TouchArcade Rating: A masterful blend of disparate gameplay styles is always a treat, and Ocean Keeper delivers just that. Think Blaster Master's blend of side-scrolling and top-down action, or the ingenious combination of roguelike diving and restaurant management in Dave the Diver. Ocean Keeper from RetroStyle Games seamlessly integrates two distinct mechanics, creating a compelling gameplay loop and upgrade system that keeps you coming back for more.
The core gameplay revolves around your crash-landing on a mysterious underwater planet in your powerful mech. You'll explore underwater caves, mining resources in side-scrolling segments, a process that also earns you in-game currency. However, your mining expeditions are time-limited; waves of enemies will soon attack, forcing you to defend your mech in top-down twin-stick shooter encounters with light tower defense elements.
Resources gathered during mining fuel upgrades for both your mining equipment and your mech, with extensive branching skill trees for both. The roguelike nature means death ends your run, resetting progress, but persistent upgrades between runs ensure continuous advancement. Expect varied overworld and cave layouts with each playthrough.
Ocean Keeper begins at a slower pace, with early runs potentially feeling challenging. However, persevere! As upgrades accumulate and skills improve, the game's flow becomes clearer, transforming you into a formidable underwater force. The synergy between weapons and upgrades is the game's core strength, encouraging experimentation with different builds and strategies. While initial impressions might be lukewarm, Ocean Keeper's addictive gameplay loop quickly makes it hard to put down once it gains momentum.