The Ocean Hunter

About

The Ocean Hunter is a 1998 arcade shooter where you and a friend take aim at swarming sea creatures using dual turret-style guns. You navigate fixed paths through underwater levels, fending off waves of hostile marine life while hunting down legendary bosses. Each stage has its own layout, leading to encounters with mythic sea beasts like Kraken, Leviathan, and Charybdis. Mini-bosses inspired by folklore also lurk in the depths, adding variety to the chaotic shootouts. The game’s steampunk-meets-underwater aesthetic stands out, blending mechanical divers with a world where civilizations thrive beneath the waves. Bosses are creatively named after real mythological monsters, offering distinct challenges with each encounter. While it’s a product of late-90s arcade design, the cooperative action and escalating difficulty keep the tension high. The dual-gun setup encourages teamwork, making it a niche but memorable experience for fans of old-school shooters.

Storyline

A new civilization is flourishing in the seas of an alternate Steampunk world, but giant ocean monsters are attacking shipping vessels, harbors, humans and native marine life with increasing frequency. Ordinary marine predators such as sharks have begun to follow in the sea monsters' wake to scavenge what they could from the destruction caused. Frightened for their lives, the people issue bounties on the monsters' heads. The underwater adventurers Torel (Player 1) and Chris (Player 2) head out to defeat the horrible creatures.