. The voice acting, music, and sound effects are on point. There are two major issues.

The puzzles are not really puzzles. There's not much of figuring things out, instead it's more find X amount of notes and then plug in the pieces. Basically, all of the puzzles are binary puzzles e.g. throw 4 switches out of 6 in order to unlock a gate, just figure out the order. There's no core mechanics that are derived from previous puzzles, it's just kind of random stuff that games like Uncharted or whatever have.

Then there's the story. I do like the general idea of the story, but does the main character have to talk about every single thing? There's gotta be a voice line for every plant and animal you look at in the game...seriously though just about everything you pick up or examine the character has to say *something*. How about letting the player explore your world and figure things out for themselves instead of the main character saying "Oh my, this drawing in the note explains that I can use 2 symbols to solve the next puzzle!"? It gets to the point where it takes me out of the game. I even played without sound for a bit because I just wanted to explore some by myself. It's really a shame because the voice acting is so good.

Another minor issue is that some parts of the game world feel incomplete. The first couple of areas are full of life and there is plenty of attention to detail. Many parts of the last half of the game feel like they downloaded some jungle assets and placed them to get stuff done quick. It definitely cheapens the experience. Again, it's a shame because the character animations are so good and there was clearly some love put into this game.

Overall...this game could've been a lot better I think. It's difficult to design a core mechanic for a puzzle game; it's easy to fill your game up with generic puzzles that most games do. I wish the team had spent more time on the puzzles mostly...and not paid for so much voice acting. My advice for the next game: Let the player explore and figure out things on their own!

RepBatman
RepBatman

good pacing, good story, good length. The puzzles although easy in the beginning become fairly difficult towards the middle and end. you will be staring at your notes journal for awhile trying to figure it out. lots of lore and the environment is great. if you are looking for something lovecraftian give this a shot. you wont be disappointed.

tc
tc

So, some mixed feelings, but overall would recommend the playthrough. Call it Firewatch meets a Lovecraft escape room. More walking simulator / interactive narrative with puzzles than something like Witness or Fez, with excellent production values and a compelling storyline. Some nice "a ha" moments along with a nice notes system make the puzzles more clever than frustrating.

Main complaint is that the game is very short (Steam clocked me in at 4 hours), and most of that time is spent walking (slowly) between puzzle elements, sometimes backtracking. Just wish there was more and that there was less walking between story and puzzle elements.

ChaosDAD
ChaosDAD

One of the best Lovecraftian games I have played. Puzzles are just the right difficulty, the pacing is perfect, story is really nice and makes you care about the characters, overall just a really nice experience. The only con is the length of the game since it's so good and I would really like to play more of it.

m1574k3n
m1574k3n

It is saying I have only played for 17 minutes, thats not true. I dont know why, but steam didnt log my hours.
ANYWAYS, This game is absolutely amazing, the puzzles are overall moderately difficult and the mystery is biting, and is absolutely something you should try if you're just getting into puzzle games or if you have difficulty with others. The emotional tension and setting is spectacular, and the pay-off is absolutely brillaint. I love the story and the game itself so much.

insider
insider

Really visually beautiful game, solid story, and perfect length for this genre. Weakest part were some of the puzzles, but nothing too bad. If you like walking simulators in the vein of Firewatch this will be right up your alley.

Fragglerock
Fragglerock

Its great. Nothing too challenging but lots of fun. The story is great as well. Worth the price of admission.

maddimo99
maddimo99

I absolutely loved this game. No spoilers, but the ending definitely made me emotional. The puzzles were fun and engaging without being too difficult. The story was highly interesting with a strong emotional core. Highly recommend!

KasperKyd
KasperKyd

The game looks like a dream using 3D Vision with Helix Mod, OMG so amazing the environment. I advise the developers if they know how to manage to give it a try in 3D Vision if they still have the technology.
I wish a powerful person in this world to force Nvidia to get 3D Vision back to market.
Anyway good job with the game, it's nice game overall.

Occasus
Occasus

I enjoyed it. The puzzles are never too difficult but require a bit or exploration and thought, and the story is nice.

ed.lewis
ed.lewis

This is more of a visual novel with some decent puzzle elements and some very slow walking and ladder climbing.

The story and art - this is where it shines. I enjoyed the voice acting and the visual style of it, especially towards the end of the game. The story had some good details, most of which are discovered by looking at every scrap of paper or mural in the game. I just enjoyed this the most and it kept me going.

The puzzles - This was a mixed bag. A few of these were cool, some were Myst-like in that you say "oh, I guess these unrelated things are connected because whatever." A few just felt unfinished. Like the "puzzles" of the water jets. There also just weren't that many of them. Just enough to support the story, I guess.

Walking - Walking is So. Slow. After a half hour or so I was searching for mods to just sprint faster in the game. This is especially tedious in the last half of the game where there are puzzles that require you to use objects that are spread out. Ladders were also tedious, but at least there are only a few of those.

Retainedkitten83
Retainedkitten83

This game's story was a surprise to me. I was expecting the usual island tropes like King Kong-esque setting, but no this was a very different story and experience than I was expecting. I'm still not understanding all the lore, but I think that is because there is still some mystery around it. I enjoyed the game and the puzzles, I did have trouble towards the end, I knew what I needed to do, but I'm bad at visualizing so those types of puzzles are always difficult for me. The voice acting was really great. The love between Nora and Harry was so evident even though we only ever see letters and hear Nora talk of him. It's storytelling at it's finest with subtle notes and letters. If you think this might be a game you would like that has story and puzzles give this one a try.

Kumagoro
Kumagoro

One of the greatest walking simulators ever made. Spectacular, intense, with a majestic art direction, and a deep understanding of Lovecraft's themes while at the same time turning them into something different and original.
9/10

Calytrix Royale
Calytrix Royale

A Wonderful, Lovecraftian story that takes place in a beautiful environment.
Only con for me would be the amount of backtracking/walking.

BOXman
BOXman

This game treats the player like a dumb child whose never tried thinking for his self.

Puzzles are "hey look here something is missing MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUT THE THING IN THE THING !!!" or "ITS RIGHT THERE THE ANSWER IS RIGHT THERE !!!" its brain dead. pretty sure my comatose grandpa can solve this puzzles if i threw his body in the keyboard + mouse.

story wise is the most predictable, obnoxious, boring story i have ever experienced. you are in no danger even though you are facing a horny sea god. Later on you become one of his fish minions because you touched black goo or something the story kinda red con itself. After that mess you find the most blank 1 note characters who only leave notes and sometimes items. You learn nothing about them you do nothing with them by the end i forgot they even existed.

Walking sim galore, ever wanted to walk hours on end just to reach a dumbfounded monologue about how fish or a dead beat husband left his wife. I can't even remember the story i think in the end you die and join the fish god combine in another universe.

also if you find high pitched British rich women voice annoying YOU WILL HATE THIS GAME. If not you will be disconnected from the sense of hearing because of how monotone her voice is. even when she faces a giant monster all she says is "*GASP IN SPANISH* is that a monster ?"

3/10 its below mediocre STAY AWAY

Raith Duhal
Raith Duhal

Fantastic lovecraftian story and adventure - simple but enjoyable

Karmack
Karmack

This game gave sort of mixed feelings. I totally liked the visuals, atmosphere and sound design. But the puzzle were too hard and obscure. There are puzzles which had big areas and needed constant trekking up and down. And doing those with how slow the character moves even while running and slow ladder climbing animations is the only thing I hated in the game.

estefi.tarantino
estefi.tarantino

Excelente, hermoso juego. Puzzles interesantes tambien

Lorde
Lorde

Really wish I could play this one. The graphics are beautiful and I enjoyed what little of the game I could play. But this game constantly crashes. I've tried multiple re-installs, changing graphics settings, but it keeps freezing at the same cut-scenes. Pass on this one, unless you want to have your game-play constantly interrupted every time you need to turn a corner.

tracerwaz
tracerwaz

Beautiful animation, fun, low-stress puzzle solving, and Lovecraft themed. Loved it.

Rosaluna
Rosaluna

This was definitely one of the best puzzle story driven games I have played in a long time. The graphics, music, colors, characters were all amazingly designed. I was always engaged and curious about the mysteries that lay ahead. The ending was absolutely amazing and such a good conclusion to the story.

kykex
kykex

This is a good game. Not a great game, but maybe I'm being difficult? I felt the story was still lacking a layer of depth, and we could have gotten more insight into the lore of the island. Many questions are still unanswered.

On a more technical note, this game requires a lot of graphic power. Make sure you have at least the graphic card the game recommends (mine is only slighty inferior to the highest one they recommend, and it was a bit laggy from time to time, indeed). I think it's because the devs decided to load the entire chapter area in order to avoid load time.

Talking about the graphics, they are really nice. The island is beautiful, which is what I was looking for. But it has that "Switch" vibe, a bit like Zelda, breath of the wild, for those who've played the game. So even though we're dealing with beautiful sceneries, they still have that cartoonish feel to them (for instance the cascades do not look natural at all).

Puzzles are rather easy, but I think it's on purpose, so as not to slow the pace down. But in the end, it feels more like playing a walking simulator (albeit a nice one!) rather than an adventure game.

I read other critics and the things i disagree on are the following: I didn't think the pace was too slow. When the main character is running she's still going fast enough. Besides, the areas you work on aren't all that large and I didn't feel like I needed all those back and forth people talk about. Also, I disagree that you could really feel the love between her and Harry... At first I even thought they were best friends, with all the "old pal" throwing around.

Generally I had fun playing the game, and I do think that the game gets more interesting as you play it. For my own personal taste (but maybe not yours?) I still missed something. I felt it was lacking a tiny bit in many areas: story, puzzles, graphics (although apparently my graphic card would not have been able to handle more), a certain "wow factor", and even the ending. But I am aware I am a bit difficult after having played amazing games like obduction (again, that's my taste, that last game didn't please everyone). So let's just admit that this was not a great game, no, but it is still a good game!

martinodv
martinodv

Nice puzzle game. a little samey occasionally but fun.
nice graphics, good controls. nice story.

batmegh.ttv
batmegh.ttv

6.5 hours is about what it took for me to finish the game ( without rushing ) the remainder of the time was just me achievement hunting because i'm a who*e ^.^

the story line gives off a very green hell vibes when it comes to "my partner is dying need a cure must get lost on a secret island to find answers" but it was a very great story.. however i loathe when games force me to pick an ending because RUDE, but whatever. lol - just had to replay the end chapter again for the second ending.
- the only thing i would say i didn't like was that there was no pinpointing parts of a chapter, you had to restart the entire chapter.. which when you're trying to do one simple thing at the very very very end ( like picking the second end choice ) you have to go through an ENTIRE chapter just to get there... which was a little painful. xD

i would highly recommend playing this if you enjoy adventure walking type games with puzzles and thinking, i enjoyed the entire game.

Simbiat
Simbiat

When I first started this game, I thought that the main character is annoying. And, maybe she is. But it works. She is like an eccentric adventurer. Which will contradict the character as you learn more about her. And yet make total sense when you finish the game.
It is short, one evening story, linear, but with a little bit of exploration still. There are places that could have been a bit more polished (for example certain "transitions" (when you reach them in the game - you will know) felt too abrupt and did not really fit, and I was really craving jumping at some places), but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Till its very bittersweet ending.

Tanja012
Tanja012

It's a well-made game with reasonable puzzles.. I almost didn't have to use any walkthrough.. BUT I'm giving a WARNING.. the game is quite scary.. it might not be horror.. but if you have lots of anxieties like me.. I would NOT play this game! I had to stop playing after these 4 hours.. because I don't find it fun to be scared.

It contains these 'scary scenes':

-swimming underwater(in the sea)
-spooky sounds with creepy ooze from creepy eyes
-walking in an abandoned camp, on a beach in the darkness of night with thunder and a huge stranded abandoned ship on the shore.
-very likely it gets worse if you keep playing..

arielteague
arielteague

A solid, beautiful adventure game with a touching story. Definitely take the advice about switching off "Smooth Camera Rotation", definitely makes the game play better.

6kyuubii9
6kyuubii9

This is one of the best games I've ever played. A really amazing story, everyone should have this in their library

superdude20
superdude20

Had a lot of fun with this one. Puzzles are pretty decent. Graphics are top-notch. 9/10

Fenom007
Fenom007

A truly exceptional experience in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game, taking in the scenery, piecing together the story, and solving puzzles. This game stands out as being something that Myst, Portal, or any other first person puzzle enjoyers would be able to appreciate. This is also a game that I think fans of walking simulators or exploration based games would get enjoyment out of. Definitely recommended. I also recommend getting both endings to everyone that gets this, as only one ending is required for the achievements, but the one that isn't is probably my preferred ending. The game took me almost 7 and a half hours to beat, so wait for a sale if you think the price is too steep for that.

metaljerry666
metaljerry666

Incredibly fun, beautiful puzzle game that plays wonderfully on the Steam Deck.

Delayrium
Delayrium

I really wanted to like this game, but the game breaking bugs and certain annoying design choices leave me not recommending this game for people who enjoy puzzle games.

Bugs:
- Sound. I've never had this before in any other game and it's absolutely annoying: all game sound suddenly cuts out and you won't get it back (and I've tried A LOT to get it back any other way) unless you start up a whole new game. Until it cuts out again..
The first time it happend during the prologue and I started a new game. Second playthrough it happend in chapter two. Again, started a new game. Third time it happened in chapter five. But I was so done with this game at this point that I just completed the rest without sound.

- It's so easy to literally get stuck in this game on the most ridiculous things/areas. I've had to reset a whole chapter or load an earlier saved game just to be able to continue.

Other:
The character moves ultra slow. Even the "sprint" option is a snoozefest. And with the amount of walking you have to do in this game, it becomes annoying.

Puzzles are either stupidly easy or illogical. And this comes from someone who is not a puzzle game enthousiast, thus not much experience with actual good puzzle oriented games.

Story was disappointedly lacking in depth and originality.

elettramelodia
elettramelodia

Call of the Sea is a well-written, engaging story game brought to life by quality voice acting. The voice actress who plays the main character really brings her to life, and she's a delightfully wry, yet emotional companion for your adventure exploring the island. While you explore, you find abandoned campsites left behind by your missing husband, and you slowly piece together a larger story about the island and its history. The graphics are beautiful, thought the tents do start to look overly familiar by the end, and the strangeness of the island is really well captured by the game's presentation.

Unfortunately, anyone who's read The Shadow over Innsmouth will figure out pretty quickly where the story is going.

However, even though the game is an excellent story game, it doesn't play very well as a puzzle game. Most of the puzzles are pretty similar, basically just roaming an area for symbols until you have the sequence to punch into the elaborate locks around the island. Each puzzle is self-contained to one chapter and area, and serves more as an obstacle to the storytelling rather than enhancing it. While I had several satisfying "Aha!" moments while solving some of the puzzles, most were pretty simple. It doesn't help that the main character will jot down everything you need to solve the puzzle as you discover it, which renders paying attention to clues and figuring things out almost moot.

That said, there's definitely some good kernels of puzzles in the game. At the end, I found myself wishing I could play the game from Harry's perspective so that I could figure out the codes for myself, instead of having them all halfway solved by my husband.

Spoilers ahead

For example, one puzzle in Chapter 4 deals with the diamond language of the people who live on the island. The language, though limited, has some interesting structure to it, combining symbols to make new meanings. But the meaning of every single symbol has already been deciphered and written down on loose pieces of paper scattered around the puzzle solving site. This language is also only used in this chapter, as each chapter has its own symbols to decipher.

I just imagine how a puzzle could have gone if one language was used throughout the game, slowly teaching the player how to read more and more complicated ideas. For instance, if we had learned the diamond symbols for sun and water and animal in Chapter 1 instead of it being a completely different symbolic language. Then other puzzles could build on that, increasing your vocabulary, and then the puzzle in chapter 4 could simply have Harry introduce the idea that symbols could be combined to essentially form compound words, and let you figure out how to read the murals yourself. Or if the diamond numbering system from Chapter 3 had been introduced, instead of Harry telling you everything, as a counting game or series of math puzzles to figure out the numbers. Or even just design, say, a base 8 number system or something and teach the player how to read it, maybe by having the numbers correspond to the number of people in a mural. There are so many ways the puzzles could have been made more interesting, mostly just by giving the player less blatant information about how the puzzle worked. Instead, it's one step removed from finding the necessary code on a piece of paper. It's finding each digit of the code on it's own piece of paper. And no need to try and correlate the information because the game will do that for you. The puzzles aren't bad, but they are uninspired, and the player is given way too much help to figure them out.

On the whole, this game is an enjoyable experience. I really liked the character writing and lore of the world. But it does function as a glorified walking simulator, which isn't my style. If that is your style, absolutely check this game out. If you buy this expecting a Myst style island puzzle adventure, maybe pass.

One last gripe. The voice acting is good, but I really hated the rest of the sound design. There's rarely any music in the game, though what is there is also pretty. Usually, you're just treated to the sounds of nature. Sometimes these can be inoffensive, but other times it's just unbearable. Do I really need the incessant river and waterfall sounds playing? Absolutely not. And having the thunderstorm sound loop going for all of chapter 3...I wanted the voice acting, so I kept the sound on, but I was really tempted to mute the game at multiple points just to stop the annoyance. The sounds are mixed way too loud, and add nothing to the experience. I'd like to continue pretending that waterfalls don't make noise, like in most video games.

QhitE
QhitE

Mixed feelings about this one. Would probably get it on sale.

The story, graphics and puzzles are good, no doubt about that.

Although I've grown REALLY impatient for the slow movement and searching for clues. I generally don't mind having to wander and double check some stuff, but this game was too much. I showed it to my girlfriend and she initially liked it but she also got irritated soon and just stopped playing.

Next thing is the character-thinking-out-loud way of narration. I'm personally not a fan of this approach.

Also, it's short. For $15 you can find games which will take more than 10 hours to finish or have any replay value. Personally I wouldn't buy it for the full price again.

ontracq
ontracq

There's not one thing I don't like about this game. The artwork and design are gorgeous, the soundtrack is entrancing, the voice acting is charming, and even to someone like me who doesn't really jive with Lovecraftian horror the story and gameplay are just delightful.

oregonwings
oregonwings

I must admit, I rarely post game reviews and probably should more often for games like this one which fully immerse you in their story.

Firstly, that's the #1 great part of this game. The story is wonderful and develops as you play. You're given just enough to make you want to keep playing. I completed the game over a long weekend, but don't feel like it was too short or that it drugged on for too long in any places.

Second, the voice acting and overall audio quality is amazing! I've said this a million times to fellow gaming friends, SOUND is the #1 quality for immersion. You can have the best graphics in the world, but if your audio quality is bad or have low quality voice acting, etc. then all immersion is lost. In this case, Call of the Sea has top notch voice acting from the main character. Okay, Harry and the others might be a bit off, but you don't hear their voices as much. The different settings in game all have perfect audio in the background from sand under feet, audible bubbles in the water, sounds of heavy rocks moving with a realistic weight to them, etc. Total immersion audio like you're really there. And the music is perfectly sublime. Not too much, not too little. It adds to the games intensity at times, makes it more surreal or sweet. It's just right.

Puzzles were just the right level of difficulty in my opinion. Easy enough to figure out once you do enough exploring and look at the notes in most cases. I'll fully admit I did look up a walkthrough for two different puzzles that stumped me. One of which was a slap on the forehead "I should have seen that" moment, the other was much more challenging to understand where I had the concept right, but was difficult to see how it was going to work. Turns out I was off by just one more turn of a stone and a door opened.

Game play was great. It was easy enough to find my way around, and it even has full controller support which made it a little easier to navigate my way around vs. just keyboard and mouse. The only real improvement I'd make is maybe make some movements allowed to be a little faster in a couple of areas, one of which was where I had to travel a good distance between some markers and go back again a couple times when I had it wrong. I'd also make it so the eyeball reader was a little bigger / easier to engage. Granted some of it being so small could have been my 2560 x 1440 resolution making it smaller. Again, it didn't prevent it from working, just had to really get close to a clue to get the eyeball reader to pop up.

Graphics were beautiful. Definitely more the hyper-stylized graphics seen in quite a few newer games vs. going for all out realism in colors and textures. However it adds an artistic flair to a story such as this, and the bright colors with dark contrasts gives it a graphic novel like quality that is very enjoyable.

Overall, it's games like this that make me enjoy gaming, especially puzzle games. It made me feel like I was part of Nora's story, discovering as she discovered, and using our wits to solve the mysteries of the island. Thank you to the developers and publisher for this masterful piece of work, and I hope they create more like this in the future.

Krux
Krux

Insane visuals, good story, great adventure. Refreshing game.

clert
clert

pretty good puzzle game to pass the time. the story is pretty interesting and the visuals are nice. worth playing if you like puzzle games and are looking for something short term to play.

CrimsonDuchess
CrimsonDuchess

A genuinely well-told story. It definitely kept me entertained with the mystery that was unfolding. Although, the ending was bittersweet. I do recommend if you enjoy walking sims with light puzzles and a good story.

MapleAddie
MapleAddie

I liked the graphics, but I couldn't finish it or really recommend it.

The puzzles gave a good challenge, but I got annoyed with the storyline the closer I got to the end. Youtube put me out of my misery and showed me to quit while I was ahead and I left it at that really.

Sin
Sin

Interesting story, a few challenging puzzles, and a vibrant art style. This is a good deal of fun to play, the puzzles weren't too difficult, and really felt rewarding to figure out, although a couple times I found myself figuring out the puzzle and then when going to execute the solution the puzzle was completely solved when I did have the solution (only because the 2nd half was already done by pure coincidence), which was a bit anticlimactic but that was just my playthrough. Overall a decent game, not too long but didn't feel short either.

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Worth the current price (CDN$ 22.99)? I'd say so, it's a bit short but the quality of the game is there for sure.
What I actually paid: $15.58

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Completionist Review:
DLC Achievements: None
Rating: Pretty standard, many hidden achievements
Can be completed in one run: Yes, but may have to redo a couple chapters.
Chapter Select: Yes, and it says which chapters have missing items, but there's also more achievements that don't specify which chapter they're in.
Did I need/use a guide? I tried not to, but there were a few that I just couldn't figure out what they meant or what to do to get them.

Required a quick 2nd playthrough of many chapters, but they all go by fairly quickly after you've played it once through already. I think some parts may have actually been randomized on my 2nd round, or i just forgot them entirely, but either way i knew how to solve everything pretty quick on the 2nd runs.

Vomitazo
Vomitazo

Pra quem gosta do gênero "puzzle", é um prato cheio. Gráficos bonitos, enredo intrigante e cheio de quebra-cabeças (inclusive alguns que vão fazer seu cérebro se incomodar). A trama é baseada no surreal (Lovecraft), mas não chega a ser terror. Um outro ponto positivo é que a resolução dos enigmas envolve não somente objetos e o ambiente, mas também os acontecimentos do enredo.

Completei o jogo em um sistema Linux (ArchLinux) através do SteamPlay (Proton 7.0-4).

Hardware utilizado:
- GPU: RX 6700 XT (AMD)
- CPU: Ryzen 7 5700G (AMD)
- RAM: 16 Gb

Rostov_SF
Rostov_SF

good puzzles ,great soundtrack,nice story, amazing graphics

RitaKitty
RitaKitty

Its a puzzle walking simulator basically. The puzzles are pretty easy, the visuals are colourful and lovely, I did encounter one glitch that required a restart but was only an annoyance, but the story line is pretty weak. Subtle is not a word to describe the main character. Nothing is left ambiguous. Every little thing you see or touch she will explain in unnecessary levels of detail, leaving nothing to the imagination. Because of that, everything becomes very predictable. If you don't mind that, then theres some fun to be had solving the puzzles and just wandering around the beautiful setting.

nixse
nixse

First person point & click puzzle game.

It gave me motion sickness but the puzzles were fun.

Make sure to save your game often.

Brekkie
Brekkie

I honestly feel like this is one of the first games I've ever played where it felt like I was the "target audience." Literally the premise is "You're the bastard love child of Evie from the Mummy and Jane from Tarzan suffering from a chronic illness." Shove my two favorite characters together and then give her a deeply personal issue to connect to and call it a day, why don't you? But wait! Magic? Grotesque mermaids? Puzzles?
Seriously, I loved so many aspects to this game.

I highly recommend if you are a fan of mystery or puzzle centric games.

My only two gripes with it were the fact a main part of the narrative consists of Norah waxing poetic about how wonderful her husband was, and personally it actually made that portion feel forced. It was a "tell" rather than "show" story telling approach, and though I understand why it was necessary to this game, being informed constantly that these characters are in love in a really straightforward and boring way just made them seem like an annoyingly perfect couple who lacked any real chemistry. Ultimately the game itself was still enjoyable, but I definitely think aspects of the writing could have been better.

My second gripe is that as much as I adored Norah, and her character design. As the story unfolded it did feel more and more odd that she was a blond woman from Denver and not a polynesian woman. Even a polnesian woman who's family had moved to Denver for some reason would have made more sense. I am willing to give a certain benefit of the doubt due to there being supernatural aspects at play, but since they were not explicitly cleared up in the story I am still left a little perplexed at this particular aspect.

Alex_86UK
Alex_86UK

Loved the use of colours in the level designs, the story is gripping, with some puzzles that are on the harder side.

rpassmor
rpassmor

Absolutely loved it. If you're a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos, you'll love this story-driven game. If you're looking for more of an action-adventure Mythos game, though, I'd look elsewhere. There's not any combat -- only exploration, puzzles, TONS of Mythos references, and great voice acting.

piccolo917
piccolo917

overall score 7-7,5

If you are into puzzles, this is a good game. None were overly hard but did require some serious figuring out, so they were fun to finally solve. The style, voice acting, music and visuals are also all good.
The things I find could've used some work are mainly 2 things: the story and the level design.
- After finishing this game while trying to pay close attention to everything, I'm still not sure what the actual story is. Due to the importance of the story to the game, I will not be going into details, but I felt a bit split what the explanation actually is which annoys me a bit.
- level design. While the levels are all very pretty and nice to be in, they are a bit annoying for certain puzzles with the amount of time you need to just keep shift+w pressed in which really breaks the flow for me, especially when your idea wasn't correct and you to run back... again...

o.timmons14
o.timmons14

i kept expecting things to creep up on me, but no. Norah is truly alone on the island, its her journey. Loved the game although i did get a bit of motion sickness. i honestly shed a few tears at the end.

Spectatrix
Spectatrix

Good visuals, good story. As far as the puzzles are concerned, it's fairly standard point and click puzzle fare. If you're looking for complex, mind-bending puzzles - look elsewhere. None of the puzzles in this game are particularly difficult; I found many to be insultingly easy.

No Face
No Face

I finished Call of the Sea in just over 6 hours. Some would consider this a poor value for a $20 game. I, however, think this depends on the game.

Call of the Sea is what happens if Myst took place in a romance short-story written by H.P. Lovecraft.

If that premise sounds appealing to you, then it's absolutely worth your $20. Even if the game doesn't last, the experience will stick with you long after the credits roll. And make sure you let them roll...

Shimmerback TTV
Shimmerback TTV

I greatly disliked the puzzles and really wish it had been more of an immersive narrative than a puzzle game.

Having said that, Call of the Sea is a deeply beautiful game with sky-high production values, an engaging narrative, and a captivating premise, it's clear that this was made with an abundance of love and care.

TheGrimRose
TheGrimRose

Very beautiful game with interesting puzzles spread throughout. Definitely worth taking your time really going through the different areas and reading all the notes. There are a lot of little things you will miss if you just speed run it. Lovely game and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good story.

Satai
Satai

I really enjoyed this game. I did not see any of it coming, tbh. For some reason I saw it and saw Norah's arm spots and thought selkies, and I ended up getting Lovecraft and eldritch gods and spooky. Did not expect that at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a beautiful game, and the spooky bits were thoroughly creeping me out in the best way. I enjoyed watching Norah uncover the fate of the others and her own fate as well.

The two things I'd have changed would be I wish there were maps of each of the areas, as with the pathways I kept getting lost. I get lost easy irl so paths in video games confuse me even more. Also, some of the puzzles were not very clear and I wasn't sure what exactly I was supposed to be doing in some areas.

Other than that, though. Really great.

DragonElderX9
DragonElderX9

A lovely walking simulator. The thing that stuck out for me is the music, it's wonderfully done. The story is pretty good along with the voice acting. The puzzles aren't too hard or too easy. The slow walking/climbing was tiresome at points, but overall not much of a bother. As walking simulators go, this is definitely above average.

Dabacabb
Dabacabb

If this game's main character were writing this review:

"Oh my, this seems to be some sort of review area where people can leave their opinions. That's just wonderful, because I'm just FULL of opinions!"

"And look at this! Some sort of mechanical device with letters. Is this called a 'keyboard?' It seems that I can press the buttons to type out words. How wonderful!"

"Writing this review reminds me of my extremely sad and tragic backstory. You see, I was diagnosed with a terrible and mysterious illness that forces me to never shut the fuck up. I can't blame my husband for disappearing to a tropical island to get away from me. Oh, wherever could he be?!"

"Does this review page have a word limit? Golly, I hope not! To limit my words would be to suppress my very soul!"

"I do ever so love this tropical island. The long, long, excessively long walks from puzzle to puzzle give me a great opportunity to drone on pointlessly with boring exposition, which breaks the mood in an otherwise atmospheric setting. Some people might even call this peaceful, if not for me blabbing on. Oh, look at me! I'm blabbering on again. What's wrong with me? This reminds me of when..."

Sê0n
Sê0n

An amazing journey. One of the best stories I have ever come across in video games. Breathtaking scenes. gripping adventure.

Speedwagon
Speedwagon

A much more colorful take on the lovecraftian mythos than usual, which was very refreshing! Had some really nice vistas and locations. Dialogue is decent, and the story is pretty good and comes with some interesting turns. The puzzles don't really have many recurring or inventive mechanics, they are your typical "remember these icons and apply them in this cipher to find the solution". Even so, the challenge of finding puzzle clues hidden in a beautiful environment was fun enough, and the puzzle difficulty was well paced.

benj
benj

Fittingly, given its protagonist, this is a game most suited to those that like to take their time exploring. After all, though this is primarily a puzzle game (think: The Witness, and its tendency to move the player from puzzle to puzzle - the pretty environments serving as little more than eye-candy), it's Norah's overabundant observations that really do most of the heavy lifting, here. Indeed, though a lot of them can be skipped guilt-free (they're journal entries describing what the player just saw, or heard), it is these that emphasize Norah's love for archaeology, and her missing husband. The former is deeply tied to the game-play; each puzzle interesting enough in isolation, but really shines as a part of a greater, overall mythology. As for the latter, on that falls a lot of the emotional weight, and it is handled thoughtfully, and maturely.

Though the time spent doing one, versus the other would have one conclude the opposite, i would in fact suggest that this game is a love story, first and foremost. Nonetheless, there is plenty here for both kinds of gamer.

If you like this, consider: Amnesia: Rebirth

Chocot
Chocot

Amazing game design, lovely music and dramatic story. Not too hard, good for beginners!

Lupin III
Lupin III

Beautiful game. I'm usually not a fan of stylized graphics, but this game looks like a living painting, quite similar to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Nice music too.

There are no enemies to fight in this, it is purely a Lovecraft mythos investigation game with puzzles and exploration. The puzzles are pretty clever, some are difficult but the game contains all the clues you need to complete them, you just have to find them, and use your head.

It took me 8 hours to complete, and I thought I was being pretty thorough, but I still missed about 1/3rd of the achievements, so there is still stuff in the game that I didn't see, giving me a reason to replay it.

Earl of Lemongrab
Earl of Lemongrab

Really loved this adventure game an the mystery behind it. Definitely give it a go if you like to explore a beautiful setting and solve some puzzles.

Pros:
- great setting and graphics
- captivating story with nicely written and voiced characters
- smart puzzles that aren't too easy or difficult
- nice use of sci-fi elements

Cons:
- wish it was longer!

KP
KP

A surprisingly emotional take on the Cthulhu mythos. I found myself wishing for a bit more tension or dread throughout the game, but the beautiful environmental design and passionate voice acting kept me hooked til the end. Firewatch with fish people and a satisfying ending.

Cilizadam
Cilizadam

A good adventure game heavily inspired by Lovecraft.
At first glance, the game does not seem to have a Lovecraftian story, but it definitely has one. The game is slow-paced, and it is frustrating to climb the ladders, but overall, a good story.
8/10

Swinetower
Swinetower

Absolutely marvelous. You seldom see a bittersweet love story set against the backdrop of the Mythos, but someone tried it here and got it.

Der dicke Baer
Der dicke Baer

Call of the Sea is a great adventure game. I played it with a friend and we finished it in 7.25 hours. The puzzles were great. Some are easy, some are harder, and you need some time to think about them and solve them. The main actor and the voices of all the actors are great! All puzzle solutions were comprehensible for us.
The game was exciting and the whole 7 hours we ehr had great fun playing.
We also liked the story very much. And for the puzzles, it was really cool that they were perfectly integrated into the game and the game story.
Congratulations to the developer and the whole team! Great game!

Anonymous
Anonymous

This game was really fun. Really enjoyed the puzzles and it kept you guessing what was next and how it was going to end.

EmiKong
EmiKong

Call of the Sea is a cozy, narrative, puzzle adventure set in 1934 Polynesia. The story is interesting and unique. The graphics and textures are beautiful. The main character narrates often, so I didn't feel a sense of loneliness while exploring a desolate, shipwrecked island. There is a lot to "collect" and achievement hunt (I 100%'ed the game in my 10 hour playtime). The puzzles are very intuitive- an added bonus is that all relative information that the MC interacts with is logged in a journal. It is entirely possible to complete this game without a guide (I used one for achievements and a couple smooth brain moments).

I was relatively stress free while playing, however I was anxious in the deep water areas, so fair warning to anyone who is ocean phobic. There are only a handful of instances that had me stressed, but the awareness that nothing will harm you in the game should help (aka yes approach the spooky things).

Anonymous
Anonymous

Some objects are difficult to select: the interact button keeps flickering out of view: would be a much more enjoyable game if that were fixed.
Just nit-picking, but the water in most of the scenes are a stark-white: although I understand this may be artistic, it honestly hurts my eyes and creates a bit of a distracting glare

johntohill
johntohill

Really good puzzler. Whilst the puzzles aren't very challenging, the narrative, environments and art direction are excellent. Backed up by a very solid voice-over, the game elevates itself significantly over the average walking-sim/puzzle game.
Whilst probably not worth it full price as there is only about 5 hours of playtime here if you explore everything thoroughly, it's still a hearty recommendation.

Primal
Primal

Really interesting story. Loved the details that went into each chapter. Most puzzles are fairly straightforward barring 1 or 2. The voice acting is also really amazing. Was not expecting such a good performance from the lead character.

RevVeggySpam
RevVeggySpam

Lots of walking.
Beautiful environments.
Moderate puzzling.
Good narrative that is pretty linear.
This lives somewhere between Dear Esther/ Firewatch and Myst.
10 hours well spent.

kathtaer
kathtaer

I've got mixed feelings.
The story is rich and I like the development of Norah's character throughout the game. The graphics is stunning. I enjoyed all these cool blue and green colours.
But some puzzles seem to be... lengthy? I also struggled to find passes too several locations. Let's consider this another kind of puzzles in the game.

pinkestiny
pinkestiny

I played this and enjoyed playing it - it's a picturesque game, and the puzzles take, occasionally, some fiddling, and in other times, some patience which I did not always have (which ended up with me looking up solutions in places where I did not CARE to solve the puzzle, I just wanted to progress the story, haha). The story is nicely written; however, considering the strong focus on a relationship drama, it is somewhat disappointing that there is a feeling of distance in the relationship to the player. The story Norah tells feels real, but I see none of it playing the game, is really my gripe with the game on a story-based view, and I tend to focus on story a lot.

Still, fully enjoyed myself and was entertained playing this. Good game.

Kaptain Riversnapps
Kaptain Riversnapps

The puzzles were basic and most of the playtime comes from the slow a** walking speed...especially in the last puzzle where it's very prevalent. I would recommend if the game was longer.

Also as a side note, the default FOV is set to 90 and you can only turn it down to 80, but the default in most games I've played is 70. Something about high FOV makes a nauseating experience for me.

Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson

I enjoyed this for the atmosphere and puzzles.

Lumetric
Lumetric

THE PUZZLES HURT MY BRAIN
AAAAA!
BUT, this game was beautiful, had some of my favourite voice actors and the scenery was one of the prettiest that I've seen in a long time.
If you like puzzles, you'll like Call of the sea.
If you like a good story, you'll like a call of the sea.
You'll probably like it.

JO53F1N4
JO53F1N4

The puzzles are extremely complex and I did cheat a lot during to get the answers from other users. But, I loved the story and I chose for Norah to go home to Harry.

Retar
Retar

the puzzles make me feel stupid

Madhunter
Madhunter

Almost a good game but it has forced vignette, forced taa, character that never shuts up with dog ass dialogue, some poorly designed puzzles, slow ass movement speed and the constant need to go back and forth and the game expects you to feel something about two characters that are annoying as shit

A Face in the Crowd シ 🔴
A Face in the …

Nice atmosphere, music is great, graphics relaxing.

Zenandrox
Zenandrox

A fascinating game full of challenges and a good story. Well worth it!

dr0nebee
dr0nebee

If you enjoy point and click games with amazing dialogue and storey, you would like this game.

em
em

Call of the Sea has all the mysteries and atmospheric content that comes with cosmic horror but without the actual horror elements. Which is not to say that the game isn't scary, there's an eerie undertone to the game and as you explore and learn the lore there's a lot of horrifying implications. The dialogue feels a little clunky and don't get me started on the walking speed... its abysmal. However, it's a great indie game for the price point and playtime. Definitely one I'd recommend for fellow puzzle loving gamers.

StabYourFaceGuy
StabYourFaceGuy

There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said before. It's an excellent game and worth the time to get lost in. If you like puzzles and water, play it.

Foolish Poo
Foolish Poo

Nice puzzle exploration game. You have to get used to the pace and understand its kinda slow, but otherwise some puzzles actually require some sitting down and thinking.

Nice visually, nice audio, certain parts seem like they have a more concentration of production value. The story although quite fantastical in its game lore, does lead to some touching emotional feelings in the end.

I will say though. I felt like the prologue and epilogue are the things that only connected up. The rest could be played without any story connection. Other than that, nice game if you don't mind the slow pace

InfamousNeko
InfamousNeko

The controls are sluggish and laggy, and often just hard to use. They're not responsive or intuitive, and there's a slightly 'oh look, natives, how cute!' vibe throughout that I didn't feel very comfortable with.

Dread Lich Tom Cruise
Dread Lich Tom…

Charming environment and art design, strong voice acting, and interesting take on Lovecraftian tropes are bogged down by puzzles that are sometimes totally obtuse, a host of plot questions left after the credits roll, and a walking speed and amount of backtracking that should be illegal.

Not bad, but wait for it to go on sale.

D4ddy
D4ddy

First of all, the game is not bad, however, it is hard for me to recommend it to someone. This is the type of game that focuses on story and puzzles, unfortunately, i think it fails to deliver a meaningful experience at the end.

Good
- The art is gorgeous, graphics are great, lighting is really nice. If you like strong environments in games this is for you.

- Good and steady performance.

- I really like the fact that the protagonist writes everything down. This prevents (most of the time) backtracking a lot... thank god! because backtracking in this game is painful.

Bad
- Movement as a whole is annoying. The speed of the protagonist is super slow. The problem IMO is that there isn't a "Toggle run button" option in the accessibility menu, which means that you will have to hold the Left shift button during the entire game. To me this is probably the main reason why i can't recommend this game.

- Puzzles in this game have the same problem many games have: they do not belong to the world they are in. Just to be clear, the puzzles are not "boring" but they aren't fun either. A good puzzle doesn't feel like a puzzle. During the journey you will feel like a lab rat solving one problem after another. For a game that orbitates around puzzle solving this can be bad.
Also, good puzzles could help with world building and story.

- The story is OK i guess. The problem IMO is that it ends up being just another lovecraftian weird story without answers. It seems like the story was there just to justify some puzzles and not the other way around.

MASTERBBBLASTER
MASTERBBBLASTER

Great game. Excellent voice acting and narration, and an interesting story to uncover. The puzzles aren't too tricky - but they're also not so easy that they're boring - there's enough there to keep you interested. There is a handy mechanism with the journal that helps you to keep track of key info you find along the way. It's a good little adventure and a fun world to explore.

Rekketaktoek
Rekketaktoek

I very much enjoyed the game. It is difficult to review without any spoilers but I like how there is a mix of lovecraftian creepiness, gorgeous environment and sense of wonder. I think it is quite creative because usually anything to do with lovecraft is all dark and gloomy, seeing such a blend of scary mystery and sense of wonder is great.

Some of the puzzles were a bit too hard, (especially one towards the end of the game), but overall it was very enjoyable. The narration could sometimes get a bit tiring but once you get to know the characters it starts getting interesting. I really enjoyed slowly figuring things out and seeing and hearing the story develop (though I know the story is not 100% waterproof)

heytherebigboi
heytherebigboi

This was a nice puzzle game with an interesting mystery.

kyoshi_simp
kyoshi_simp

seems like a really cool game, and i love lovecraft, but i cant play it. i literally cant change the resolution to fit my screen. ill try playing this game in the future, maybe by then theyll have fixed the issue

Supernova
Supernova

A very good story! It is a beautiful mix of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego and a Lovecraftian narrative -- note that this does mean it is a horror story. Instead, Call of the Sea chooses to focus on the surreal. The devs' wrote a nice blog post talking about this, I'll link it here.

Trevm8
Trevm8

Immersive story game with satisfying puzzles. Highly recommend

TransSappho
TransSappho

A great game! I wish there was more of it, but it's a tight narrative as is. That said, I'd recommend getting it on sale. The full price is a bit hard to justify, but the gorgeous art design comes close to making up for it

ReverendTed
ReverendTed

Call of the Sea nestles into that well-worn groove of good-looking walking simulators with light puzzle elements. The island setting makes for a pleasant change from the browns and grays so common in modern games. You're likely to catch on to where the story is headed pretty early on, though I will admit that destination wasn't at all what I was expecting when I made the purchase. Norah's internal monologue - describing everything you're supposed to be noticing - is pretty heavy-handed at times, but fortunately the voice acting is generally solid so it's not terribly grating. Most puzzles are of the "did you find the thing that tells you how to solve the puzzle" type, so don't expect any brain-teasers. My playthrough, which included lots of meticulous exploration and investigation, took about 5 hours, plus another couple to mop up the remaining collectibles and achievements.

Kihaku
Kihaku

Very nice short game! I really like it!

Stormy
Stormy

Got this game because I was bored and there was nothing else to play but honestly it became one of the best games iv'e played all year. The music and story was absolutely beautiful I got sucked into the story and lost track of time. I do wish we got to see more to the end of the story with the characters.
If I could I would erase my memory so I could play it all over again.

Kai
Kai

Behold - the only good Lovecraft game.

Anonymous
Anonymous

An absolute pleasure to play. Every puzzle fit the story, the voice acting was flawless, the graphics and environments beautiful. If you enjoy a gentle adventure with some fun puzzles - this is a gem.
Tiny wrinkles... I find the PnC convention of having 'conversational notes' left by people who would never leave such notes... breaks the spell a little - but it's hard to find other ways to convey the story. Also hard to imagine how some of the items would have been carried (won't explain to avoid spoilers) - and other plot points. But the game is so well made that for the most part I didn't care - i could just enjoy the gorgeous scenery. I'm not the best solver, but I managed without a walk-through, in 11 hours. I imagine it could be done quicker. I don't mind that - it works out at less than £1 an hour for good entertainment.
On the plus - the story was good, the controls easy, the puzzles were not ground-breaking, but did put a nice twist in to make them feel fresh and different - and they were seamless. Zero pixel-hunting, zero 'throw away inventory item and immediately need it for next puzzle', none of the usual annoyances. Plus some good variety in scenes and tasks.
I can't wait to see what they do next.

CentreMask45-70
CentreMask45-70

Wonderful puzzle adventure with a decent story! I have to admit that the final "twist" was a little contrived, although it is entirely possible that I missed some details that would have seeded it out better. Overall it was a great experience and I am likely going to go back to it again to try and find all the hidden achievements!

Thanatos22528
Thanatos22528

Great storyline and nice puzzles

sajohnston11
sajohnston11

Very cute! Highly recommend if you like Gone Home or What Remains of Edith Finch. Great walking sim with puzzles. 8/10.

GrantFireType
GrantFireType

Very interesting take on Lovecraftian mythos, particularly "The Shadow over Innsmouth." As I was playing this game, I couldn't help but draw parallels to that story, and I like how this game made it more of a mystery and adventure instead of horror.

SnowBlind218
SnowBlind218

Fun Lovecraftian Puzzle Adventure game. I enjoyed it enought to want to go through it all and get the missing notes and achievements. Beautiful scenery.

Radene
Radene

While Call of the Sea is quite a Lovecraftian title, and while there are elements of cosmic weirdness and horror in the game, they are very, very light, and mostly there to set the background lore of the game. That said, there's still supernatural at play, and there's still a descent into madness to follow.

In its essence, the game is a puzzle/investigation game, in which you need to piece together what has been happening through the clues left behind by those who came before (as in, your husband and an ancient civilization, as these things usually go). It's not nearly as complex as Myst or Quern: Undying Thoughts, but it makes up for that by being a very personal, emotional journey.

Angolai
Angolai

A captivating story! Good voice acting as well. The puzzles were a bit easy and the game was short, but the artstyle is pleasant and the game certainly was a lot of fun to play!

Dutchdame
Dutchdame

This is a fun puzzle game with a story that crosses over from mystery into (somewhat bizarre) fantasy / sci-fi. The puzzles aren't that hard to solve, it's a matter of looking around for enough clues and they are pretty obvious. There's little room for error so most puzzles can be brute forced after you found enough clues in the environment. The story has a few interesting plot twists, but left me a bit confused in the end, with lots of questions left unanswered. But all in all I don't think that diminished the fun of the game experience on the whole. The story art and look and feel of the game is wonderful. The voice acting is very good as well. For roughly 7 hours of gameplay I'd say I still wouldn't have paid full price though, wait for a bit of a discount.

TheNerdRed
TheNerdRed

Amazing, amazing, amazing game. Cissy Jones really brought the character to life and the stunning visuals of the idea really played the perfect backdrop for a heartwrenching and emotional tale. The puzzles were super fun and intriguing, if not maybe a little confusing and the journal was FANTASTIC. Having it made out to be like a handwritten clues journal made me feel like I was really on the island, noting clues and sketching pictures.

If I had one concern about this game - it's that there isn't enough of it! I wanted to find out way more about the islands, the civilizations, the giant sea monster, tell me more!!

Fantastic game that I can't reccomend enough.

Deja Vu
Deja Vu

This is more of a walking simulator with a pretty environment and an ok story than a puzzle game. The puzzles are all relatively simple with nothing too difficult or taking more than a few minutes to piece together and figure out. Still worth a playthrough if you enjoy puzzle games though, but the environments and story are more interesting than the puzzles. Recommend getting on sale.

$1.95 for Guac
$1.95 for Guac

A quaint little adventure game with puzzles that ramp up in difficulty as you progress. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a decent story that is told through puzzles and is a fan of Jungle adventures.

Daigarun
Daigarun

Wonderful game. Beautiful to look at and a great story. I took a few breaks with the game open, so my 8 hour playtime is a bit inflated. It probably takes about 5-6 hours depending on how quick you are to google puzzle solutions. I actually only had to look up one (hint: its music related). All the other puzzles were straight forward enough as to not be tedious, but challenging enough that you don't feel super bored. Keep you screenshot key ready because there are some truly great sequences that outright demand you press F12.

Elypse
Elypse

Really beautiful graphics, story, and adventure. Puzzles are fun and challenging at times. I was compelled to keep exploring and experiencing this strange island.

Jennarator
Jennarator

Honestly one of the most underrated games out there. Great puzzles, a fantastic story, and stunning visuals!

Cynthia7979
Cynthia7979

It is so strangely beautiful I start to question my own sanity.

Loyal to the Lovecraftian originals and also mind-expandingly creative, Call of the Sea is one of the best Lovecraftian game I've ever played. Tinkered with temporally accurate soundtrack and voice-acting, the game recreates the experience of watching a film classics.

But Call of the Sea isn't merely a film work. What lets it transcend a common, Lovecraftian film work is its dazzling scenery and architectures. As otherworldly as they may seem, they gives a strange yet satisfying sense of harmony and beauty that pulls you in and makes you want to stay.

The story was made clear enough for anyone to comprehend; it's unnecessary to educate yourself on Lovecraftian novels before playing. On top of that, the story built upon the original canons and told something of its own, something that those with some prior knowledge to this worldview (like me) can still awe at and enjoy.

The difficulties of the puzzles were appropriate. I do occasionally find myself stuck on a puzzle, but it usually turns out that I just missed out some clues. The map was large and it could feel repetitive when you overlook a certain path or clue and had to run back to take it down, but other than those situations, the game usually records everything you need for you so that you won't have to go back and forth. You also won't be in the same area for a very long time, so the repetitiveness never persists for long.

On the downside, the game isn't the most optimized story-driven game in the world. (Though it might be my fault for using a laptop that merely satisfies the minimum requirements.) Occasionally you may see models glitching in and out of existence, weird spots of light on not-so-reflective materials, and - if you're using a laptop as bad as mine - the fan constantly working its life out. Those, added with the fact that dialogues sometimes sound out-of-place, made the game less immersive than perfect.

Even with a setup as low-end as mine though I still had a very good time taking part in the game's story, and I'm even looking forward to experiencing that again when I feel ready. I recommend this game to anyone interested in Lovecraftian literature, 20th century filmography, or just general story-driven games. Call of the Sea may be a bit different from the other ones you've played, but you will enjoy it.

PS: One of the people responsible for Chinese Simplified localization also has the name Cynthia, haha.

ニコニコ(・∀・)
ニコニコ(・∀・)

Nice game and nice view! like it

several bees
several bees

This lady got gaslit into solving a buncha puzzles on an island.

unestoppable
unestoppable

9/10. Would become an elder spawn from beyond the stars again.

A beautiful walking simulator in a Lovecraftian universe with solid puzzling throughout. There's some tedious backtracking and a few things that can be easily missed, but overall the game is well paced and the levels are well designed. The story is engaging and the island is full of mysterious atmosphere. If you like walking simulators or Lovecraft, don't pass this up.

darksideup
darksideup

https://youtu.be/w4xOnPPsIis This is a love story.

DeathKillerNOR
DeathKillerNOR

{Personal Experience:}
❌ Fantastic
✅ Great.
❌ Average.
❌ Bad.
❌ Awful.
[PERSONAL NOTES:
This game did turn out to be better than i originally thought.
The level designs are fantastic and the puzzles are alright, nothing too difficult, but some can be confusing.
The story is engaging, and the dialogues are great and fitting for this game.
The graphics is kinda cartoony but it fits the game perfectly.
I experienced no bugs or performance issues during my playthrough.
No Multiplayer, and it is a set story, but you will get 2 choices in the final chapter.
So you might play the final chapter twice.]

{GamePlay: World/Level Design, Combat/Interactive-Action system, Quests/Objectives}
❌ It's fantastic
✅ It's great.
❌ It's average.
❌ It's bad.
❌ It's awful.

{Narrative: The Story, Dialogue}
✅ Fantastic
❌ Great.
❌ Average.
❌ Bad.
❌ Awful.
❌ Non-Existent.

{Visuals: Graphics, Animations/Motion-Capture}
✅ Fantastic.
❌ Good.
❌ Decent.
❌ Bad.
❌ Awful.
❌ MS-DOS.

{Technical: Bugs, Performance}
✅ Didn't encounter any issues.
❌ Minor bugs/performance issues.
❌ It can get annoying.
❌ Encountered a lot.
❌ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs.
❌ Unplayable.

{Multiplayer/Co-Op: Co-Op/Multiplayer Aspects}
❌ There is a multiplayer/co-op.
✅ There is no multiplayer/co-op.

{Replayability: Replayability (Alternate Endings, Secrets, Multiplayer, etc)}
❌ Good Replayability.
✅ Bad Replayability.

"9/10 – Fantastic.
I enthusiastically recommend that you add these games to your to-play list.
As it doesn't hit A Perfect Score, It is still an extremely good game.
I highly recommend getting this game."
~DeathKillerNOR~

⚠️ IN MY OPINION ⚠️

malamudpedro
malamudpedro

INCREIBLE HISTORIA MUY COLORIDO Y LOS PUZZLES ATRAPANTES, MUY RECOMENDABLE!!

The Betzrig
The Betzrig

An excellent, Lovecraftian take on a semi-serious medical issue that simply doesn't get the representation it deserves: pathological feminine odor. You play as Norah Everhart, a beautiful and charming victim suffering from the aforementioned condition. Your husband sails across the ocean to the other side of the planet in a desperate attempt to find a potential cure in exotic lands, and likely also to escape said odor. When communication with your husband stops, you then set out across the ocean yourself in order to find the love of your life who has been there with you through thick and thin, through fresh and not-so-fresh. You soon find, as your husband also did, that your vaj isn't the only overwhelmingly fishy thing of interest wandering the seas. And in fact, you just may find that what seemed to be nothing more than a bit of stink in your pink is actually a remnant of an ancient, extraordinary bloodline that flows through veins and out your beaver. The "Call of the Sea", indeed. 8/10

Echo_13
Echo_13

It's so much fun very interesting story the visuals are stunning and just has some of my favourite aesthetics

[★] AquintiC
[★] AquintiC

Cool game. Beautiful graphics that really gives a good feeling when playing and exploring. Sometimes I got a bit bored though but overall a good game.

dohh
dohh

Fabulous adventure game. Great voice acting, riveting storyline, jaw-droppingly beautiful visuals, and a cinematic music score. Absolutely worth the price.
The frequent puzzles are integral to progressing the storyline, and while some were harder than others, most were aided by virtue of the protagonist's diary entries and diagrams (which she adds while you're progressing in each area of the game). It took me a while to figure some of them out, but they're not of the head-scratching Myst variety. Plenty of online walkthroughs (if needed) are available, as well.
There are 3 manual save slots (not a lot, but at least they're available), and the game auto-saves quite often, which helps. There are also chapter replays once the game is completed, which is great because not only are there two different endings, but some of the scenery is so gorgeous I love hopping back and forth between environments now that I've finished the game...they're THAT pleasant to look at!
I have a 3 yr old desktop PC (Dell) and the game never crashed once, or lagged, and the optimization was great for me, too.
I'd give the game a 9/10...I'd have given it a 10 for more save slots (a minor quibble). THe ending(s) will also tug at your heartstrings.
Buy it! Enjoy it!

sightbehindclosedeyes86
sightbehindclo…

Wonderful, brilliant, a feast for the senses! Enjoy a vacation to a beautiful remote island where you too can encounter the unfathomable and piece together weird sea monsters and ultra spooky dreams! Just beware the fishing can be a bit.... Intense....

Doroschuk
Doroschuk

It's a good game - beautiful sights, lovely voice acting and music, and a compelling story. I found the puzzles ranged from fun to genuinely confusing, though once you understood the trick of each one, even the tough ones were relatively easy to solve. Toward the end, I felt like the puzzles get less complicated and more tedious. In terms of story, once the Lovecraftian elements become apparent, I actually found it was far less interesting, because the game kind of gives up its mystery too soon. All in all, fun playthrough, but it leaves me wanting a slightly better exploration/puzzle game.

Phlort
Phlort

A beautifully mystical, albeit short tale about life, death, fate and acceptance.

The game provides powerful trio of lovely art, a fantastic soundtrack, and powerful voice acting, especially in Cissy Jones as our protagonist Norah Everhart.

Though I found some of the puzzles to be a slight bit difficult and lacking logic, the story and world that developed around Norah is what kept me invested.

Overall a great take on Eldritch horror, that doesn't delve too deep into the nonsensical Lovecraftian mumbo jumbo these types of stories usually do.

8/10 - A depth of an experience worth diving, head first, into.

bex
bex

One of the best adventure / puzzle games I've played in years. Decent story, good voice acting, immersive setting with great music & sound effects. Recommend.

JESSE8PIE
JESSE8PIE

its so fucking prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

millymolllee
millymolllee

i CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS GAME. The puzzles are long and slow and boring and not easily explained you cant walk fast or run and jump there are no hint options. I had to use a walk through and even that I started to use to get through puzzles and started finding it long and boring by the 5 th chapter I just wanted to finish so I stopped playing and uninstalled. those that did enjoy the game deserve medals for sitting through such a long boring and very strange game even the ending is lacking yep I watched the walk through because I couldnt be bothered playing anymore Im sorry but OMG!!!!!!

MaskerBengkoang
MaskerBengkoang

Very beautiful atmosphere with a good storyline and awesome voice act.
The mechanics are not that good since you can only walk around, no jump, no crouch, just walking around.
the story was *chefskiss*

White Oak Forest
White Oak Forest

Fun game with good puzzles and beautiful graphics.

shadow2786
shadow2786

Fun Lovecraftian walking simulator/puzzle game.

Thorens666
Thorens666

I feel bad not recommending this game because I did quite like it, but a lot of the time it had me going through the motions.

Like ... I'd seen these puzzles before, I'd heard these stories before and Call of the Sea was perfectly content trying to be perfectly middle-of-the-road. It's not like it's not an enjoyable experience, it's just so forgettable.

Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again: either go for the walking sim, or go for the adventure puzzler, but trying to string together a walking sim with puzzles that are so simple and tepid just doesn't work for me. I mean, there's a Simon Says in there somewhere. How about an original idea for once?

caitlyn_bree
caitlyn_bree

I really liked this. I wasn't necessarily expecting much from it, but pretty much everything appealed to me. From the story and puzzles, to the graphics and music, everything hit the sweet spot.
I wanted to complete it to get answers about the mystery within.

Puzzles were logical and, for the most part, gave enough information to guide towards the answers (though I heard several complaints about it being obtuse).. paying attention to your surroundings is vital.

I'm not one of the genius 99% here, I gave up on Myst early on and never completed the end challenge in The Witness, so clearly my abilities are very below average. But I didn't experience real difficulty issues until the end-game puzzles, which I'd expect to be a fair bit harder.

Dexterity wasn't a big issue, there are a few instances of having to mouse-click swiftly, but from what I recall it was all done in one location so there was no frantic travelling.

For the most part my game was bug free, but I did get caught on geometry once or twice, and had to reload a chapter when both my save, and auto-save, had me plunging infinitely downwards. Fortunately, journal progress is saved, so I didn't lose anything.

Overall, WAY more good points than bad, so I'd definitely recommend this to others, but I think people who like reading/books/lore/speculating will get more out of it

Blade
Blade

Some of the puzzles had me confused, and not the good kind. There would be a puzzle where I would do everything correct and had no idea why it wasn't working. I had to look up a guide and figure out I did it top to bottom (like any sane person would do) whereas the answer was to do *said task* bottom to top.

But other than the couple finicky puzzles it's a quick enjoyable story with neat characters and voice actors.

milferdinger
milferdinger

immediately one of my new favorite games norah everhart i am free on thursday

Maik
Maik

An interesting story that is held back by mediocre gameplay.
Even walking feels bad in this game and thats bad, considering that walking is 95% of the game,

stuartgreene
stuartgreene

A good looking puzzler, with an interesting story. I found a couple of the puzzles to be a little too obscure, but overall a positive, bug free experience.

Liz
Liz

An overall gorgeous game with beautiful visuals and storytelling.

The sprint speed is frustratingly slow, especially on a re-play. It forces one to appreciate the stunning environment, but it's a nuisance when running from one location to another. Some cut scenes are unskippable, which can be equally annoying.

Even with the above, I have zero regrets playing this game and would highly recommend it. If you're on the fence, this is your sign to try it.

iifader
iifader

I liked the story and it constantly drew me out, but most of the puzzles felt so easy to solve. Maybe I'm speaking in a pure subjectivity when I say this but most of the puzzles didn't even give me a real challenge.

Tomiskus
Tomiskus

THIS GAME IS SO FRICKIN' GORGEOUS! The puzzles aren't too hard and there's a chapter select, if you miss a journal entry/note or an achievement. Also, if you're a fan of Lovecraft's mythology, you might like this one. ¬‿¬

PinkRayne
PinkRayne

A great story driven puzzle game set in the 1930s. Gorgeous graphics and a nice variety of puzzles without it becoming too taxing. I enjoyed taking screenshots as it's so pretty. The narration throughout the game is lovely too. It's quite a short game, it took me around 6 hours to finish, but then I went back to find some collectables I'd missed and complete some achievements. Highly recommended.

Offset4
Offset4

This was a really pretty game, I think that is the principle thing you are getting from it. I only had one visual bug, and some of the puzzles were really fun and intuitive. There was only one puzzle I had to use outside help to solve, and the game played off of the whole lovecraft background really well. Only thing that had me irritated was walking so slowly back and forth to solve one particular puzzle. Other than that, great game!

Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky

Good Game. Puzzles are not very challenging but it makes up in art style and visual presentation. The sense of wonder, scale and Lovecraftian spookiness is well captured. I feel more could be done in terms of environmental storytelling. Also, there are no jumpscares, which I feel was a missed opportunity for a horror themed game. Overall a good game for leisure play. I have high expectations if they ever make a Part 2.

SpaceCurlz
SpaceCurlz

Absolutely beautiful game. I love puzzle games, and this one also had a really interesting story. Would absolutely recommend a thousand times over.

Baxayaun
Baxayaun

Sad but beautiful story, with interesting puzzles, gorgeous visuals and outstanding voice acting.
Had a really good time playing it. 🙂

empessah
empessah

good game i am about 1/2 ish way thought it. some of the puzzles are hard / very obtuse.

Samvell
Samvell

This is a great journey with some minor problems. The story itself is nice and warm and games definitely feels Indiana Jones-like in places more than it does Lovecraftian.

The visuals are gourgeous and some great pieces of musice, although nothing exceptionally memorable for me. We played it with my gf and it was a very pleasurable experience filled with jaw-dropping moments from some views. The ending is also nice and though-provoking.

But the are, of course, a couple 'but's. Not groundbreaking, but annoying. Firstly, the ladders. Oh, how we hated that slow and tedious process. The running speed is also very limiting and you can't crouch/jump/fall, so prepare to bump into invisible walls on occasion.

And the puzzles. Some were great, connecting small tasks from different corners of the location and some ... Let's just say that they overstayed their welcome. Especially the final puzzle with constellations - well, it was just a drag, to say the least.

But these complaints are not to drag the game down - I just wish that in the next project devs will take into consideration such details.

Call of the Sea is masterfully crafted adventure that is a great first project for the studio and mostly a pleasure to venture into. It is short and lovely. Eagerly looking forward to play your next game, Out of the Blue!

Asha
Asha

A hidden gem blend of Indiana Jones, Up and Lovecraft.

meganw456
meganw456

I realllllly wanted to like this game. The graphics were o great, and the story was lovely....at first. After the first two chapters, I felt like the story became really stupid and steered away from the 1930's lovecraftian vibes. I got to the point where i just googled the answers to the puzzles so i could be done with it. Not very happy with the time i spent playing this.:/

James Sunderland
James Sunderland

A very well made game with a very beautiful and rich story. Many games can be fun, but when you weave a sweet and heartwarming tale throughout that fun game, it becomes something much better than your ordinary game. For example, Silent Hill 2 (my personal favorite game of all time) is not just a time wasting fun experience, it is a game that moves you as a person. Obviously not on the same level as the great Silent Hill 2, but Call Of The Sea shares that same idea to have a deeper meaning behind the game. Great game with an amazing soundtrack that enhances the feeling this game gives you.

eightie
eightie

this was a great game! the story was so interesting and the puzzles were hard but not mind boggling. The art style was beautiful as well. I would definitely recommend anyone who likes puzzles and adventure games. There is a lot of reading involved, but it was not bad.
The only complaint I have is that running still felt a bit slow.

Sunflowercherrybee
Sunflowercherrybee

very good game i wish i could play it for the first time again

thestigmaster
thestigmaster

Very fun game. puzzles are plenty but fun

Ammie
Ammie

Very interesting story.
Accompanied with suitable music and surroundings.
Recommend playing it!

Seuchensturm
Seuchensturm

Praise Father Dagon by buying and playing this game!

Absolute Stratos
Absolute Stratos

If you're looking for a tough puzzle game. This is not for you. This game is a visually pleasing, short, casual puzzle game with a okay narrative.

The puzzles are straight forward if you've played harder puzzle games, never got stuck for more than a few mins. Visually the game a gorgeous with UE5 lighting system, although did experience some choppy frames here and there. If you're one to just appreciate games visuals consider picking this up on sale.

The story was not too compelling and really doesn't get you too invested in the characters because of the length of the game. There is suppose to be a big "aha" moment, but it missed the mark for me. But I do respect what the devs were going for.

Raar Dinosaur
Raar Dinosaur

This is a very sweet and exciting game. Perfect for beginner puzzle players because the puzzles aren't too difficult, and everything gets written down automatically in a journal so you have all the information you need. A fun a story as well, with some darker themes, although it left me with a lot of questions at the end! I hope they make another one to tie some of the loose ends together.

Cerebrate Joe
Cerebrate Joe

Incredibly well done. Fun and bright Lovecraft game.

Anonymous
Anonymous

An excellent story and good puzzles with a touch of exploration. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded organically, and the voice acting was superb. I did encounter a lot of screen tearing, even with VSYNC on in the settings, but forcing an override for the game in the NVidia control panel fixed that.

Neals
Neals

Slow and story oriented puzzle game.