North Star Digital Studios has released the digital adaptation of board game Oceans on iOS and Android mobile devices. Oceans Lite is free-to-play, with an optional in-app purchase to unlock additional gameplay modes and cards.
Oceans is designed and published by the same team behind Evolution, which has been adapted for PC, consoles, and mobile gaming. As in Evolution, players guide their own custom species to feed and populate, earning points for higher populations. Players use trait cards, such as Bottom Feeder and Tentacled, to create new species or add additional traits to existing species, granting new abilities and defenses as they stay atop the food chain.
Oceans differs from Evolution in a few key ways, like playing only a single card each turn, and being able to draft special Deep cards. An evolutionary explosion marks the halfway point in the game, where points are scored much faster, and players can utilize their powerful Deep cards, representing the mysteries of the ocean depths.
The free Lite version includes a tutorial, as well as AI matches against beginner and easy AI. A card pack is available as a $0.99 in-app purchase that unlocks additional scenario and Deep cards, the medium AI, and local multiplayer pass and play. North Star Games has said that a hard AI “will be included as soon as it’s good enough to be called hard.”
The digital version is rated E for Everyone, although the board game has a recommended age of 12+.
