Endless Ocean: Luminous

Endless Ocean Luminous is not for everyone, but does offer a very rich and soothing experience for those willing to take the plunge.

Endless Ocean Luminous occasionally has some interesting moments, but it squanders its potential with tedious gameplay and a boring sea.

While Endless Ocean Luminous feels limited as a single player game, it works far better as a communal activity. Whether it's with friends or random players, Luminous is at its best when there are more fish (figuratively and literally) in the sea. There are a few things that hold it back from being truly transcendent, like the limited ocean life animations and the story's overall structure, which is told through all-too-short individual chapters. With that said, Endless Ocean Luminous doesn't make a big splash, but it does feel like a relaxing swim.

The Endless Ocean franchise has returned after 15 years of absence so let's see if it can make a new fan out of me in 2024.

Underwater exploration should be so cool. Who wouldn’t love drifting through the deep, scanning fish and solving mysteries? I so badly wanted to love Endless Ocean Luminous, and I simply could not. While the vibes are immaculate, the actual gameplay loop is a murderous grind with no relief in sight. Swimming and looking at fish might be incredibly cool in real life, but it lacks something essential as a video game. Perhaps there’s something here that I’m missing?

Nintendo’s delightful diving sim is making a comeback, but can the series still hope to hold people’s attention on the Switch?

The lack of threat aside, Endless Ocean Luminous is pretty average. The graphics are fine, the mass multiplayer is cool, and the creatures are interesting. If you like to have a list to complete and a love of the ocean, then this game is perfect. If, however, you are looking for something that offers more than just a peaceful swim and a slow-moving story, then it may not be worth your time.

The aquatic exploration game, Endless Ocean Luminous, provides an immersive experience on the Nintendo Switch for players to dive deep in the ocean to swim with all manner of fish, whales, sharks, and more. Developed by Arika and published by Nintendo, the game is a simulation adventure that tasks virtual divers with documenting over 500 species of aquatic life and salvaging relics from past civilizations. Whether playing alone on a solo dive, or experiencing the beauty of the ocean with up to 30 other players, the game is a beautiful, if slow, experience.

“As far as franchise revivals go, Endless Ocean: Luminous doesn't put its best fin forward.”

Dive in and survey a mysterious underwater world in Endless Ocean Luminous for Nintendo Switch. Discover aquatic life, buried treasure and more as you explore the ocean at your own pace, solo or in online expeditions of up to 30 players.

Everything about Endless Ocean: Luminous makes it a particularly Nintendo game: the chunky menu layout, the soothing AI voice, the tranquil music and the laidback vibes. That’s emphasised by the notion that this is a deeply unusual piece of software, and one that you wouldn’t find coming from the other major console manufacturers. It’s a shame then that, unless you’re an avid fan of marine facts, it’s interminably dull.

The SCUBA simulator has relaxing chill vibes for a little while but quickly runs out of oxygen.