Close to the first quarter of the 21st century, unfortunately there are still many subjects that are taboo in our society. Things in our day to day that are more normal than we think and that it is still difficult to speak naturally. And although many examples could be included in this definition, the one that concerns us today is that of mental illnesses and that invisibility suffered in one way or another by those who suffer from them. And although all of this may not seem to fit a website like this, Sea of Solitude has the answer.
Originally developed by Jo-Mei Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2019, now it comes exclusively to our beloved Nintendo Switches Sea of Solitude: The Director’s Cut, a special edition with new features and enhancements to a title as deep as it is personal. And yes, also in physical format from Meridiem-Games.
So take a seat on the boat with Kay and get ready to embark on a different adventure in which the monsters are us and our circumstances. Wait to?
Sailing in solitude
At first, Sea of Solitude seems like just another video game. We control a special girl who must solve a series of puzzles along her way to reach the end and overcome a challenge for her. So far nothing special. But what if I tell you that Kay’s journey is far from a fantasy and that the monsters she faces are her own fears, born of her experience and her tortuous path? In life we all carry a backpack more or less loaded with bad experiences (also good, of course) that are forging our character and influence us to move forward in one way or another. And although this has served so that great icons of the world of videogames capture their experiences in titles that today are legends, few have done it by putting issues as complex as mental illness on the table. Because That’s what Sea of Solitude is about, giving visibility to loneliness or depression, and make us see it from another point of view.
Cornelia Geppert, director and designer of the title and CEO of the developer who signed it, metaphorically opens the channel to share her own experiences with the world and shape a very intimate video game that It can have a strong impact on those who have experienced similar things. It is true that the game is not for everyone and that if we remove that powerful background it loses all the magic it can have, but the whole is what it is and with that we are left. Sea of Solitude is a punch in the stomach of the harsh reality of many people who have a hard time without the rest of the world knowing. But at the same time it is a hymn to life, a heartbreaking story that seeks a positive message: despite all the bad things, despite the fear, Kay, our protagonist, is perfectly aware that something is wrong and wants to do whatever it takes. in his hand to be better, to leave behind that monster that he has become and all those he meets. And as players, our objective will be to accompany her so that it happens and discover what happened to her to get where she is.
The power of the metaphorical
To bring his tale to life, Geppert and his team construct a fantastic story full of metaphors in which fears are represented by different monsters and Kay travels through a flooded world in her boat. As we progress through the plot, the protagonist’s feelings vary, causing changes in the setting (lighting, weather, color, water level…) and the pieces fit together little by little. Because it is a great puzzle, never better said, in which in addition to reconstructing Kay’s story we have to solve different puzzles along the way to move forward. In that sense it is not a complicated game, since It is more focused on being an active audiovisual experience than a classic video game in use, but the challenges it poses and the level of exploration are enough to keep us entertained in front of the screen.
Precisely being focused on being a living fantasy story is what can make the game not fit for all types of players. Let’s be honest, it is not designed for it nor does it need it, because we are facing an intimate and personal experience whose objective is quite another. And he achieves it even if for this he has to sacrifice being a more dynamic experience and becoming that sea of loneliness that is so good as a title. The game manages to convey many of the feelings that Kay experiences and there are many times when we are disoriented, walking blindly or trying not to be eaten by a giant sea monster that stalks us all the time. Being in front of the controls in Sea of Solitude is more than controlling Kay when she navigates the ocean or when she travels through the flooded city, it is living the experience with her and sharing what she lives. That is the great strength of this video game, getting the player to get involved in the story and be part of it on an emotional level in a different way than other games achieve.
But as I have already commented previously, it’s not a game made for everyone. It is an interactive movie with some exploration in which players looking for something less personal are not going to feel comfortable. It is not an adventure or survival game, not even an exploration or puzzle one. All these genres are elements present in Sea of Solitude, but they are far from taking center stage, so they remain on the surface and serve to shape the story they want to tell us, a means to an end. There is probably no middle ground, Either you connect with Kay’s story or this game is not for you, because outside of that very personal story that Geppert wants to tell, he has nothing that other titles cannot offer you better and more completely. In fact, there isn’t even a lot of effort put into making the puzzles truly original once we’ve solved the first ones, and we understand that throwing flares is the same to this game as jumping in a platformer. But, again, the important thing here is not how you make the trip but what they tell you while you do it. And how they tell you.
A backpack full of monsters
One of the highlights of Sea of Solitude: The Director’s Cut is its visuals, a fundamental piece of the video game so that everything works as it should. It is the first thing that enters the eyes and one of the pillars to ensure that the sensations that are sought are transmitted to the player. The contrast between tense and calm moments going from dark colors to very vivid colors, the terrifying design of the monsters and Kay herself or the games of light to guide us where they want are perfectly measured and obey a conscientious study of how make a good design. In fact, the scenarios are visually beautiful and the only thing that makes us have to subtract integers from the final result is the recreation of the water, quite strange in some moments. On the other hand, personally I am not a big fan of the design of human characters, but I understand that it is a minor detail and that they are not even the most important part of this section, although they are totally necessary at the time. In any case, the performance of the game is good on Switch and there are no visible frame drops or jerks, both on the laptop and on the desktop. What we do have to pull the developers’ ears on is the unpolished boat handling control or some collision management that causes Kay to react strangely. Special mention for torpedo gulls, although that is better for you to see.
Speaking of how Sea of Solitude works, the version at hand comes exclusively to Nintendo Switch to complete and improve what came to other consoles and PCs almost a year and a half ago. Among other things, this Director’s Cut edition is accompanied by Spanish dubbing, a photo mode with which to lose hours and hours, improved video scenes and a slight rewriting of the script. It’s not a particularly replayable game, and it’s actually quite short., although we have the option of repeating chapters to find the different bottles with messages that are distributed throughout the world that we must travel and thus finish understanding the background of Kay’s story. Beyond that there is no other incentive to repeat the main story, other than can easily be finished in 3 or 4 hours by going leisurely. By not having alternative routes or choices that change the game in one way or another, starting over will only serve to relive the same thing again in the same order. Like in a movie.
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Along with the artistic style, Another point that stands out in the set is the choice of the soundtrack, which accompanies what we are seeing on the screen at all times to reinforce the sensations that are transmitted. Calm compositions with violin and piano for calmer moments at sea and others that are more tense or even that seem to be taken directly from a horror film make the Sea of Solitude soundtrack an essential piece for everything to work well in the game. In fact, if you are one of those who play without volume (seriously, there are people who do), you are going to lose half of what this game has to offer.
Sea of Solitude: The Director’s Cut – Sailing to Salvation
I have seldom played a game that at the end of it (and even during its course) has left me with such a strange feeling. It’s a nice game, but it’s horrible at the same time. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about the game itself, but what it tells us. It is a descent into hell to give visibility to something that in many cases goes unnoticed. Surely many of you who are going to read this have felt alone being surrounded by people, have suffered from anxiety or depression … But few times in the world of video games do you choose to address the subject and show that, although those monsters accompany us or that we see ourselves as one of them, there is a way out.
In that sense, Jo-Mei does a great job of giving us a very personal and mature author’s game with a more optimistic message than it may seem at first glance. Sea of Solitude is far from being a mainstream adventure or standing out where other games have been before, so it chooses to go a different path and shine in its own way. Keep in mind that it is a very particular game and that although the trailer shows great scenarios, ocean voyages or monsters, it has nothing to do with action or exploration games. At least not in the most classical sense. Sea of Solitude is another kind of journey, a much more introspective one.
The Nintendo Switch version has nothing to envy those that were previously published in terms of performance. In fact, it is precisely the opposite, since we are facing an improved edition with new features, so if the game already caught your attention, now there is no excuse to get on board Kay’s boat and accompany her on this journey.
We have analyzed Sea of Solitude: The Director’s Cut thanks to a digital code provided by Meridiem Games. Version analyzed: 1.0.0
A metaphorical odyssey against the worst monsters
A very personal proposal that can excite us if we enter their game. It is not for all types of players and if we remove the background it does not end up shining in any of the genres that it caresses. However, taking that into account, it is a highly recommended experience. A hymn to life disguised as a monster story.
PROS
Original proposal to deal with such unconventional topics in video games
Beautiful surroundings and an atmosphere very well achieved thanks to the artistic section and the music
Mix story-focused focus with exploration and puzzle solving …
CONS
… but although it mixes different genres, it does not end up standing out in any
It is very short and lends itself little to replaying it.
It is not a game for everyone and it is easy for the trailer to sell you something that is not
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