5 reasons to play Otter Ocean, the relaxing otter collecting game from Finifugu

Pet collecting games are a dime a dozen these days, with everything from AR dragons roaming around your house to lazy, freeloading, but irresistible cats that mooch off of your pantry when you’re not looking. In Otter Ocean, you not only scratch that itch of collecting ‘em all, but you also become more aware of how saving the seas impacts these cute critters living in them. If that’s not reason enough to play this game, here’s a handful more:

Collect a quirky cast of aquatic characters

As an otter collecting game, Finifugu’s Otter Ocean tasks you with, well, collecting otters. That alone makes for incredibly compelling gameplay, as the otters themselves are adorable enough to make you wonder what exactly gave them the right to be so darn cute.

Each character you unlock will have its own set of quirks, from favorite food to innate personalities. Apart from very distinct physical features, your otters can also be renamed to your liking to help you customize your collection as you see fit.

Relax in this low-intensity game

With its non-demanding nature, Otter Ocean is meant to help you take a quick breather as casually as can be. Each time you boot up the game, you can send your otters off on dives in different spots (some spots will require a single otter, while some will require two or more), with varying durations for each dive.

After assigning your otters to different dive spots, you can easily log off and come back when you feel like it. Once you get back into the game, your lovable otters will welcome you with exciting new treasures uncovered from their dives, so every session is a delightful surprise.

Revel in the charming art style

The bright and vibrant backdrops and character designs add to the overall pleasing aesthetics of the game, topped off with the refreshing score that’s music to the ears. The Sanrio-esque art style is coupled with these adorable little purring noises that your otters make every now and then.

By the way, don’t forget to groom, pet, and give your otters some TLC! They might be all happy-go-lucky most of the time, but they do grow hungry or even fall ill every so often, so be sure to shower them with the love and attention they deserve.

Explore new spaces and unlock new narratives

With every dive you participate in, you gain more points to help you unlock more dive spots as well as discover more otters by freeing them from sardine cans found underwater. You’ll eventually unlock new areas to dive into, and you can even explore the vastness of outer space. Plus, you can also participate in regular events and sidequests to learn more about the world around you.

For instance, you can help poor Chris the Crab find his family after being swept up in a hurricane (the poor thing!) by spotting these crabby critters scattered across the map. They may be concealed behind some bushes or hiding in plain sight - it’s up to you to reunite them and fill up Chris’ missing persons (or missing crabs) board.

Beautify your breathtaking environment

Finally, at the heart of Otter Ocean is its message of cleaning up the seas to make sure these otters stay happy and healthy underwater. With each dive, you collect little trinkets you can use to prettify the environment. For instance, uncovering a random stick after a dive can not only help you clean up the gunk from the water but also lets you build, say, a beach umbrella you can install on the shore. These repurposed treasures are also logged into your record book so you can keep track of all your achievements.

Otter Ocean is out now as a free-to-play game with in-app purchases (don’t fret, F2P players - you can also watch ads whenever prompted) on Android and iOS.