Submerged: Hidden Depths Review

Submerged: Hidden Depth is a third person adventure game in which you will explore and solve puzzles, I was stunned by how quiet and peaceful the experience was, the sound of waves crashing against the remnants of the modern world which is desperately trying to hold on against the onslaught of salty water mixed with the beautiful and calming music makes for a soothing experience.

The game starts as the two siblings Miku and Taku arrive in a deserted city overrun by the black plant, a plant which appears to be strangling the buildings and the world in anger until you restore its seed back to it, then it bursts into colour and life. The characterization of these two is beautiful and from the first hour i could tell i was going to be emotionally connected to the pair throughout the entire game. Miku, the character you control is cursed by the black plants with an arm wrapped in plants which grants them mysterious powers, this power which she uses to help the black plant is also the reason the siblings were outcasts from their homes. The brother Taku is desperate to help his sister in any way and not allow her mysterious powers to tear them apart, you can see this in brief cut-scenes after each puzzle where they rest and Taku is seen comforting Miku and showing her support.

You start each day boarding your boats and heading out into the vast ocean to explore and seek places where seeds have been taken there is something special about adding an ocean to a modern city, riding the boat through all the buildings is such an interesting experience but also elevates the struggles that humanity now must face. The world is fascinating and full of interesting places to see, one of my favorite locations I found so far being a bit of old broken roads which sounds mundane to us but as the siblings are not from a time where these would have been used it is called the stone ribbons it’s mysterious and new to the people of this world. Now once you find a location in which the black plant is missing its seeds, Taku will bring the boat in for Miku to explore, exploring the remnants of old buildings and structures is interesting seeing nature take hold of skyscrapers and non-human life claim these spaces was fun.

The gameplay in these sections is nowhere near a challenge but in this style of game that’s perfectly fine, I was more than content to guide Miku through the easy puzzles to restore the seeds to its rightful place just because I wanted to watch the black plants burst into life and bring colour back into the world. Each location has two sets of collectibles one being a set for a ship customization and the other journal pieces that help you understand the location more, what I enjoyed about the journal pieces was that they were just pictures until you collect them all so until you find the final piece you can only guess as to the story it’s trying to tell. There are also boat upgrades, animals to document and locations to find, the flooded world seems to be full of places to be explored and I’m excited to carry on with Submerged: Hidden Depths as the world is truly a mystery to me and exploring it was my only way to find the answers that I would crave.