Sea of Solitude’s Ever-Present Monster is the Perfect Metaphor for Loneliness

Jo-Mei Games’ Sea of Solitude is much more than just another adventure game.

Everyone experiences loneliness at some point in their life. It may be little more than a fleeting sensation, or ironically, it may be a constant and unyielding companion. In Sea of Solitude, protagonist Kay’s loneliness is akin to an overwhelming darkness that swallows up any joy in her life. As someone who has previously struggled with feelings of loneliness and isolation, I felt I could relate.

Sea of Solitude is a game that everyone will experience and interpret differently. It explores themes of depression, guilt and fear, but for me the game was about the effect that prolonged loneliness has on a person. For Kay, loneliness literally transforms her entire life experience. Sometimes her watery world is bright, tranquil and colourful, yet all too often it’s a gloomy place of sadness, shadow and fear.

Kay’s objective is to follow a beam of light and solve simple puzzles to open up new sections of the map. But she also needs to delve deeper into her own story and lost memories. Leaving the safety of her little boat behind, Kay must jump between floating debris and clamber across island-like rooftops peeking above the waterline – all while avoiding the dangers lurking beneath the water.

While Sea of Solitude exhibits a soft, almost cutesy graphical style, there’s a haunting sense of danger and unease at every turn. Beneath the surface of the encroaching ocean is a serpentine sea monster, seemingly hellbent on devouring Kay alive. The monster follows Kay everywhere she goes, stalking her and verbally harassing her as she traverses sunken cities and crosses open stretches of water. Should Kay fall into the water, the monster will charge and you must get Kay back to solid ground as quickly as possible.

These cat-and-mouse chase sequences are equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. The colour palate transforms into a dark and gloomy version of its former self, and crashing sound and music amplify the drama. While the monster serves as an excellent adversary from a gameplay perspective, I found its presence was also the perfect metaphor for loneliness.

The loneliest time of my life was during my first year of university. I didn’t fit in with my housemates and what they deemed to be the only acceptable student lifestyle, and that led to a lot of problems. Throughout that year, I felt I had nowhere to turn and, during long, sleepless nights isolated in my bedroom, I sometimes felt like I was the only person in the world.

Even when a lonely person does find moments of happiness, that feeling of isolation still loiters in the background. Sea of Solitude perfectly encapsulates the feeling of never really being able to find enjoyment when you’re lonely. For Kay, the monster is always present, always waiting for you to make one mistake, always ready to pounce. Even during peaceful moments, you can look across the landscape and see it circling in the water below; a shark-like being that uses emotional trauma as a weapon just as sophisticated as its sharp teeth.

So what can Kay do in the face of this all-consuming despair? Well, peppered throughout the sunken cities she traverses, Kay meets the members of her family she’s wronged and those she’s drifted apart from. None of these people stay to accompany Kay on her journey, but they do allow her the opportunity to atone, to learn about her past mistakes and attempt to rectify them.

And Kay has other weapons to fight the darkness with as well. Her boat and lantern cast a tiny sphere of light and hope around her as she attempts to outmanoeuvre the monster in dark waters. For Kay, light and hope come from within and, once again, this is the perfect depiction of the real-life battle against loneliness. In my experience, you have to learn to love and care for yourself before loneliness dissipates. People will inevitably come and go, but you’ll always have yourself, your best ally for combating loneliness.

Kay looks inwards for salvation as well. She could choose to run away from the monster, or even give in and allow herself to be consumed. But she doesn’t. Kay battles to return light to the sunken cities she explores street by street, and she interacts with and attempts to help everyone she meets along the way. Kay realises it’s not too late to tackle loneliness herself, and, admirably, she faces it head-on.