EA’s Sea of Solitude managed to elude the gaming press until launch day (Friday), meaning it arrived a bit too late in the week to make it into our weekly round-up.
Reviews of the emotional tale are now live, and scores are somewhat mixed. However, most critics agree that it’s a trip with taking despite a few shortcomings with how the story is handled and a lack of evolution to certain ideas.
9.5 – God is a Geek: “Mei Games has created something that offers both a soothing and sorrowful journey full of tear-jerking and joyous moments wrapped up with excellent storytelling and inventive gameplay. There were a few minor glitches when trying to get back in the boat, but never stopped me from staying completely immersed in the story of a girl who is trying to do the right thing whilst struggling to help those around her and herself. If you enjoyed games like Journey or Rime, then this is a must buy.”
9 – TSA: “Clever, emotional and raw, Sea of Solitude is a personal journey that at times you feel like you’re intruding on. It is resolutely truthful and, just as Kay turns aspects of herself inward and outward, you can’t help but consider your own place, both amongst the people around you and inside your own head.”
7.5 – GameInformer: “Characters have depth, and you learn more about Kay and others when clearing corruption. Problems are rooted in mental health, such as Kay’s boyfriend who is in a deep pit of depression and another sequence about a young boy being bullied. Most of these moments feel genuine, but I found the brief bullying storyline clumsy, especially when it delved into suicidal ideation in a sloppy way.”
7/10 – GameSpot: “The gameplay is passable at best and tedious at its worst, but this is still a journey worth experiencing because of the way Jo-Mei Games has managed to weave a heartbreaking tale out of genuine characters and believable grief.”Â
6.5 – IGN: “Sea of Solitude gives you a beautiful world and an intriguing story but the gameplay fails to evolve enough to make this a compelling adventure.”
Sea of Solitude launched 5th July on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.