Ocean Keeper: Dome Survival
- July 18, 2024
- RetroStyle Games
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Ocean Keeper: Dome Survival" is a game where players explore the ocean floor on a robotic spider, fighting off sea monsters and gathering resources to upgrade their machine. The game features a huge arsenal of weapons and a meta-currency system for customization. Players can discover lost remnants of civilization and mine resources in caves while trying to survive in this underwater world.
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay loop that combines mining and combat, providing a satisfying experience.
- Visually appealing underwater environment with good graphics and a vibrant atmosphere.
- Offers a solid sense of progression with upgrades and meta-progression elements.
- Game can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with limited content and variety in enemies.
- Unskippable tutorial and some frustrating bugs detract from the overall experience.
- Steep difficulty curve and slow progression can make the game feel grindy and tedious.
- gameplay48 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its addictive loops, solid mechanics, and engaging variety, particularly in horde combat and exploration. While many players appreciate the satisfying progression and unique setting, some note issues with grindiness, lack of depth, and early access limitations. Overall, it offers a fun experience, especially for fans of the genre, but could benefit from additional content and refinement.
“It has great vibes, a very satisfying gameplay loop and a lot of variety with the different combinations & upgrades.”
“Addictive gameplay with a 'one more move' hook.”
“The two-part gameplay loop of digging for gems and fighting hordes of creatures feels fresh and distinct enough from other roguelikes out there.”
“This game is most definitely early access, as I got every single achievement in the very first tutorial run, which is ~50 minutes of gameplay (didn't even need to purchase any permanent upgrades from the main menu).”
“There's about 5-7 hours of gameplay until you've maxed out your kit and then the gameplay loop terminates into an endless solo boss fight.”
“It definitely needs some work and depth to the gameplay.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received high praise for their distinct art styles between exploration and combat modes, as well as for the beautiful underwater visuals and overall aesthetic appeal. Players appreciate the detailed artwork, animations, and immersive environments, contributing to a captivating gaming experience. Despite some limitations in graphical settings, the visuals are consistently described as stunning and well-executed.
“Great artwork, modeling, animations.”
“The underwater world is beautifully crafted, with stunning visuals and immersive gameplay.”
“Deeply in love with this precious game, the graphics, the music and the whole idea behind it.”
“It was very surprising that the art styles between dig/exploration mode and mech/combat mode are so different.”
“It's not possible to set graphical settings.”
“In terms of graphics:”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is currently lacking, with many users noting the absence of a compelling narrative or endgame content, likening it to a basic flash game. While some light story elements exist, players express a desire for more depth and engaging missions to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant development in its storytelling to elevate it beyond a repetitive gameplay loop.
“I sincerely hope that the game will continue to develop; I like the project very much but need more guns, monsters, and storyline.”
“A great roguelite game with a solid sense of progression and light story beats to keep you interested.”
“I'm waiting for the storyline to come out.”
“At its current stage of development, it's essentially a flash game with no story or endgame, just a loop to see how high you can score, aka how many rounds you can survive.”
“There are a few modifier upgrades, I see that the developers promise a story for the game, but they all seem to go the same way, or at least feel the same.”
“Feels like someone took Wall World and removed all the fun elements and story and just left this boring and slow garbage.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and overall experience, describing it as beautiful and fitting for the game's theme. However, some players feel that certain tracks feel forced and do not align well with the gameplay, suggesting a need for rework. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated by many, there are notable criticisms regarding its pacing and integration.
“First of all, the game absolutely captures the atmosphere, sound effects, music, and elements of satisfaction.”
“Deeply in love with this precious game, the graphics, the music, and the whole idea behind it.”
“Excellent gameplay and excellent musical accompaniment.”
“The designs and art are very contrasting, but the music feels forced and is not paced well with the game itself, making the game feel less polished and more of a constant turn-off.”
“The music needs rework, and there are a few bugs that break the game sometimes, like you can't rotate the weapons very occasionally, but the core game loop is fun and it will be great.”
“The ambient music in between fights reminded me of the 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl' soundtrack.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the quick upgrade progression that keeps the gameplay engaging, others feel that it can become tedious, especially during repetitive boss encounters. The need for extensive grinding is noted as a potential drawback, with some players suggesting it may require significant time investment.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Great mechanics, but the game can feel a bit grindy at times.”
“After about wave 25, it turns into an endless boss loop (of only 1 type of boss); where instead of a wave, you just fight the same boss over and over... it's boring and tedious.”
“Way too hard and grindy.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, players express mixed feelings about the game's replayability. While some appreciate the existing content and potential for community-driven enhancements, others feel that the game lacks depth and additional options necessary for sustained replay value. There is optimism for future updates that could enhance replayability further.
“There is a lot of replayability and a lot of content to enjoy.”
“There seems to be a lot of potential here, and I hope the game continues to add some cool replayability factors.”
“Fun and a lot of replayability.”
“The game has no depth; it needs much more content and options to have replayability.”
“And add some replayability not only from the developers but also with the help of the community.”
“That looks awesome... but why isn't it showing up in the store's DLC page? Well, that's because this massive boon to the game's replayability is absolutely free.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game excels in creating a captivating atmosphere, enhanced by impressive sound effects, music, and a visually stunning art style. Players appreciate the immersive underwater environment and the engaging progression loop, which together make exploration a rewarding experience. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals and a compelling ambiance significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The atmosphere really draws you in, making exploration a visually stunning experience.”
“First off, the atmosphere and color palette of the locations are amazing!”
“Also - love the art and overall atmosphere.”
- stability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, users report mixed experiences regarding stability; while some praise the game's performance and graphics, others highlight persistent bugs and lag issues that detract from the experience.
“Awesome game, no messing around. Even with the graphics the way they are, it runs great.”
“I love mining while being armed like a cyborg diver to squash bugs.”
“The last update was a few days ago, August 26, and it's still incredibly buggy.”
“Laggy and extremely annoying due to bugs.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a strong sentiment that the game's monetization strategy feels exploitative, resembling a quick cash grab that raises concerns about its integrity and value.
“I have a strong feeling that this game is just a quick cash grab.”
“The monetization feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating how much you have to spend to enjoy the game fully.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its comedic approach to failure, with players experiencing amusing deaths while upgrading their mechs and battling monsters.
“Upgrading my mech and fighting monsters leads to some of the most hilarious deaths I've ever experienced.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with unexpected twists that always catch me off guard.”
“Every encounter is filled with laugh-out-loud moments that keep the gameplay fresh and entertaining.”
