Back in 2015 I played Submerged, a third-person combat free game from developer Uppercut Games. In it you played as a young girl named Miku and had to explore a desolate, flooded city on a small boat to take care of her wounded brother. The thing I liked the most about that game was the visuals which looked pretty good for an independent game at the time. The exploration was relaxing but some design choices made it get a little repetitive and I found it hard to get invested in the story. Seven years later the team has returned with a follow up called Submerged: Hidden Depths but is it just more of the same or is there more to this boating adventure?
Submerged: Hidden Depths initially released a couple years ago on Google Stadia but it has just now released on all major consoles and PC so I got to check it out on PlayStation 5. The story in this game once again follows Miku and Taku, the brother and sister from the first game, as they once again explore a flooded world on their small boat. If you didn’t play the first game you aren’t missing out on anything story wise so don’t feel obligated to go out and play it first. The world is once again combat free so if you played the first game and didn’t like that then nothing has changed here. The gist of the story is that a lifeform called the Mass is corrupting plants that remain on the structures of this flooded world and Miku has the ability to cure them. My problems with the way the story was told in the first game remain here as there is no spoken dialog that you can understand really to make you care about Miku and Taku and instead the story is told through collectibles and the environment. Some games do this really well and manage to still make you care but the way it’s done here just didn’t grab me. Instead it was the gameplay and visuals that kept me playing this game through to the end for the few hours that it lasts.
The gameplay here is all about sailing on your boat to various structures in the world while taking in the visuals and listening to the relaxing score. The game does a good job of using various cues to point you in the direction of where to go but you can also use a spyglass to scout out areas and add them to your map to explore. Much like when you see a yellow marker on a cliff wall in Uncharted, seeing red pain in Submerged means you can climb there. Finding collectibles and exploring each area is pretty easy as the buildings can feel quite linear. You’ll be looking for a seed in each main area that can cure the vegetation and you’ll be getting there by climbing ladders, swinging on ropes, and making jumps. The jumping is automatic so you have no control over that much like the first game. Outside of getting to the seed in each area there isn’t much else to it. The collectibles include journal entries and various other things that can unlock upgrades for your boat or new costumes so they can be worth hunting down. Overall, the gameplay is simple and laid back just as the game is described to be and while I do wish it was fleshed out a bit more, I still enjoyed it.
The visuals and music are the other part of this game that I really liked about it. While it doesn’t look like a AAA game it is one of the more visually impressive indie games that I’ve played in recent memory. I’ve just come off playing Horizon Forbidden West which had some of the most impressive looking water I’ve seen in a game and while the water here doesn’t come close to that it still looks really good. I stopped all the time in this game just to admire the water, the overgrown structures, and the colors in general. The game also has a day/night cycle and weather effects that further make it shine. The orchestrated score consisting of mostly strings and pianos compliments the gameplay and visuals perfectly too. Trophy hunters will find an easy completion here too with 15 trophies in total including a Platinum. As long as you complete everything you’ll have them all but the game isn’t cross-buy so you won’t get both versions when you buy it.
Submerged: Hidden Depths mostly treads the same water as the first game but does so while improving on certain things. The gameplay is simple and combat free so that anyone can set sail in this world and enjoy it and it is just long enough to not end up feeling boring. The world is gorgeous to behold and the music is equally as enjoyable. If you find laid back exploration games like this boring than this won’t be for you but for everyone else this is a voyage worth setting sail on.
*Submerged: Hidden Depths is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC. PlayStation 5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by the publisher for this review.
Submerged: Hidden Depths
$29.99
Pros
- Simple and relaxing gameplay that anyone can enjoy
- World is beautiful and fun to explore
- Great soundtrack
Cons
- The simple gameplay style won't be to everyone's tastes
- Lack of dialog made it hard to care about the characters and story
