Sea of Solitude Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Jo-Mei Games, Jo-Mei GmbH
Released 5th July 2019
Announced in February 2015, Sea of Solitude's creative director, Cornelia Geppert, described the project as her most personal and artistic as it drew from many of her experiences and traumas from being in an emotionally abusive relationship. Jo-Mei Games was founded in 2009, however, Sea of Solitude is their first game release as they spent their time beforehand working on projects for various clients like Ubisoft and BMW. This level of experience that was simply awaiting its time to be fully creatively unleashed accumulated in this somewhat mediocre journey. The game was nominated for several awards, winning a couple such as the Unity Award for 3D Visuals, however, it may be that this much time in the oven led the development team to dwindle down their potential, for now at least.
Story
The story of Sea of Solitude is that of a young woman named Kay, guided by a mysterious light that lets her venture into a flooded city while encountering monsters. The way someone becomes a monster in this world is from immense isolation, whether it's cutting off ties intentionally or being socially outcasted. While the game repeatedly borrows its own pattern of finding a monster, learning about their trauma and resolving it, I couldn't stop being engaged in this creative view on such a serious topic. Two of these monsters don't collapse on the repetitive narrative but instead serve as a gameplay threat, one physical (harming and disrupting your platforming peace) and the other mental (being a constant reminder of self-doubt and self-hate). This being said, if the game didn't wrap itself into a loop, it would strike some innovative imagery in its story, similar to how Fractured Minds was in its atmosphere.
Gameplay
The gameplay doesn't evolve far. The repetitive nature of this 3-hour narrative catches up with the gameplay as well. While I was swimming around in my boat across the flooded and abandoned city, the game provided new activities. The moments in which you are to time your jumps, sprints and swims between platforms or rooftops, didn't offer much uniquity and flexibility like that of platformers like Super Mario 64. However, every time I saw the serpent-like menace turn a corner and instantly turn back around to chomp me, the adrenaline ride that was delivered was great. The other gameplay loops include a bit of scavenging to clear corruption from an innocent light that essentially does all the work for you of unlocking doors and pathways. The final piece of the game differs from each section and chapter, not by much, but by enough to feel fresh despite its monotonous nature. These range from using the guiding light to illuminate a gloomy school hall and prevent the creatures from attacking you to recollecting pieces of a broken mask while running away from tormenting demons in an effort of Tug of War. Does it get boring by the halfway point? Yes. Does it numb the game and its quality? No. In fact, despite the obvious underlying problem of repetition, it definitely doesn't harm the game and succeeds in what it tries to do - to place you in the monster's mindset and position. The Lizard-like behemoth required me in escalating a lonesome tower that had vents to push me around, similar to how the creature felt like they were being unappreciated and wanted to be left alone. This symbolic imagery in gameplay made me appreciate this game even more. There were also collectables within the game. While I didn't opt to look out for them, they were still a treat. One revolves around collecting messages in bottles that give some context or background information to the world around you, while the other is shooing away pigeons. The latter doesn't do much except maybe a birds-eye view of your surroundings for a couple of seconds.
Characters
The characters are somewhat of a downfall. Whether it was the over-the-top voice acting during some of the more serious events of the game, or the unrealistic dialogue, they made my experience quite bitter. These problems mostly appeared halfway through the game, during the resolution of the parent's issues, with it increasing in quality by the time you reach the icy region. While the performance was disappointing, the actual problems that threaten each bond and relationship feel scarily real and were presented incredibly well.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is immensely pretty. While the washed-up buildings look copied and pasted and don't offer much appeal to the eye, the bouncing and splashing water have a beautiful effect and the slither of light as it guides you has an incredible design. The soundtrack is relaxing and touching and feels like it activates an explorer spark inside the player's head. The Venice-style added to this city that is meant to represent Berlin, looks fantastic but could've done more with its environments and buildings.
Story- 7/10
Gameplay- 5/10
Characters- 6/10
Atmosphere- 7/10
Mediocre
A beautifully touching game that explores traumatic mental health issues well, though it's not without its rough edges and needs for polish and innovation.
