Submerged: Hidden Depths Preview

Submerged: Hidden Depths was previewed on a PS4

One of the main reasons why I love gaming so much is the sense of discovery, wonder and exploration. Nothing paints a bigger smile on my face than booting a new game up, and exploring the crap out of the world that the developers have built. I appreciate it even more when it’s a world as intriguing as that of Submerged: Hidden Depths.

What is Submerged: Hidden Depths?

Submerged: Hidden Depths is the sequel to 2015’s Submerged and for the last year, it was a Stadia exclusive. That exclusively is almost to an end, as the game is coming soon to PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as Steam.

It’s a third person adventure game about two siblings, Maku and Taku who are left stranded in a post-apocalyptic city that’s sinking because of global warming and rising water levels. Maku has a mysterious power that allows her to heal the world by clearing away the black mass enveloping the flooded and towering landmarks that are still floating above water. Submerged is a pure exploration game, in every sense of the word.

There’s no combat, no fail states, no retries, and no challenges whatsoever. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the world of Submerged is so astonishing, it’s nice to be able to relax and explore it as you see fit. Submerged’s buildings and structures are fascinating because of their multiple layers.

A mix of old and new

The cities and buildings you explore are submerged in the ocean. While at higher altitudes, the game’s towering landmarks are populated by wooden huts and cabins, hand built walkways, bridges and passageways, hinting at the populace that inhabited this world after the cities were swept away by the raging sea.

This juxtaposition between the modern day buildings, the waves of the ocean and the basic wooden constructs paints a vivid picture of what this world was like before the apocalypse, and what it transformed into afterwards.

After a brief intro, I was given the ability to use the telescope to figure out where to go next. As soon as I did, I hopped into the siblings’ trusty boat and set sail to my first landmark, a derelict radio tower. I began my search for the seed, a green circular object that heals the black thick vines that are enveloping this world.

Looks good, both technically and artistically

Miku’s animations are surprisingly fluid and seamless as she climbs and jumps her way around the game’s locations. Every single one of her movement is smooth as butter thanks to the impressive animations and thanks to the fact that the game runs at 60 fps, even on a base PS4.

It’s also hard not to stop and stare at the horizon and the sunken cities, brought to life by the vibrant and colorful visuals. The addition of the photo mode is also an absolute treat; I can see myself spending hours taking gorgeous shots of the game’s lonesome world.

The puzzles that I solved while exploring my first landmark weren’t particularly challenging, which is in line with what Submerged is all about. They were mostly a mix of pushing boxes, pulling the right levers and climbing the right ledges. Submerged is a relaxing game that is meant to reward your curiosity and not frustrate you with blocked paths and obstacles.

During my brief time with this preview, I was able to find a ton of collectibles sprinkled throughout the world. Diary entries that tells the story of the city, boat upgrades and sunken relics. These provide an additional incentive to explore as much as you can during your playthrough of the game.

Overall,

If you’re a fan of relaxing games like Journey or games that are heavy on environmental storytelling and exploration, then you’ll definitely fall in love with the game. Make sure to keep an eye out for our review, coming as soon as Submerged: Hidden Depths launches on consoles.

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Special thanks go to the publishers for providing us with a preview code.

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