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Endless Ocean Luminous is the third game in a series I have never played, but that hasn't mattered a bit. It's a diving game and I can barely swim, but that hasn't mattered a bit. It's a game in which nothing much happens, and what does happen only happens very slowly. Don't mind. It's a game with a thirty-player multiplayer component, which is theoretically the big draw, but feels like the wrong way to play.

All of this is to say: I'm not sure that Endless Ocean Luminous is particularly good - and I certainly wouldn't want every game to be like this. But I've really enjoyed it so far.

This is a diving game. You're deep beneath the oceans, wet-suited up, and you're a scientist of some kind, which in this game means you point at fish. Fish come past? Point at them. Flock of fish in the distance? (Is flock the right term?) Point at them too. Point at big fish and small fish. Point at sharks and minnows. You get the idea.

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Endless Ocean Luminous is the third instalment in the game series from Arika and 14 years have passed since the release of Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep. With such a huge gap between releases, fans of the previous Endless Ocean games have been curious about what Luminous will bring. Will it be more of the same chill vibes and ocean adventures, or is there more?

Unfortunately, Endless Ocean Luminous does not seem to offer much more than its Nintendo Wii predecessors. The vibes are the same, with a similar soundtrack to swim along with, but there is little sense of adventure. At its basic level it is an enjoyable game, but does it have enough going for it to keep players invested?

Nintendo's February Direct Partner Showcase has come and gone. This presentation was focused around third-party games so, as expected, there was no news on any homegrown Nintendo titles or the Switch 2's expected arrival in early 2025. However, the broadcast was still full of annoucements for games headed to Nintendo Switch from other publishers over the coming six months. Here's a roundup of everything which appeared during the 25-minute show.

Fresh from Microsoft's confirmation it was bringing more of its Xbox console exclusives to other platforms, the show began with a look at Obsidian's Grounded - where you have to explore a massive garden as a tiny human. Grounded will support online cross-platform multiplayer on Switch when it's released on 16th April.

After this, we entered the dying world of Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist. You take on the role of Lilac as she explores the landscape alongside a homunculus (Fullmetal Alchemist vibes anyone?). Ender Magnolia Bloom will be released on the Nintendo Switch later this year.

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