Would you do everything possible to cure a spouse’s illness? Find out in Call of The Sea VR.
The world may not be anything we perceive it to be. What is real and what is not real isn’t always easy to tell. In Call of The Sea VR, from Out of The Blue Games, one is put to the test in this virtual world. One may not be in danger from many things, but the mind is a fickle thing. On this adventure, there will be a great deal of secrets to find. Whether those treasures are a dream come true or a nightmare remains to be seen. Will you find the secrets that lie within the supposedly Polynesian island temple? Or will they find you first?
Finding cures for diseases has been a goal for humanity for millennia. Technology has come so far regarding finding many treatments for diseases. Viruses with no cure are also now easier to manage. But back in the 1930s, proper healthcare was only just beginning to come into existence. In Call of The Sea VR, one follows the footsteps of your husband Harry; one must follow his trail. The last place he was known to be was an island expedition. On this Polynesian island, he had hoped to find a cure for his wife’s skin condition.
With this mysterious cure, a family’s unique disease may finally be gone. It is a dream that they never thought they’d realize. Many things will become a hindrance to finding answers. Puzzles will impede one’s journey every step of the way. Each mind-bender solved in Call of The Sea VR will bring one that much closer to the answers they seek. Only time will tell if they will be truly happy with what they find.
Call of The Sea VR felt like one of the more immersive games when it came to the controls. Sure, they had similar functions to the control triggers. The movement was controlled by a method known as blinking. This is done by pressing up on the right analog stick and aiming in the desired direction. It could be done with either, but the title makes it a point to signify the right analog stick.
The blink motion control does take some getting used to. If one takes the time to understand it, though, it can be interesting to use. When the analog stick is pushed, a dotted arched yellow line will appear. It can be set to a certain distance. One thing to note is that the character’s direction could be ‘aimed’ in a specific direction by rotating the analog stick around. Some objects in Call of The Sea VR require looking at them from different angles, making the ability to aim one’s perspective extremely useful.
Viewing different things, of course, simply required turning one’s head in a specific direction. It was quite fascinating to observe different environments in the virtual world. While looking at various things sounds commonplace, Call of The Sea VR makes it a point to look at various scattered clues. Logging clues into one’s journal simply required looking at specific objects in certain sections. It was a simple action; however, it wasn’t always easy to execute. For some reason or another, the game required the player to aim at a very specific point for each visual clue. Nothing in the game made it easy to tell where this point was.
Other clues scattered throughout Call of The Sea VR needed to be picked up. A few pictures of Harry and his companions can be found throughout the island. Handwritten notes sat next to many of the pictures scattered across the island. Each picture told a visual part of the story, some of them showing what appeared to be a Polynesian Chieftain. Some of the pictures would show shapes and statues left by the tribe that had inhabited the island. What isn’t revealed is why they were created and the reason for their location.
The well puzzle had to be one of the more difficult puzzles in Call of The Sea VR. Because it was a two-parter, it required some backtracking. Firstly, getting proper clues required interacting with a special lens machine. Once the right sequence of dots was placed into the light, the machine gave back a dotted lens. After placing it onto the nearby telescope, it gave the character a constellation to sketch into their journal. Solving this puzzle gave me a surprise that I certainly was not ready for.
A few swimming sequences were peppered throughout Call of The Sea VR. These parts felt like there could have been more to them. It’s understandable that ‘blinking’ would be the logical movement method for land. Swimming, though, felt like it should have been done with an actual motion from the user of the Meta Quest 2. It would have made the water sections that much more interesting.
Call of The Sea VR is one of the most visually stunning titles I have experienced on Meta Quest 2. While the path of the game was linear, it still felt like there was a lot to do. The beauty contained in the title felt truly inspired by island living. Each of the environments was beautiful. It was quite a sight to see statues inspired by Polynesian culture.
One of the biggest things to note, visually speaking, is how immersive the title was. Depending on the height one is perceiving during the game, and it is entirely possible to feel a sense of vertigo. This was very a fascinating thing to experience.
Throughout the environments in Call of The Sea VR, one could see small animals inhabiting the island. Birds, fish, and insects dotted the landscape, giving a semblance of life to the virtual world contained within the headset. Dynamic weather also breathed more life into the island as well. It was an odd thing to see rain falling from the sky and not feel it.
The voice acting for Call of The Sea VR was fantastic as well. Despite only one character being part of most of the game, their monologues were well-acted and recorded. Hearing a different language in my ear was truly an experience. Nothing is more unsettling than hearing a voice one can’t identify whispering right into their ear. It was a great way to add to the overall atmosphere of the game. This title is a fantastic introduction to virtual reality.
Despite the linear path developers went with, it does not take away from the sense of adventure within the game. It truly feels like a considerable amount of thought went into both the audio and visual aspects of the story. Some of the puzzles can be frustrating at times, but when they’re solved, it is extremely satisfying. If you’re looking for a new game completely with adventure, mystery, and crazy twists and turns, do yourself a favor and check out Call of The Sea VR.
