What better way to demonstrate the next-gen capabilities of the Xbox Series X than with a crystal clear preview of one of its December releases. Call of the Sea received an 18-minute showcase that flaunted its opening with dazzling visuals running on Microsoft’s system.
Announced during Microsoft’s third-party showcase back in May, Call of the Sea promises an intellectual and visceral experience for players who embark on the game’s poignant journey. Set on a tropical island within the south pacific during 1934, you will control a woman named Norah who must traverse the island in search of her missing husband. Call of the Sea has been described as a “character study” of the protagonist, that offers intriguing puzzle-adventure mechanics weaved through the game’s emotional narrative.
Call of the Sea’s prologue begins with the protagonist swimming through a tunnel under the sea, decorated with colorful algae as she moves fluidly through the water at 60fps. Waking from what we found out was a dream, we join the woman in her cabin on a boat as she sails to the island in search of her husband. The console's 4K resolution conveys the game’s serene lighting and pleasing details, down to the last dust particle floating in the cabin. Once our protagonist reaches the island, the colors become the standout element. Set in a first-person perspective, Call of the Sea demands exploration and admiration for its surroundings outside the progressive puzzle-solving – which you’ll eventually get around to after taking multiple screenshots.
Players may recognize the protagonist’s voice as Cissy Jones, who delivered a critically-acclaimed performance as Delilah in 2017’s Firewatch. The 18-minute showcase gives us a hint at the game’s emotional thread, as Noah sets out on her investigation in good spirits.
The capability of the Xbox Series X is still rendering fans excited, despite recent reports of the console’s overheating. Once the review embargo lifted, some media outlets reported a bug that would randomly turn their Xbox Series X off. Teething problems aside, the console's ability to run games at 60fps was impressive enough, until it was revealed that there would also be a handful of game’s capable of operating at 120fps – including Gears of War 5’s multiplayer mode, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.