Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from murdering every last thing you see in a game and just enjoy exploring a beautiful world and uncovering its secrets.
If you have grown a bit tired of being stomped into a fine paste by the Fire Giant, may I present Submerged: Hidden Depths.
The stand-alone sequel to 2015’s Submerged, Hidden Depths sees you take on the role of siblings on a quest to rid the world of a substance known as the Black Mass that has engulfed the world.
Sea levels have risen, sending large swathes of habitable land underwater (Think: Waterworld.)
Travelling through the decimated remnants of what was once a bustling city in a small wooden coracle, the pair must find magical seeds that transform the oily black tentacles that have ensnared much of the city’s ruins into bountiful, vibrant green plant life.
Where to go and what you can climb is clearly signposted, to the point where it would take effort to actually get lost. Red paint highlights where you can climb and the crumbling ruins are littered with ladders, rope swings and traversable flowers for you to clamber over.
There’s no challenge to the platforming, and most routes lead to some sort of item or discovery. You are also given a telescope that highlights places of interest, and the puzzles you tackle throughout Submerged: Hidden Depths are a doddle. But the challenge isn’t the point. Instead, Uppercut Games aim to give players a relaxing and chilled-out experience while taking in the beautiful post-apocalyptic landscape at their own leisurely pace.
Each location you explore has its own type of collectables to find. There are flowers to decorate your home, and the world, though changed, is still teeming with life; dolphins follow your vessel, shoals of flying fishes skip on the water’s surface, and there’s even a giant quid hiding deep in the depths.
There’s also no combat at all. Instead, you are left to take in the beautifully crafted yet haunting world. Though it can sometimes feel sparse, chugging along in my boat, looking for parts to salvage or another document to expand the world’s backstory while listening to Jeff van Dyck’s beguiling score, was incredibly relaxing and engaging.
Submerged: Hidden Depths though technically open-world, never feels overwhelming. It’s one of those games that revel in the simple act of exploration, and like Wind Waker, the joy is in the journey.
If you’re burned out from the endless procession of hundred-hour open-world games we seem to be inundated with at the moment, Submerged: Hidden Depths is just the change of pace you have been looking for.
