Endless Ocean

Did You Know?

• On August 10, 2007, Nintendo issued a product recall in Japan after a major bug was found that caused the screen to go blank and the console to freeze when the player put one or more bowmouth guitarfish into the aquarium.
• In Japan, Famitsu gave the game a score of 35 out of 40, praising the open-ended exploration, the scale of the play area, and its soundtrack.

Gameplay and plot

The player controls a scuba diver exploring the fictional Manaurai sea in the South Pacific, guided by assistant Katherine Sunday. The diver encounters marine species including fish, penguins, whale sharks, manta rays, sperm whales, dolphins, and other cetaceans that can be trained as companions. Sharks appear but do not threaten the player. An aquarium can be populated with identified species. Locations include caves, deep trenches, and shipwrecks. Late in the game, Katherine reveals that her father disappeared while searching for a whale called the White Mother. The player and Katherine seek the White Mother by placing motion sensors near four whale species: humpback, North Atlantic right, sperm, and blue whales. A sensor triggers, and the player sees the White Mother, a large albino blue whale, as Katherine recalls her father.

Music

Hayley Westenra performs "Prayer," a Secret Garden composition, in the game and its promotional videos. She also sings other tracks, such as a version of the Maori folk song "Pokarekare Ana." Players can load their own MP3 files from an SD card to play during the game. Endless Ocean is the second Wii title to allow this, following Excite Truck.