TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Ocean Keeper’

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 into a compelling and endlessly replayable experience.

The core loop revolves around your crash-landed mech on a mysterious underwater planet. You'll explore underwater caves in side-scrolling mining sequences, extracting resources and artifacts while earning in-game currency. However, the tranquility of mining is short-lived; waves of enemies soon attack, forcing you to pilot your mech in top-down twin-stick shooter combat with light tower defense elements.

Resources fuel upgrades for both your mining equipment and your mech, branching skill trees offering diverse customization options. The roguelike nature means death resets your run's progress, but persistent upgrades between runs ensure continuous advancement. Procedurally generated overworld and cave layouts add to the replayability.

While the initial stages might feel slow, and early runs challenging, perseverance is rewarded. As upgrades accumulate and skills improve, Ocean Keeper transforms into a whirlwind of underwater mech mayhem. Experimenting with weapon and upgrade synergies is a core part of the fun, encouraging diverse strategies and builds. Despite a slow start, Ocean Keeper's addictive gameplay loop and satisfying progression quickly make it a hard game to put down.