Another world premiere from the Inside Xbox showcase showed off the intimate first person gameplay of Call of the Sea from new studio Out of the Blue.
A throwback to adventure-style games, Call of the Sea stars Norah, a young woman who travels to the South Pacific to search for her long-lost husband, who has gotten lost on an expedition.
Set in the 1930's, Call of the Sea is a unique first person world that features an exotic jungle island, rife with bright colors in a semi-stylized style. The surface of the jungle island, however, harbors a deeper mystery, one that will take Norah to darker places and dealing with other-worldly things beyond her comprehension.
Heavily hinting at in the trailer, developer Out of the Blue has confirmed that Call of the Sea is also taking some inspirations from the works of H.P Lovecraft, though the developers insist that the title is not a horror game at all. "We want you to solve the mystery we have created, slowly realizing that there is more to the world than meets the eye and piecing together what has taken place before you arrived on the island." notes game director Tatiana Delgado. "We’re after the sensation that comes when the mind tries to grasp a solution that lingers, tantalizingly, almost within reach."
The main focus of Call of the Sea is ultimately a journey of discovery for Norah, voiced by Cissy Jones of Firewatch fame. Much of the gameplay is first-person puzzle based, and the narrative ultimately will deal with Norah's quest to reunite with her lost husband, all the while discovering secrets around the island.
Players can look forward to Call of the Sea on the Xbox Series X, along with the Xbox One and PC, with it scheduled for release in late 2020. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass when it launches.