Ocean Keeper Review: Surviving the Depths

by Lordtoto01 / Editorials, Highlights, Video Game Reviews / 01 Jun 2024

I want to start this review by declaring my weakness for mechs. I love them… The very concept of a mechanical giant roaming around with guns & missile launchers attached is a childhood fantasy of mine. Although Ocean Keeper is a bit rough around the edges and is still in beta, I reckon it has potential.

Ocean Keeper seems challenging and fun, at a glance. However, there is an underlying learning curve where you discover which weapons to pick and which upgrades to prioritize… The key to success lies in spreading out the upgrades between your excavation skills and mech. Yes, there are some major balance changes required, but other than that, I believe Ocean Keeper shows promise.

Understanding the Basics

The game begins with you slowly creeping towards an excavation site and entering it in search of resources. You’ll have about a minute to scavenge for resources and then prepare for an invasion by sea monsters that grow more powerful with every wave. After clearing the wave, you’ll have to start digging again, and this goes on until you succumb to the creatures.

There is no meta progression at the time of writing this guide, so every time you die, you start all over again. It’s not much, but RetroStyle Games are actively working to improve the overall experience, such as including more features and quality of life changes that enhance the gameplay. For instance, the game now shows the spawn animation of the Giant Eel boss on wave 5. Hopefully, with more updates on the horizon, here is my take on Ocean Keeper.

Overcoming the Early Game

The basic weapon is good enough to take care of the first two waves, especially if you manage to find a power core that gives your mech another weapon. So it’s best to upgrade your Drill Power and Carry Slowdown on the first wave and one weapon upgrade (damage) and Digger Speed. After that, it’s a matter of preference.

There are three resources needed for upgrades:

Blue Ore – Most common and located in the upper level.

Gold Ore – Uncommon and located in the upper to middle level.

Green Ore – Rarest ore of all and can only be found in the deep levels.

Power Core – Unlocks a new weapon or mech upgrade.

There is a nice balance between mining and fighting monsters, but in my experience, things tend to get a bit too difficult after wave 5. I may not upgrade my gear optimally, but an easier difficulty or a much more gradual power level increase would be much appreciated.

Plan Out Your Upgrades

Balancing the upgrades seems to be a crucial aspect of the game. Invest too much in mining and you get killed in battle. Prioritize your weapons over mining and you won’t have enough resources to improve your mining gear and will fall off in the long run.

Each of the weapon attachments looks, feels, and sounds different. The visuals are a bit lacking, but it’s still in beta and I am sure they will improve during development.

All the weapons I’ve used so far have distinct capabilities and do the job pretty well. Shotgun for close-range combat, missiles for ranged AOE damage, and napalm to prevent short-range creatures from attacking you.

Upgrading mining and combat skills every alternate wave seems to be the safest route, which makes progression quite formulaic at the moment, but I am sure more variability will be introduced in future updates.

Tips About Mining

Get the first three upgrades for every mining skill ASAP. Otherwise, it takes way longer to go through all the dirt. Also, you can drop one bomb per mining attempt which deals damage in a certain radius, weakens the ground, and reveals what ores are nearby. Weakened blocks of dirt can be destroyed with a single poke, which significantly increases the mining speed.

How to Overcome Waves 5+

After wave 5, enemies spawn in large numbers. As of now, the toughest of them are the eels that pop up from the ocean floor and spit acid. Next are the ranged enemies followed by the melee attackers. Having at least two additional weapons with one level up is a must from now. Additionally, here are a few tips to better fight the monsters:

Kiting – The best way to deal with the massive number of monsters is kiting. I won impossible runs just because of my positioning. The key is to move in one direction and lead them to a narrow bend or near one of the giant corals. Once you make a turn, the wave is streamlined into a narrow spot. This not only slows their advance but also increases the effectiveness of splash weapons.

Jukes – The mech is super slow which makes dodging enemy projectiles almost impossible. Thankfully, the projectiles are quite slow and if timed and positioned correctly, they can be easily dodged. The key to dodging is to strafe left or right instead of heading in the direction in which the projectile was initially fired. It takes practice but with time it becomes easier.

Ocean Keeper is in the super early stages of development and by the looks of it, it’s on the right track. Personally speaking, I want it to succeed. The game has a decent foundation and with some graphical improvements, it will look and feel a heck of a lot better than its current state. Only the future will tell where the development leads, but if you’re interested in Dome Keeper-style gameplay with access to movement, keep your eyes on Ocean Keeper.

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
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