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# Endless Ocean Luminous is a relaxing dive into the wonders of our natural world
- URL: https://regionfree.net/endless-ocean-luminous-nintendo-switch-cozy-game-review/
- Published: 2024-05-11T10:12:36.000Z
- Updated: 2025-04-13T11:43:55.000Z
- Description: ★★★★ | What a wonderful world
- Author: Joonatan Itkonen
- Tags: Gaming, #gamereview, Game Reviews

💡

****Reviewed on:** Nintendo Switch (OLED, docked)  
Distributor provided a review copy.

Endless Ocean Luminous is a strange game to review. It’s far from a bad game, but it’s also not something one would recommend to everyone. Despite the fact that I think everyone *should* play it, even for a moment. 

It’s the continuation of the Endless Ocean series, originally seen on the Wii back in 2009\. Like its predecessor, Endless Ocean Luminous is built around a single idea, and it never veers away from that simplicity. You’re a diver, and the ocean is your playground. There’s nothing fantastical about it, nor do you get up to any high-flying adventures. Instead, you swim, explore, and observe. Taking in every bit of the natural miracle that is our planet – before we wreck it entirely. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/47/0c4798b4-e19d-4d8f-8475-ae0910a66a04/content/images/2025/03/1e9ac99c-6e4d-4efc-8867-e628d9c26ee0_500x281-1.webp)

While it’s natural to feel disappointed by the lack of distinct gameplay, I don’t think *Endless Ocean Luminous* should be judged by the same standard that we apply to, say, *Super Mario*. While the latter is instant gratification with a super solid gameplay loop crafted for generations, *Endless Ocean Luminous* is a completely different kind of game altogether. More meditative, experimental. Almost a nature documentary that you control at your leisure.

Every undersea creature can be scanned, and the more you do, the more you learn about them. The voice-over is soothing, and there’s a wealth of information packed into the game. If something like this had been available when I was a kid, I would have spent dozens of hours just soaking in what I could. 

Which leads to the gameplay loop that *Endless Ocean Luminous* seems to reach. This isn’t a game you pick up with the intent of “winning”. It’s a cozy, slow experience that you pick up for a while, and return to days, weeks, even months later. In my notes, I had initially compared it to an informative screensaver, but that feels like a backhanded compliment when it isn’t mean to. There is an immense amount of joy to be found in deliberate slowness, and *Endless Ocean Luminous* understands that perfectly. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/47/0c4798b4-e19d-4d8f-8475-ae0910a66a04/content/images/2025/03/7b604cf1-a3e7-482e-aeae-f16495dbd41d_500x281-1.webp)

The minimalist interface, melancholy music, and pared down controls all emphasize the experience. You’re not meant to get lost in the mechanics, because the focus is on the wildlife. There’s a story mode, but it’s sparse, and the multiplayer is even sparser. There’s some joy in communicating with strangers entirely through emotes (after all, you’re underwater), but most of *Endless Ocean Luminous* is best experienced alone. 

My one major gripe is that the playground is surprisingly small, and the wildlife isn’t as interactive as I’d hoped. Again, this isn’t a game of total interactivity, but I wish the world would react to my diver even minimally. For something that wants me to remember what a miracle the aquatic world is, *Endless Ocean Luminous* stumbles with the robotic patterns its digital creatures follow. 

Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with *Endless Ocean Luminous*, warts and all. It’s not a game that would be my first recommendation for most, but it is something that I wish everyone gave a chance. There’s a lot to love in any project that has this kind of purity of vision. Even if it’s vision to a fault. Put aside expectations of achievements, points, and constant action, and you’ll find a vast love letter to our planet that reminds us why our oceans are to be preserved no matter the cost.