American Arcadia
American Arcadia
Game
Game2020
Call of the Sea
Developer Out of the Blue Games
Call of the Sea is an adventure video game developed by Out of the Blue and published by Raw Fury. The game was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 8, 2020. The game was also released for Amazon Luna on April 15, 2021, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 11, 2021, and for Nintendo Switch on September 9, 2025. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
407 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
212 positive · 64 negative
95% range 71–81%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 212 | 64 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 43 | 2 | 66 |
| Mastodon * | 5 | 0 | 15 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
3,148 of 3,638 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
76% recommend · 200 yes, 62 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 262 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (5,644 of 6,444 positive).
Players praise the game's beautiful visuals and immersive atmosphere. [1][2][3] Many find the story emotional and engaging, with a Lovecraftian twist. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize the protagonist's constant commentary and obtuse puzzles. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Classic case of never hearing the phrase "Show, don't tell". Had to turn subtitles off and mute the game for the outspoken "inner monologue" mouth diarrhrea. Overstays it's welcome and becomes a series of chores. Very clear, very early how the story will progress and end. No mysticism and barely scraping the Lovecraftian feel. Oh, black ichor, oh "there's sum'thing in tha wataah". Some glowy beady eyes and that …
- [1]
اللعبة ماهي لعبة الغاز تقليدية، فيها قصة حب و وفاء بسرد جميل وسط أجواء غامضة وهادية تفاصيل كل فصل بالمناظر والألوان تخلي الجزيرة كأنها لوحة فنية حية و تحسسك بشعور غريب و سكينة الموسيقى كانت تضيف لمستها دائما والأداء الصوتي كان جميل خصوصا نورا و تعليقاتها أثناء الاستكشاف تضيف عمق للقصة وتخليك تحس بالارتباط بالشخصيات وتعيش الرحلة معاها من ناحية الألغاز كانت مو صعبة ولا سهلة بس تحتاج تركيز وملاحظة للتفاصيل وكانت منطقية …
- [5]
THIS. GAME. First, I want to say that the puzzles were excellent. I grew up a Nancy Drew kid, so I have been trying to scratch that itch for a long time. This game delivered! It was challenging at times, but not impossibly difficult. It was just the right amount of challenge. The graphics and visuals were stunning, as well. Now... I don't want to give spoilers, soooo.... LOOK AWAY!! This game broke me. I don't know …
- [2]
One of those Diamond on the rough type of games. Without Spoiling, Walking simulator with some pretty challenging puzzles sprinked throughout, Classic protagionist looking for lost family member plot with some lovecraftian twists takes about 4-8 hours to play depending on how good you are at puzzle games. Where this game really excels is it's atmosphere and visual quality, The island and the world around it looks …
- [3]
Love, love, LOVE this game! The art direction of this game is sparkling: from the colors, the textures, and the lighting — nearly every moment of this game could be a screenshot to advertise how beautiful it is. The soundtrack is beautiful and the voice acting is top-notch. Nora herself is such a gentle protagonist who's so likable. The puzzles are fun and are never too frustrating. Another thing that I think is SO …
Summarised from 34 of the 377 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Call of the Sea sits at 77% positive across 276 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Call of the Sea received positive reviews from critics, who praised the narrative and the island setting, but criticized some of the game's puzzles as being obtuse. The game has "generally favorable reviews" on Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 69% of critics. In a review of Call of the Sea in Black Gate, Neil Baker said "I've read criticisms that claim they can be a bit obtuse, but I disagree. The puzzles are certainly achievable if you put the time in and utilize all the hints Out of the Blue provides, but I'll readily admit that on one occasion I had to resort to an online solution written by a younger…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 407 · most liked firstCosplaying as Norah from Call of the Sea to play the new Call of the Sea tabletop game?? Don’t mind if we do! (Thanks for hosting us @hplhs.bsky.social ) @yurilowenthal.bsky.social @taraplatt.bsky.social @outbluegames.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Some humble suggestions for the steam detective fest: Return of the Obra Dinn The Roottrees are Dead The Seance of Blake Manor (just played this, what a game) Duck Detective (both games) The Painscreek Kilings Call of the Sea All the Sherlock Holmes Games Danganronpa, The Room and Ace Attourney ofc
neutral · AI labelView post →Classic case of never hearing the phrase "Show, don't tell". Had to turn subtitles off and mute the game for the outspoken "inner monologue" mouth diarrhrea. Overstays it's welcome and becomes a series of chores. Very clear, very early how the story will progress and end. No mysticism and barely scraping the Lovecraftian feel. Oh, black ichor, oh "there's sum'thing in tha wataah". Some glowy beady eyes and that about does it. Also... Steam/// Where is the damn NEUTRAL button. It's not a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ugh... If your subtitles aren't readable, then they are NOT accessible. I appreciate that they have an option to change the handwriting to print, but these subtitles are PAINFUL! #CallOfTheSea #VideoGames #AccessibleGaming
negative · AI labelView post →"Call of the Sea" - Certainly the most colourful game I've seen inspired by Lovecraft. Puzzles weren't great - either tedious or frustrating - and the tone of the voice actor was all over the place. The game ends with a choice and I had not really been made to care which option I went with.
negative · AI labelView post →Interact button is way too tiny, and seriously, a tiny white dot that fades in after you stare at something in a game with plenty of white backgrounds, foliage and items? Puzzles lacked feedback to know if you are even doing the right thing or are supposed to interact with it at that moment. Figuring out how to actually WORK the puzzle and know what you are supposed to do *IS* the puzzle in this game, the executions required to solve them are toddler level. Controls are very janky and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to start off by saying the art, music, and voice acting chops in this game is phenomenal. I loved entering the start of a grand vista no matter the time of day being presented. The game's hook is great and I forgot for a moment that it was inspired by Lovecraftian literature as I got lost in it all. The journal provides fairly detailed drawings, notes, and clues for you to draw on and I appreciate that you can TAB your Journal at anytime, even while interacting WITH puzzle mechanics…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sunset (ultra wide) #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →To shine more light on indie games, quote with 4 of your favorite indie titles! Don't forget alt text if you attach pictures 🩷 Coral Island, Call of the Sea, Night In the Woods, and GRIS & Neva (I cheated w the last one bc I love them both equally) #IndieGames #gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →There are SO MANY cozy indie games launching this week 🧵(1/2) 📒Call of the Sea - 9 Sep on Switch 🔍Little Problems: A Cozy Detective Game - 9 Sep on PC @littleproblems.bsky.social 🚀Star Birds - 10 Sep on PC (Early Access) @toukana.bsky.social ☕Sips and Sonnets - 12 Sep on PC
neutral · AI labelView post →Sunset #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →CALL OF THE SEA lay forgotten in my Steam account since 2020, a game I meant to get around to one day. Now The Chaosium has announced that a CALL OF CTHULHU 7e tabletop version is planned. Reminded, I installed and played the original game. Ye gods, it's terrific. Thoroughly recommended.
positive · AI labelView post →Hi! I'm Luis Cobo, gameplay programer at Out Of The Blue Games (Call Of The Sea VR, American Arcadia, The Vigilante Diaries) and also solo dev of Chronicles Of Sagrea, an Epic Medieval Fantasy Adventure game with three playable characters #gamedev store.steampowered.com/app/2727670/...
neutral · AI labelView post →"Investigate the clues left by a previous voyage, piece together what happened, and solve a variety of clever puzzles." Except you aren't given the chance to piece anything together yourself because the game incessantly yaps at you via the main character to explain every tiny thing. Yet puzzles are still so obtuse that I'm constantly having to look up guides because it turns out I didn't interact with an object enough times to get the hints in my journal. For how the game looks, it also runs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Share a pic and the title of a narrative game you love. Call Of The Sea
neutral · AI labelView post →Call of adventure #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →WAIT WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME CALL OF THE SEA IS SO FREAKING GOOD???? THE PUZZLES?? THE LORE?? AN ANCIENT LANGUAGE?? A BLAST to play on group puzzle game night?? GORGEOUS??? THE PUZZLES AGAIN????? like holy SHITTTTT And the sequel is coming out next year?? HIGHLY recommend
positive · AI labelView post →I wanted to like this game. I love Lovecraft inspired games, especially ones that focus on the psychological side like Dredge. Call of the Sea has a great art-style. But that's where the positives end. The puzzles are all really simple or just plain finicky. A bunch of them require you to have all of the hints possible, which are incredibly easy to miss because the UI symbol for them is so small and you have to be looking right at them (plus they often look exactly the same as other things in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished Call of the Sea, review incoming later today most likely. What a wonderful game!
positive · AI labelView post →I am so so happy! 😊 Proud to be the 618th backer 😎 on @BackerKit Crowdfunding for Call of the Sea: The Everhart Expedition! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/s... @shadowlandsgames.bsky.social @outbluegames.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Sun/sets on oblivion #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →Time to start my completed games list for 2026. Game 1: Call of the Sea I really enjoyed this little first-person adventure puzzler. I love the time period and setting. The art style was really pretty. The puzzles were tricky but not too bad. I did both endings as well.
positive · AI labelView post →Call of the Sea is a Lovecraftian puzzle game set in the South Pacific. Really, really enjoyed it. Lots of slow burn implication horror without any jump scares that I, certified jumpscare hater, can remember.
positive · AI labelView post →I went into this game really wanting to like it, but after around an hour of playtime, I couldnt stop getting violently motion sick, regardless of what camera settings I applied to the game or taking a pause to recover. I've never had this happen with any other game that wasnt VR, so I have no idea why this was happening but it unfortunately meant I could not experience this game, so if anyone else gets motion sickness, possibly look to give this one a miss.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Call of the stars #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →Call of a mystery #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →Oh, we finished Call of the Sea tonight and it was a FANTASTIC game with excellent & challenging puzzles, and I can't wait for Call of the Elder Gods to come out AHHH! Next up on puzzle night is the final Golden Idol DLC & then wife gets to helm Obra Dinn! I can't wait for her to experience it too
positive · AI labelView post →'Call of the Elder Gods', the sequel to 2020's first-person adventure game Call of the Sea, gets a new trailer. Coming to PC, Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox. Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/2174380 #indiegames #steam #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →Trying hard not to turn this into a STALKER account so here's another random shoutout, once again to a game I almost never see mentioned. You need to be into these Lovecraftian puzzle exploration settings, but if you are Call of the Sea is a great one despite a few issues. Beautiful art style too.
positive · AI labelView post →A wonderfully emotional story with puzzles that are better than you think. I think this game is best played without ANY story spoilers, so I'll avoid talking about that, except to say that the type of story it turned out to be was a pleasant surprise. The contrast between the general tone of the art and music and the subject matter hit a note I never expected. Worth checking out just for that. The format is slow-paced first person exploration, journal collecting, and puzzle solving.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →more lovecraftian mystery puzzle game CALL OF THE SEA! twitch.tv/the_jenna
neutral · AI labelView post →New #EpicStore freebie available until thursday 11AM EST next week: #CallOfTheSea https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/call-of-the-sea This is an excellent narrative game with puzzles, highly recommend. It can have a dark atmosphere at times, but it's not a scary game. #PCGaming #Gaming #FreeGames #Games
positive · AI labelView post →I do not recoommend especially for those who have motion sickness first 10 minutes of the game and I almost threw up seriouslly there aren't enough options to turn that off or keep the camera stable plus for those who get motion sickness during swimming scenes this game literally starts off with taht.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I usually only review current-year titles, but with the sequel just hitting shelves I had to jump into this one and man, it’s good. It’s a walking sim with a gripping story and a lovely art style, though I did have to dig through the config files to kill the damn motion blur before my eyes gave up. Once that was fixed, I was hooked by a puzzle game so immersive I basically finished it in one sitting. This is the perfect pick if you want a stress-free experience with clever puzzles that reward…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#PC #GameOfTheWeek: Call of the Sea store.steampowered.com/app/1042490/... A deceptively beautiful Lovecraftian Myst-like. #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames #gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →TL;DR This either wants to be or feel like The Witness or Myst, but so much simpler, that it becomes frustrating in ways I could have not expected. If the game was worse visualy, as in using unfinished assets, one could safely assume it is still in development, based on just how many small, but critical oversights there are. The game suffers from, ironically, showing the player so much and have none of it be of any meaning. So much information, yet all it does it add so much noise, when all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Call Of The Sea #CallOfTheSea #OutOfTheBlueGames #VirtualPhotography #PS5
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is so well done in so many aspects, and I wish I could recommend it, but unfortunately I can't get on the same wavelength as the designers when it comes to puzzle solutions. Or maybe I'm not smart enough for the puzzles, I don't know. I hate using walkthroughs - they ruin games for me - but I already needed help on understanding the face totem puzzle in chapter 2, and have hit another puzzle in chapter 3 that is ending the game for me. I'm probably not halfway through. Again,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of those Diamond on the rough type of games. Without Spoiling, Walking simulator with some pretty challenging puzzles sprinked throughout, Classic protagionist looking for lost family member plot with some lovecraftian twists takes about 4-8 hours to play depending on how good you are at puzzle games. Where this game really excels is it's atmosphere and visual quality, The island and the world around it looks and sounds great in a way that immerses you into it pretty quick, The narrative…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gaming pace is so slow for no reason... Story was intertaining, but I had enough and lost patience on chapter 5.... Do not recommend, unless you have the patience of a monk
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is very middle of the road to me. It looks good, the areas you explore are atmospheric, and it has a good soundtrack. It also feels like considerable amount went into polishing the experience, there's only little jank to be found. But the story and gameplay are rather meh. Lots of (literal) gates with a single puzzle that needs to be solved to travel to the next area. The difficulty is mostly on the easy side (which I don't mind), but a lot of puzzles also don't really fit the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love you Out of the Blue games. You had me with American Arcadia so I decided to try Call of the Sea too and boy, this was so better. It took me longer than normal to solve the puzzles and not because it was hard. It was because the visuals were so good AND the puzzles were harder personally. That still did not take away from the story of Norah and Harry. Jealous of their romance I still continued and the Lovedraft-esque theme for the creatures made it absolutely stunning for the water…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who added to their video game backlog over the holidays? What did you pick up? I picked up: - Stray - Amnesia Collection - Call of the Sea - Just Crow Things - Twelve Minutes - The Magnificent Trufflepigs
neutral · AI labelView post →You can visit this island with a big 70% discount during the #SteamSpringSale! 🏝 If you want a chilling and immersive puzzle game, get Call of the Sea now! 🌊 🔗 store.steampowered.com/app/1042490/... #indiegame #indiedev #gamedeals
neutral · AI labelView post →Was feeling burnt out today, and I remembered I had Call of the Sea sitting in my steam library, so I played it through. Very charming and a pretty game to look at. Lovecraftian horror fans may be taken for a loop.
positive · AI labelView post →Call of the Sea is a fantastic little game that I warmly recommend. Has one of the cutest duets in indie game history on the soundtrack, too!
positive · AI labelView post →I feel like I wanted to give it a 4/5, with some parts a 5/5, but it kept losing points, slowly but surely. The story is the best thing about this. The puzzles are fun, for the most part. Some are easy, some are made hard by one of the most annoying things - slow walking. For the entirety of the game you walk like a snail - this gives quite a few hours of extra gameplay, but it's so frustrating. Running is an option only in parts of the game, but when you "run" you actually slow walk a bit…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes, you can walk in Call of the Elder Gods (@outbluegames.bsky.social, 2026). ✅ Stick sensitivity on walking. ✅ Button pressing to sprint. Good game, I enjoyed it more than Call of the Sea. #calloftheeldergods #indiegame
neutral · AI labelView post →I did not enjoy this game. The player character never fails to point out the obvious "oh that door opened when I hit this button. maybe I need to go in there" but is dead silent when you are trying to decipher the most opaque puzzles imaginable. One puzzle in particular I still have no clue how I solved it, nothing about the puzzle nor the answer made any sense to me whatsoever.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@chaosreignsint.bsky.social Last minute change of plans gang. Instead of Disco Elysium, we're going to be diving head long into the 2020 Lovecraftian puzzle game Call of the Sea So tune in now and lets solve some puzzles!!!! www.twitch.tv/alphaz3r0_
neutral · AI labelView post →Ever played a game and you are really enjoying it and then you encounter a serious bug that keeps you from finishing it well that happened with #CallofTheSea check out my #Twitch stream saved to Youtube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Ph... #OutofTheBlueGames #AdventureGame #AdventureGames
neutral · AI labelView post →This edition of @gbmento.bsky.social's "Indie Game of the Week" feature on @giantbomb.com looks at Call of the Sea! Were they impressed by this first-person puzzle game as well as its puzzle design and combat-less gameplay? Link: giantbomb.com/users/4945/a... #games #gaming #indiegame #giantbomb
neutral · AI labelView post →This is not a puzzle game. Its maybe 10 % puzzles, 10% walking around looking for clues to the puzzles and 80% slowly walking down hallways while the protagonist tells herself things she is already aware of. And if youre curious if the story is good, they basically try to make the lovecraftian fishmen from innsmouth into relatable victims...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →THIS. GAME. First, I want to say that the puzzles were excellent. I grew up a Nancy Drew kid, so I have been trying to scratch that itch for a long time. This game delivered! It was challenging at times, but not impossibly difficult. It was just the right amount of challenge. The graphics and visuals were stunning, as well. Now... I don't want to give spoilers, soooo.... LOOK AWAY!! This game broke me. I don't know that I've ever cried so hard over a game before. I had no idea what I was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not very enjoyable as a puzzle game, primarily due to "puzzles" not being very engaging. The majority of puzzles require simply copying a pattern from one place to another, requiring so little thought that the game can almost be played mechanically. If you're looking for genuine a-ha moments, you're not going to find them here. Partially also because the game actively robs you of them. Some examples: In the first chapter The player encounters several totems and as soon as the player inspects…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well. It is a walking simulator with some small puzzles. They are usually ok, except from that weird quadrants puzzle, that I had NO IDEA how to solve, though I tried my best. The story is quite nice and it is coming at a nice pace. I think that it would benefit from a quicker movement speed, but it also ties to the story, so I can forgive it. The graphics are fabulous! I liked all the scenes, even the weird ones. Give it a go if you are thinking about it, you are not going to regret it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pure Deep One Propaganda, AND I WONT HAVE IT IN MY HOUSE!! Kidding. Beautiful story, relaxing game play, tricky puzzles and a rewarding choice ending. Fun for folks who both know and don't know the Lovecraft mythos. Much recommend, especially when it's on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An emotional and visually stunning trip into Lovecraftian madness and puzzle solving!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visually beautiful, this game has an intriguing story. Adventure, light sci-fi/fantasy elements. The puzzles were just difficult enough to be a bit of challenge, but not impossible to solve. There were a couple times I've had to walk away from the game and come back to it with a refreshed mind. Really really enjoyed this game, highly recommend. Its also nice that you can play at your own pace, more or less, but there is a lot of walking for the character during some puzzles. I still encourage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shipmates ohooooy ~ ⚓ Tonight's adventure is American Arcadia! A game that came out in 2023 and is made by the same people who made Call of the Sea ( good game as well! ) Let's clock in and get back to a 9 to 5 grind! 🌊 twitch.tv/lostsailoratsea 🌊 💙 #vtuber | #envtuber 💙
neutral · AI labelView post →
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