Even the Ocean is…

What is Even the Ocean? This is a question that I had upon being introduced to the game for the first time through Twitter. After discovering the pinned tweet on the top of their Twitter, I began my journey into understanding what the game is actually about. According to that post, Even the Ocean is about working for the city. It is about navigating difficult power-plant environments. It is about hiking. Simply, however, it is a ”  long-form adventure platformer where you interact with objects in the environment to change the balance of your two-way energy bar”.

The energy bar mechanic is definitely the focal point of what makes Even the Ocean so interesting to me. Replacing the typical health bar that we are used to seeing in games, the energy bar actually functions much differently from what I expected upon hearing about the mechanic. Interacting with objects in the environment allows you to fill your energy bar in either direction, depending on what interaction you partake in. If you fill your bar to the right, your character, who is named Aliph, will move slower, but jump higher. If you fill the bar to the left, Aliph will move faster, but lose some height on her jumps. Interestingly enough, if you manage to fill the bar completely in either direction, you will die. This means that most of the time in Even the Ocean will be about managing your energy bar, and looking ahead to decide whether you will need more run speed, or higher jumps in order to proceed through the levels.

Even the Ocean is a game that puts you in the shoes of Aliph, who is a repair woman working for Whiteforge City. Her job takes her on journeys through harsh environments, including power plants, beaches, and forests. The game is said to be quite lengthy, and although it is often mistaken as a metroidvania-style game, the level design is linear. It seems that the focus of Even the Ocean is on telling Aliph’s story, and I can say that I am totally fine with this. Even the Ocean seems to have a very interesting start to their story from what they’ve shown. On top of that, the levels look gorgeous, and although the artwork is simple, it comes together to form a very nice looking game that I look forward to seeing more of.

One interesting aspect of Even the Ocean’s development is their use of what they are calling “The Secret Ocean“. While not much information is given regarding The Secret Ocean, it looks to be a tool to gain more information about the game. There are certain milestones to meet, which add virtual OceanBucks to, and this is where I’m a bit confused, the virtual wallet of the internet. The more OceanBucks that are earned, the more videos and other content that will be unlocked for the viewing pleasure of those who visit the site. I was able to watch a couple of gameplay videos, as well as visit a cryptic page that prompted me to enter a code, which I do not have. However, I think that although it is a bit cryptic, and this is by design I reckon, The Secret Ocean is a really interesting marketing tool and I applaud Even the Ocean for trying something different. I really enjoyed messing around with the different options in it for a few minutes and I’ll continue checking the page for updates in the future.

If you like the sound of Even the Ocean, or would like to learn more about the game, be sure to check out their official site, as well as follow them on Twitter for the most up-to-date information. The devs often do Q&A’s, so make sure to keep an eye out on Twitter if you have any questions you’d like to ask or feedback you’d like to give them. Even the Ocean is a unique and interesting game that I definitely look forward to keeping up with in the future.