5. Super Mario Sunshine
If I could sum up my childhood gaming experience with one game, it would be Super Mario Sunshine. The game was gifted to me alongside the first of my solely owned consoles: the Nintendo Gamecube. I immediately fell in love with the cute characters, bright colors, and interesting challenges. I would spend hours in front of the tv exploring every inch of this island home. I don’t think I loved a game as much as this one. I can still remember every detail of my favorite Graffiti worlds, Ricco Harbor and Gelato Beach. Both were on water font (like most of the game) and hosted a range of interesting creatures. Ricco Harbor was inhabited mostly by bloopers of varying sizes and colors (some you could even surf on!) while Gelato Beach was home to fish in coral reefs, giant caterpillars, and mythical birds made of sand. If I could spend a summer in any place, I’d definitely choose Isle Delfino and all its unique towns.
~Laura Chandler
4. SOMA
How many of our readers are terrified of the water? A friend of mine was near crippled by fear at the thought of water, and if it there was a water segment in a horror game – it was damn near game over. So what happens when you combine a horror game with a horrific underwater setting? SOMA. Awakening in an underwater facility, you must figure out what has happened to you, the earth, and humanity; but what greats you is a slew of terrifying AI. It’s the end of the world in SOMA – or is it just the end of you?
~Evan Schwab
3. Ecco the Dolphin
When it comes to games taking place in the ocean, you really can’t do much better than playing as a freaking dolphin. Not only is Ecco the Dolphin a great example of the mysterious and foreboding depths of the deep, but it’s also a fantastic game! You play as Ecco, a dolphin tasked with saving all your watery friends from a not-so-watery-grave. It has a simple premise, but it’s a game that is as difficult as it is unsettling. Don’t let the cute cover fool you; this game is dark, and its difficulty will truly test your oceanic mettle.
~Peter Starr
2. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Making a splash back on the Nintendo Wii U is another childhood favorite, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. This game features Link, yet again (obviously), traversing the “Great Sea” in his boat, “The King of Red Lions.” Link is able to cross the sea in all any direction he chooses by using his trusty wind waker. The wind waker simply allows him to control the wind, which sets him on whatever path the player chooses. Link is also accompanied by pirate captain Tetra, who is later revealed to be the reincarnation of Princess Zelda. What’s a Legend of Zelda game without Zelda herself? The game itself is adorable and interesting and looks even better on Nintendo’s latest console. Summers are best spent traveling with a pirate, fighting monsters, and discovering treasure.