Wide Ocean Big Jacket is a short narrative-driven adventure you should check out on Nintendo Switch. Find out why in our Wide Ocean Big Jacket review!

 

In Wide Ocean Big Jacket, an aunt and an uncle take their middle-school niece and her boyfriend on an overnight camping trip. What follows is a short adventure game with four playable characters, in which the story is at the center of the entire experience. This one is going to last you around 60-90 minutes or so, making it a good option to play either in short bursts or in a single sitting from start to finish.

 

It’s through Wide Ocean Big Jacket that you’ll get to learn a bit more about Mord (the niece), her boyfriend Ben (you know, the boyfriend), Aunt Cloanne, and Uncle Brad. The controls are as chill as the adventure the group is going on. You’ll move with the left analog stick or the D-Pad, moving the camera around with the right one, interacting with things and other characters by pressing the A button. You can do a quick turn by pressing down on the left analog stick or the D-Pad and also pressing the B button… and that’s pretty much it!

 

You will go through different small locations during your short time with Wide Ocean Big Jacket, exploring a bit, but not too much. While the colorful graphics are definitely appreciated, it’s obvious that the focus of the game is on the interactions between the different characters. There is no voice acting in this one, so you’ll be doing a bit of reading as you take on 2D “talking heads” chats between characters. Because of this, it’s hard to talk too much about Wide Ocean Big Jacket without spoiling the experience, since revealing any of the overall story beats would ruin it for other people.

 

I can mention that the team at Turnfollow has done a great job with the writing for Wide Ocean Big Jacket, because the conversations and interactions that all characters have in this one feel real. There’s are lighthearted moments, as you’d expect from teenagers going out camping into the wild, without technology by their side, but there are also some more serious topics presented during this short experience. It’s a nice balance that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

 

Wide Ocean Big Jacket is a fun slice of life adventure game with a great art style and a likable cast of characters. You’ll be spending an hour to an hour and a half, give or take a few minutes, playing this one, which might not make it the type of game some of you would favor. As for me, it’s exactly what I needed to play between the long RPG and action games I’ve been playing, and I do recommend you give this $7.99 game a try on Nintendo Switch.

Disclaimer
This Wide Ocean Big Jacket review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Turnfollow.