Even the Ocean

Lore & Background

Even the Ocean began in March 2013 as two separate games, Even and The Ocean, which were later combined into the final release. The game's development was driven by a desire to contrast reading-heavy and platforming-heavy sections, as stated by Han-Tani. The story follows Aliph on her first day of work in Fay Rouge, where senior technician Cassidy dies in a disaster. After returning to Whiteforge City, Mayor Richard Biggs assigns Aliph and two other technicians to repair Power Plants outside the city, leading her to uncover forces threatening her world. The game's soundtrack, composed by Han-Tani, includes 88 songs plus bonus tracks, released as a download on Bandcamp and Steam.

Reader's Guide

Even the Ocean received recognition for its intricate level design, quirky world, and characters awakening to a corrupt government, as noted by Danielle Riendeau of Vice Media's Waypoint, who placed it at #1 on her Top 10 Games of 2016 list. Chloi Rad of IGN included it on her list of 13 Awesome Games No One Talked About In 2016, praising its balance between Light and Dark energy and contrasting forces like nature and industry, wealth and poverty. Chris Priestman of Killscreen highlighted how the energy system affects the game's logic and culture. The game's significance lies in its thoughtful integration of mechanics and narrative, offering a thought-provoking story with varied gameplay rather than demanding difficulty.

Did You Know?

• Even the Ocean began as two separate games, Even and The Ocean, in March 2013 before being combined.
• The game's soundtrack contains 88 songs plus bonus tracks, with a total runtime of almost six hours.
• The Chinese translation was released on June 4, 2017, while German and Russian subtitles were added on November 27, 2017.
• Danielle Riendeau of Vice Media's Waypoint ranked Even the Ocean as the #1 game on her Top 10 Games of 2016 list.

Digital Platforms as Fashion Engines

The 2010s witnessed a fundamental restructuring of how fashion trends were born, shared, and consumed. Social media platforms such as Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram became the primary conduits through which youth-driven aesthetics—scene, swag, indie, and East Asian streetwear—reached global audiences almost overnight. Bright color palettes, layered accessories, and skinny jeans that might once have remained confined to a single city could now cascade across continents within days. By the mid-decade, influencers had effectively become gatekeepers of what was considered desirable, accelerating the worldwide proliferation of fast fashion through app-driven discovery. The traditional cycle of runway shows and editorial calendars gave way to a compressed, real-time feedback loop in which a look spotted on a blog could be replicated by a high-street retailer before the season even changed. This digital acceleration meant that fashion was no longer dictated by a handful of industry insiders but curated collectively by millions of users scrolling through feeds, making the decade's aesthetic landscape both more democratic and more volatile.

The Eclectic Retro Revival

One of the most visible threads running through the 2010s was a persistent, almost restless pull toward nostalgia. Hipster culture in particular drove eclectic revivals that leapt across decades with little concern for chronology. Fast-fashion chains like Topshop, Forever 21, and H&M made vintage-inspired pieces widely accessible, pulling silhouettes from the 1950s and 1980s into everyday wardrobes. Peplum tops with their flared ruffles echoed mid-century tailoring, while fitted blazers in teal or coral channeled the energy of 1980s power dressing. Neon pinks, teals, and oranges paired with zebra or leopard prints created a maximalist palette that felt deliberately overwrought. Accessories told the story just as loudly: headbands worn across the forehead referenced the 1920s, while chunky turquoise and coral jewelry evoked both 1950s costume pieces and 1980s statement dressing. Even ironic mustache motifs harkening to 19th-century styles found a place in the mix, underscoring how freely the decade borrowed from the past without committing to any single era.

Soft Grunge, Indie Sleaze, and Festival Culture

By 2012, a distinctly alternative visual language had seeped deep into mainstream wardrobes. Skull prints, cross motifs, studs, and distressed sweaters—elements once tightly bound to punk, goth, and 1990s grunge—were now worn with little connection to those subcultural origins. Tumblr amplified the aesthetic with ribcage prints, inverted crosses, and galaxy-themed leggings, creating what observers labeled indie sleaze or soft grunge. Combat boots, infinity scarves, and layered jewelry rounded out the look. Simultaneously, festival culture, propelled by events like Coachella, imported boho elements into casual dress: feather earrings, flower crowns, beaded bracelets, and ponchos crafted from striped blanket material. The two aesthetics coexisted and cross-pollinated, both drawing on countercultural roots while being consumed as interchangeable style choices. The low-rise silhouette that had dominated the early decade gradually yielded to high-waisted bottoms, marking a quiet but definitive shift in the decade's relationship with the body.

Regional Voices and Cultural Tensions

The 2010s fashion landscape was far from monolithic, and regional practices revealed both creative synthesis and uncomfortable borrowing. In the United Kingdom, young Middle Eastern women blended modestwear with Western fashion sensibilities, pairing colorful floral hijabs with shawl-collar overcoats and black satin dresses accented by zigzag patterns and structured handbags. In India, a gradual Westernization reshaped everyday dress: T-shirts, tank tops, and blouses began appearing alongside silk pajamas and printed shorts, while the once-dominant large hoop earrings gave way to smaller, minimalist gold pieces as the decade progressed. Meanwhile, festival fashion's incorporation of Southwestern and Indigenous-inspired prints—diamond and triangle motifs marketed as Aztec or Navajo by retailers like Urban Outfitters and Ralph Lauren—sparked sustained criticism about cultural appropriation. These regional and cultural tensions revealed that the decade's globalized fashion was not a seamless blend but an ongoing negotiation, where borrowing, adaptation, and backlash coexisted in the same shopping mall.

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