Ludography
80/100
Players2 ratings
More scores
Metacritic usersuser score
83/100
GameFAQsJust Right
3.25/5
Player reviews
85% positive221 reviews
Steam Deck
Verified
Runs on
Windows, Mac
Price
US$19.99

Where to get it

Even the Ocean cover

2016 · Analgesic Productions · Action-adventure · Adventure

Even the Ocean

From the creators of Anodyne comes a grand story about Aliph, a lowly power plant technician for Whiteforge City, who finds her world turned upside-down after a routine maintenance trip goes awry. Now, working directly with Whiteforge's Mayor Biggs to face an unknown menace, Aliph must navigate her newfound power and influence to save the city.

Released
16 November 2016
Platforms
Nintendo SwitchPlayStation 4WindowsXbox OnemacOS
Genres
Action-adventureAdventureIndiePlatformerRole-playing
Developers
Analgesic Productions
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
ActionScience fiction
Engine
Haxe
Country
United States
Age ratings
ESRB E10+PEGI 7
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, German, Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
7hmain story9hcompletionist

About

Even the Ocean is an action-adventure platform video game developed by Analgesic Productions. The game was released on November 16, 2016 on Steam, itch.io, GOG.com, and Humble Store, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

The game includes platforming and story elements, putting the player in the role of Aliph, a Power Plant engineer working for the game's central city of Whiteforge.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Even the Ocean is played by moving and jumping through side-on view places, such as beaches, cities, and the interiors of the world's mechanical and dangerous Power Plants. The game uses an energy bar mechanic that allows the player to gain more Light or Dark energy in order to jump higher or run faster.

Gameplay varies from cutscenes where Aliph talks with other characters in the game, to exploration of smaller towns and areas, to action platforming sections set inside of Power Plants.

Story

The story of Even the Ocean follows the events of Aliph as she begins her first day of work in the area of Fay Rouge. She is accompanied by senior technician, Cassidy, who dies in a disaster at Fay Rouge. After Aliph returns to Whiteforge City, the mayor, Richard Biggs, assigns her and two other technicians to repair other Power Plants in the world outside of Whiteforge. As she continues her travels, Aliph learns more about forces putting her world at risk, and eventually needs to step in to try and save it.

Development

In March 2013, Even the Ocean began as two separate games, Even and The Ocean. io and other storefronts on November 16, 2016. Regarding the mix of platforming and story, Han-Tani has stated that "the different segments of the game arose from wanting the game to incorporate reading-heavy and platforming-heavy sections—to show their interesting contrasts to players". The game was translated into Chinese, German, Russian, and Spanish.

The Chinese translation was released on June 4, 2017, while the German subtitles as well as the Russian subtitles were added on November 27, 2017. An update on June 24, 2017 added Spanish localisation.

Reception

Danielle Riendeau of Vice Media's Waypoint placed Even the Ocean at the #1 spot of her Top 10 Games of 2016 list, citing "its intricate level design, its quirky and colorful world, its characters and their awakening as citizens of a corrupt government".

Chloi Rad of IGN listed it on her list of 13 Awesome Games No One Talked About In 2016, citing that it was "all about balance — between the Light and Dark energy that fuel its world, but also the other contrasting forces that influence every facet of our lives. Nature and industry. Wealth and poverty", and that "in place of demanding difficulty, Even the Ocean instead provides a thought-provoking story with varied mechanics (like its interesting spin on an HP bar) that run gracefully parallel to its message".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
macOS16 November 2016Worldwide
Windows16 November 2016Worldwide
Xbox One18 August 2020Worldwide · North America 19 August 2020
PlayStation 419 August 2020Worldwide
Nintendo Switch21 August 2020Worldwide

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Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.