Wavetale came as a surprise, to be honest. 2022 is almost over, but a game with outstanding quality, great artwork, and a good story doesn’t come around that often. Wavetale surfs up my top 3 games of 2022 list very quickly, so let’s dive in to discuss one of the last games I’ll review for this year.
I love action-adventure games, mostly because they often hit a nostalgic sweet spot in the range of Nintendo 64/Gamecube games, which is, for me, the best era for action-adventure games. All the good ones and the ones I still replay to this day are from that era. Wavetale fits right in and reminded me a lot of Beyond Good & Evil or Sly Cooper gameplay-wise. Maybe not be the best comparison since the story doesn’t come close to the games I just mentioned, but still – to set an example.
Story
Explore an open sea and the decaying archipelago of Strandville in Wavetale, a story-driven action-adventure game introducing you to fed-up fishermen, secretive hermits – and maybe a pirate or two. Traverse calm waters and surging waves as Sigrid, a young girl, befriends a mysterious shadow that gives her the power to walk on water. Speed through the waves, swing yourself from housetops with your net, and defeat an old nemesis to save the islands’ citizens. All with some help from the shadows below—and your cranky grandmother.
I’m not going to discuss the rest of the story since that would rob you of the pleasure of surfing through the main story yourself. To be honest, it gave me a lot of Zelda The Windwaker vibes – and that’s a compliment. I think Thunderful Games captures the story of loss and reconciliation with a diverse cast of characters, with, of course, a cranky grandma (who’s just looking out for you), an old sailor, brothers and sisters, and scientists all around!
Gameplay
Wavetale offers classic action-adventure gameplay by allowing you to explore buildings, islands, and the open sea. With your super useful utility net, you can swing between buildings (a neat feature) and surf on the sea using your mysterious water buddy. Suck on that Spiderman! While following the main story, you gain access to sidequests that range from finding missing persons to collecting certain items for an islander. Moving between islands on the open sea feels great and offers a lot of freedom. Sure, there are a few restraints in the form of ‘invisible’ walls, but still – you can go wherever you want, how you want.
Battling the enemies also feels fluid, with a wide range of enemies to defeat. Ranging from simple blobs to charging bull blobs and simple electrodes to collect. It’s all about battling the darkness and bringing peace to the people of Strandsvilles. I would have liked a bit more direction for some of the sidequests since it’s pretty hard to find the right person or item in the vast open sea (even with the help of the wave markers at the top of the screen).
And to keep things interesting, you can collect hats, hair dyes, and outfits! So – no, it’s not just the standard outfit that will be worn and changed color through all the salt it has to endure. I’m not that big on collecting clothes and stuff, but with the recent backlash on Pokémons fashion choices, it’s good that Wavetale offers the option to change the appearance. I like to collect lore-related items, and Wavetale has you covered! Sigrid keeps a scrapbook with drawings of people and other exciting stuff you find along your journey. These pages are often pretty well hidden and give a great extra layer of information on the things you meet.
Artwork & downside
Before I conclude, I need to touch on two topics. First, the art style is fantastic – I love the color pallet and how the world is designed with aquarelle colors and style. It feels like an indie version of what Zelda The Windwaker could have been if they didn’t go with the cell-shaded Link we got back in the day. It all feels very vivid, and I haven’t found a bit of artwork I didn’t like (both handheld and on the dock). One point of criticism, however, is that the loading times are super long. When booting up the game, it takes ages to start and exit; there was no difference between handheld or docked mode, so keep this in mind when starting or exiting your game. The gameplay is not affected by the long loading times, so that’s something.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, Wavetale ticks all the right boxes for nostalgia and great gameplay in its genre. It quickly lands in my top 3 indie games of 2022 and could make some waves in the indie landscape when the bigger public discovers this hidden gem (well, until you pick it up, of course). I hope they patch the loading times; that’s not up to 2022 standards. So, if you’re looking for an eye-pleasing game with great action-adventure gameplay, look no further; Wavetale will be right up your surf alley.
