Title: Submerged: Hidden Depths
Developer: Uppercut Games
Publisher: Uppercut Games
Genre: Adventure
Price: $29.99
It's not often that a title like Submerged gets to hit store shelves. While walking sims are still relatively popular, Submerged just manages to slip into that category due to how it's presented, and your initial impressions of it might lead you to think otherwise. However, it does play out differently from others of its genre. Framed like an adventure game, Submerged is a short but sweet experience, focusing mainly on themes of exploration and family. Revolving around saving the life of your younger sibling, Submerged offers very little else other than this premise, and you'll slowly be drawn into its surprisingly competent atmosphere. While it doesn't take long to beat and is not very complicated, it does have a few interesting qualities to it that help keep it interesting all the way to the end.
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Submerged’s story is pretty simple as it is. You are your brother's caretaker, and you must find a way to help his injuries before they worsen. This means exploring the ruined city to its fullest, and finding what you can scavenge in its abandoned ruins. In the process, however, you must make use of your boat to travel around its flooded parts to find supplies, and to do some parkour and climbing to reach higher areas the water has not reached. While not much story is initially revealed, there's a surprising amount of personality here on offer, particularly in the ruins you're tasked to explore, where you traverse all sorts of abandoned buildings and overgrown sections.
This is the real meat of the experience. As you look into what Submerged has to offer, you discover that it has something beyond what the genre normally offers. Admittedly, it isn't really much, not when games like Subliminal or The Stanley Parable offer a more dynamic experience. But, even then, there's still something to appreciate. How you move from area to area is pretty smooth. making exploration feel seamless and satisfying, and you'll check out all sorts of locations of interest, looking for whatever collectibles you can find. There are no enemies to fight or quick-time events to play out. You're simply there for the ride.
While this might sound boring, it's the environment that really makes its mark in Submerged, and the little mysteries it sets up when you encounter all sorts of creatures and locations overcome the lack of concrete storytelling the game normally gives out. Getting to explore the city to its fullest and piecing together its mysteries while looking out at its decayed exteriors is something most games dare not try, and it is stunning in how this little independent title seeks to pull this off. Its graphics are not stunning by any means, but the way it frames each location makes up for its shortcomings, especially with the way it manages to make the horizon work in tandem with the images you're seeing. It frames areas you look at and arrays them against the bigger backdrop of the overall landscape, and honestly, it looks absolutely gorgeous despite the low-quality models on hand. There's a timeless charm it manages to capture, and it adds a distinct feel to the ruins you have to look for – almost as if you're intruding on something that has been long forgotten. especially when the music hits and sets the tone so well.
However, while exploration is Monark’s greatest asset, it also leads to the game's dizzying lows. There's a very unpolished feel to it at times, particularly in the animations which come off as very raw and simple by comparison. It's nothing too out of the ordinary given the budget, but it does detract from the majesty of what you're seeing. If anything, the real danger is in how it can feel so boring at times. Submerged is a walking simulator, and while it might hide that fact, once you realize it, it loses a bit of its mystery. Nothing hurts or harms you, and an adventure with no inherent danger is a story with no stakes. And with few real twists to look forward to, the mystery behind everything breaks down, because, really, what are you scared of in the ruins when nothing hinders your path?
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Submerged is a short game, and while you can return to look for missing collectibles, it's safe to say it's not a title you'll spend much time on, even if you do go for 100% completion. It lacks the ambition to go further with its premise, and while it's an admirable little title that tries to achieve much, it cannot hold a candle to the initial expectations it sets. It’s a nice little distraction, but you'll play it, finish it, and move on to greener pastures before long.
THE GOOD
- Great music and interesting premise
- Nice environments and backdrops to explore
- Surprisingly atmospheric, with a story revolving around family and sacrifice
THE BAD
- Short and sweet experience, with low replay value
- No challenge to it at any point, with not very memorable story beats compared to the grander mystery of the ruins you explore
- Low budget and rough character models contrast greatly with more picturesque environment
RATING: 7/10
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