Oceanhorn 2 also brings a “single-player co-op” design, with Hero joined by a group of companions you can issue instructions. If you take the time to think things through and plan your approach, you’ll be much better off than if you waste bullets trying to brute force your way through a puzzle. The reagents that serve as ammo for the Caster Gun are bounteous enough in the environment that you’re never going to find yourself left out in the cold, unable to solve a puzzle-you can always find the relevant ammo near any puzzle, and these regenerate before too long-but it’s enough to discourage just carelessly firing the weapon.
There’s an ammunition management element, too, that adds a bit of a tactical layer but never gets so stingy as to be frustrating. Such elemental puzzle-solving tools aren’t uncommon in this genre, but Oceanhorn 2 tying them to a projectile leads to some opportunities for interesting, unique puzzles that emphasise space, distance, and verticality in the environment. But as you progress through the game, you find new bullets with new powers: fire bullets that can set flammable objects alight and burn down rickety wooden walls lightning bullets that can stun foes and activate electrical devices and ice bullets that can freeze enemies in place and help you traverse bodies of water. Initially, all you have is a simple non-elemental bullet-useful for hitting distant objects or attacking enemies from afar, but not much else. Oceanhorn 2‘s twist on this setup comes in the form of the Caster Gun, a magic-imbued firearm that serves as both a weapon and your main puzzle-solving tool. There’s still an emphasis on solving environmental puzzles using an assortment of different tools, on uncovering treasures and finding keys that let you make your way forward. Where Oceanhorn 2 is at its strongest is in how it approaches the typical action-adventure framework. Hero himself is a silent protagonist and a complete blank slate, but the supporting cast, for the most part, brings enough personality to make up for that.
Nobody really stands out, but they bring a lot of colour to an already colourful world. There’s a cheerful, friendly robot, an adventurous young pilot, an old, mostly-retired knight, the princess of an underwater kingdom, and so on. The characters that Hero meets and teams up with along the way are an interesting enough bunch, if not especially memorable. But Oceanhorn 2 still puts a bit of its own spin on things, with a more steampunk-esque aesthetic. It’s here that the Breath of the Wild influence is most apparent in Oceanhorn 2, given BOTW‘s very similar approach to anachronistic technology as a fundamental part of its world. But the world is also in the midst of a technological revolution, bringing with it an abundance of technology that looks more like something out of science fiction: robots, laser weapons, elaborate machines. For the most part, it’s your typical fantasy setup-knights and wizards, swords and sorcery, demons and giant, fire-breathing birds. This world of Gaia is an interesting one. It’s a journey that takes Hero (that’s his name, apparently-nominative determinism much?) all across the land of Gaia, finding allies in all the different peoples who populate it, fighting deadly monsters, and exploring all manner of ancient technology. Taking place a thousand years before the events of the first game, Oceanhorn 2 follows a young knight on his quest to stop the world-conquering schemes of an evil warlock. It still wears its inspirations on its sleeve- Breath of the Wild in particular-but with a bigger scope, it finds more of its own unique identity within that. By comparison, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm is a much more ambitious game. It used its comparatively low budget and short form in its favour, capturing much of the Zelda magic in a game that never overstayed its welcome. Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas was a thoroughly enjoyable, if somewhat derivative, Zelda-style action adventure game.