Endless Ocean: Luminous Reviews

Endless Ocean Luminous is a mildly confounding product. On the one hand, it's still got that very compelling offering of hours spent drifting through gorgeous oceans and coming face-to-face with hundreds of stunning creatures, without complex mechanics or urgency to get in the way. On the other hand, the overall gameplay experience has been dulled down so much to feel like a backwards step, and the system of randomly-seeded dive spots dilutes a lot of its personality.

Endless Ocean Luminous is the third title in the scuba-diving series that began with the Wii in 2007. This latest entry gave fans a nice surprise when it was an

Luminous features solid visuals, from the detailed fish to the vast ocean itself. I didn’t run into any major performance issues or stutters, even when playing with others on rather large oceanic maps. The sound design is pleasant, with the soft sounds and ambient aquatic noise making it especially easy to lose yourself in the laid-back vibes that come with scanning fish and picking up submerged knick-knacks.

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.

Endless Ocean Luminous’ highs come early, with a relaxing atmosphere and excitement of seeing new sea creatures and learning about them. Those highs quickly drop off and what you’re left with is an often frustrating, bland game that completely abandoned what made the series special in the first place.

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

Ultimately, Endless Ocean: Luminous is a chill, relaxed experience that doesn't offer much beyond the surface. The game is essentially a collectathon, with little to do outside of exploring and looking at things. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but Endless Ocean: Luminous is exactly what it aims to be—a title about exploring the ocean.

If I told you I’m well-versed into the world of Endless Ocean, I’d be lying. I had never played a game in this franchise prior to tackling Endless Ocean Luminous. It took me a while even to realize this was actually a Nintendo joint in the first place. That being said, some of the elements in its premise caught my attention. I don’t know why, but I really dig these relaxing underwater games, such as Abzu. When some of the folks at WTMG told me there was a semblance of cataloguing and co...

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

With the Switch slowly winding down, Nintendo has been looking to tide hardcore fans over by diving deep into its back catalog to resurface long-neglected franchises like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Advance Wars, and Another Code, but Endless Ocean may be the most unexpected revival yet. Beginning on the Wii as a perhaps over-literal expression of Nintendo’s 2010s-era “blue ocean” strategy, the series got two entries in quick succession then disappeared, for good many assumed. Well, surprise! Nearly 15 years after we were last graced with an entry in the series, Endless Ocean Luminous is sailing our way.

Taking you on an underwater journey through the vastness of the mythical Veiled Sea, Endless Ocean: Luminous is the third entry in a series of ocean exploration games that first launched in 2007 on the Wii. This sequel allows players to don scuba gear and scour the depths of various aquatic biomes, recording the vibrant marine life they encounter. With plenty of fishies to find and a lo-fi, nonviolent aesthetic, this Endless Ocean promises a chilled-out experience for players seeking a bit of...