Submerged: Hidden Depths is the sort of game that creeps up on you unannounced, but also ends up being a really nice surprise. It’s a lot like that old friend that’s passing though town and gets ahold of you last second for some coffee. You simply spend your short time together talking about the good times and wishing you could catch up more. Submerged: Hidden Depths from the team at Uppercut Games is like this while also managing to nail a lot of what makes the puzzle adventure genre (or relax-ploration game as the team bills it) special. It features some gorgeous visuals, a fun and engaging story, and lots and lots of fun puzzles.
But the one thing that stands out the most for me is the water. You see, I’m a sucker for good water physics in video games going all the way back to the days of Wave Race 64 on the Nintendo 64. There are far too many examples of lazy, or downright terrible, water effects in video games and not nearly enough examples of it being done well and naturally. Submerged: Hidden Depths nails this feeling and I haven’t had so much fun on the ocean since playing The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker all the way back on the Gamecube.
Submerged: Hidden Depths takes place in a world that’s been flooded. More specifically, a large metropolis that was nearly washed away in what can only be described initially as a great flood. Only the tops of the city’s giant monoliths rise from the ocean depths, with only faint remnants of the people that inhabited this almost futuristic world, at least to the eyes of our protagonists. And it’s these people and their lives that make the game interesting as, while long gone, their almost ghostly outlines remain in the form of vines, as if holding a bit of their souls behind.
There is no combat to be had in Submerged: Hidden Depths, and that is to the games benefit which might sound weird. You might think of it like those boring walking simulators that I almost always fall asleep while playing, but unlike those the fact that you play in a third-person perspective and can see your character interacting with the world changes nearly everything. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that Submerged: Hidden Depths feels more like a video game than something you’d play at a museum or art gallery in a vain attempt to win awards and champion games as “Art” when they’ve are already art.
On your adventure to uncover and repair this flooded city you take on the role of two siblings: Miku and Taku. The pair speak in a strange language and have very Waterworld vibes to them in the look and style. One has been cursed with a mysterious power caused by an oil-like being whose massive tentacles are seemingly pulling what’s left of the city to the bottom of the ocean. This curse is set to be your end, but it also gives you powers, powers which you intend to use to save this little patch of the past even if it means you die in the process.
The other sibling sticks by your side while everyone else has shunned you in order to protect his sister and prevent the curse from destroying her. What’s fun is that you’ll play between the pair at times, each having slightly different abilities. The girl, who you’ll play with most and our lead, has the power to grab these techno-organic power cells that the inhabitants of the old world had used to power their dying city. But it seems that these cells are connected to mother earth in some way and by pulling them to use for power, the inhabitants doomed themselves to destruction.
It’s your task to find all of the power cells and return them to their respective tree as if they are they very soul of mother nature which will then clear the given area from the curse that is enveloping a given area of the city. In-between the islands and structures that house these cells (you have towers, old tanker ships, apartments and more to explore) you will be uncovering the city and what lies beneath thanks to your little motorboat. As you find new areas and unlock the local wildlife you can earn upgrades that help make traveling easier.
You will also be able to use your binoculars to uncover hidden secrets and potential cells to return that you can mark in your map. It’s a simple and fun system that let’s you enjoy the game at your own pace. There are also a number of lookouts to uncover that allows you to pull and Assassin’s Creed and scope out a larger area. It’s not super casual in terms of gameplay but it clearly is a family-friendly type of adventure that everyone can enjoy, something that is much harder to pull off effectively than you might think.
For those that love collecting things, Submerged: Hidden Depths features a number of extras, all of which are optional. You can collect shells in each main area, catalog fish and wildlife, trawl the ocean floor for relics of the past, collect journal pages to expand on the story and more. There’s enough here to keep you busy for those that choose to hunt, something really nice as the game isn’t very long. Add in the fact that you can collect costumes and ship designs and you have quite a bit of content to work with.
Submerged: Hidden Depths is simply a really nice game to play. It’s the sort of thing you can pop on and just get lost in. The world is a delight, the characters are fun, and traveling the ocean is always a treat. It’s an adventure in which you can dictate your own path without the worry of time limits or enemies hounding you around every corner. Imagine the exact opposite of a FromSoftware title. It’s an overall satisfying experience that does everything it needs to do. Interestingly enough, Submerged: Hidden Depths is also, apparently, a sequel to a game called, well, Submerged. I don’t know much about it but after playing though Submerged: Hidden Depths I’m going to track it down and give it a play.
Submerged: Hidden Depths is a fantastic experience for the whole family. It’s tale of nature taking back its world is interesting and engaging while also managing to feature a likeable cast and some fun sailing action. Submerged: Hidden Depths might not reinvent the wheel in terms of gameplay and design, but it nails what it sets out to do and ends up becoming one of the most relaxing experiences of the year.
Submerged: Hidden Depths is a truly relaxing exploration game that you’ll easily get lost in and be left wanting more after it all comes to an end.
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