I grew up with The Legend of Zelda franchise, as have many people. In fact, Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda experiences. So, when I saw the trailer for Ocean’s Heart, which drew inspiration from Wind Waker and other Zelda games, I was sold. While the Switch version has some minor issues, Ocean’s Heart is definitely a hidden gem.

You play as Tilia, a young girl who wants to be a part of the Volunteer Navy like her father. After her father goes missing while tracking down pirates that attacked their island, Tilia sets out to find him, embarking on an adventure across the seas. As Tilia, you are able to roll, attack with a sword, and use the X and Y buttons to map various other items.

Foraging for items is important in Ocean’s Heart, as you can craft things such as revive potions (called Elixir Vitae), buffing potions, mana potions, and more. On top of that, you can collect things like bombs, a bow, and various magical abilities that will aid you in your quest. A lot of the Zelda mainstays are here such as the boomerang as well.

As you explore and solve various puzzles, you can also collect Coral Ore, which (together with a bit of money) can be used to upgrade your sword or bow. You can also find armor upgrades as well in various areas, sometimes even from doing side quests. One thing of note, there is a pretty easy side quest that will actually give you access to the game’s hard mode. I personally like that it was made as an opt-in feature, and it has a full in-world explanation as well.

The controls are smooth, the story is interesting, and the combat is dynamic and fun. However, there was one dungeon about four or five hours in that really caused the game to lag. I made it through that area and had a bit of persisting lag for another hour before it stopped. Since Ocean’s Heart allows you to save anywhere though, it isn’t much of an issue. I didn’t have any crashing either, so I just saved frequently and kept plugging along.

I really like Ocean’s Heart and its puzzles. There are a lot of things in the game that reward exploration and backtracking. However, one of the things that I find mildly annoying is that you can’t mark anything on your map, and not every location has a fast-travel point. As a result, some of the side stuff gets a little frustrating, trying to find the specific area you missed or didn’t have the right item for last time.

Another thing I really like is that healing items are plentiful. In a lot of Zelda games, you can find yourself stuck, because you’re midway through a dungeon and pots aren’t dropping hearts. In Ocean’s Heart, you can buy restorative items (like bread and apples) or find apples, berries, and foragable things out in the world to have healing on hand.

Honestly, any Zelda fan will absolutely love Ocean’s Heart. The art style is gorgeous, the whole idea of the game feels very nostalgic and Wind-Waker-y too. The characters are fun, the dialogue is amusing, and overall, developer Max Mraz hit it out of the park. I don’t think I’ve played an indie Zelda-like that I enjoyed this much. Most don’t capture that same magic, but Ocean’s Heart definitely does.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Ocean’s Heart was provided by Nordcurrent Labs for this review.

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Ocean's Heart

$14.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Beautiful Visuals
• Great Puzzle Design and Gameplay
• Colorful Characters
• Lots of Side Quests and Content
• Optional Hard Mode

Cons

• No Way to Mark the Map
• One Dungeon Really Lags