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[orthodoxy1095]

Publisher: Uppercut Games
Developer: Uppercut Games
Composer: Jeff Van Dyck
Platform: PS4, XBOX One, PC,
Genre: Action & Adventure, Platformer
Rating: E10+
Players: 1
Price: $19.99 (20% for Xbox Live Gold and PS+ members)
Release Date: August 4th (PC, NA PS4), August 5th (EU PS4), August 7th (XBOX One)
Download Size: 1.71 GB on the XBOX store, 1.8 GB on PSN

PC Requirements
Minimum:
OS: Windows 7 64Bit
Processor: Dual Core 2.0+ GHz
Memory: 4GB Ram
Graphics: GeForce 9800GTX or ATI Radeon HD 4770
Disk Space: 3GB

Recommended:
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Processor: Intel i5 2.5 GHz
Memory: 8GB Ram
GraphicsGeForce GTX 760 or Equivalent card
Disk Space: 3GB

You take on the role of Miku, a young girl who has brought her wounded brother to the city in their small fishing boat. Navigate the flooded city streets by boat, scale the drowned buildings, and use your telescope to scour the city for the supplies needed to save your dying sibling. As you explore the city at your own pace, you encounter the habitat that flourishes in this colorful place and discover hidden objects that piece together the story of a broken world and a broken family.

Submerged is a third-person, combat-free game. The game revolves around you taking the role of Mika and exploring the flooded city. There is no combat, no health bars and absolutely no death. While you do have the goal of saving your brother, ultimately, you can explore the city however you see fit to that end. City traversal will largely be horizontal (by boat) and vertical (climbing the ruins).

During your exploration, you will be searching for materials to help your brother, but you can also find collectibles to tell you the story of the sunken city and upgrades for your boat.

1. What languages is the game available in?
   English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Turkish.
2. Wasn't there a mobile version? What happened to that?
   According to the devs:
   

   Although we originally intended to release Submerged on all platforms simultaneously, it became apparent that as a small independent team we just didn't have the bandwidth to develop for PC, and Console and Mobile at the same time. So we have delayed the mobile version of submerged until after the Console and PC release to give us some dedicated time to tune the controls and graphics for touch screen devices.

3. What's up with the OT title?
   I couldn't think of anything witty or cool, so I just chose a cheap Bioshock quote that I hoped people would recognize since the devs are former Bioshock/Bioshock 2 devs.

1. NZGamer - 9/10
   

   Submerged won’t be a game for everyone, in the same way that the likes of Gone Home and Dear Esther aren’t for everyone, but that doesn’t make it any less remarkable. But if you can hear the music that this game is playing - and I’d urge you to give it an earnest go - you’ll find something that may just take your breath away.

2. XGN - 8.5/10
   

   Submerged is a great indie-game that proves you don't always need violence in a game for it to be great. Though it's a little on the short side, it's still a great ride.

3. Digital Chumps - 8/10
   

   It's fair to say not everyone will be taken by Submerged's taciturn resolve. Miku delivers the occasional (translated) monologue about what she needs to do for her brother, but the remainder of Submerged's story is either absorbed by breathing in its world, or interpreted from minimalist drawings unlocked along the way. There's a bit of excitement brought on by an unknown presence, but Submerged isn't one to over deliver its narrative. Boating around serene seascapes and challenging yourself to pick its secrets clean is its only clear drive.

4. Vandal Online - 75/100
   

   It's short and it has some technical issues, but we've enjoyed it and we think that it even has some moments to remember. If you understand its flaws, it might surprise you.

5. Gaming Trend - 75
   

   Submerged may not have an epic narrative arc or intense moments of action, but it never tries to be a blockbuster in the first place either. While my run of the main story clocked in at just under two hours, they were two hours that had me captivated. I would get lost in finding new heights and landmarks, sailing alongside whales and watching the weather slowly roll in, excited to see how the world changed and reacted without regard for my presence.

6. Playstation Universe - 6/10
   

   Submerged is definitely not a game for everyone. Its slow pace, repetitiveness and simple gameplay will probably turn off anyone looking for diversity, but it’s this simplicity - coupled with the soundtrack and unfolding story - that I actually rather enjoyed. Submerged puts you in the shoes of a young girl who goes to extremes in the attempt to save her brother in a believable and well-crafted world, but it's a shame that the game doesn't have enough variety in it to help it reach headier heights.

7. Push Square - 5/10
   

   Submerged is a strange game to review. It's never does anything mortally wrong, but at almost every turn you'll feel as if the developer's grand vision hasn't been fully realised. Couple this with slightly shonky controls, and you've got an experience which, while never frustrating, is never truly satisfying either.
   
   The title's biggest downfall, then, is not any one single thing, but rather its overwhelming ambition. And in the grand scheme of things, perhaps that's not the worst problem to have. Indeed, despite its admittedly frequent rough patches, it's very hard to not admire the way this humble indie game so earnestly reaches for the stars.

8. God is a Geek - 5/10
   

   Despite promise, Submerged is mediocre. It entices with an interesting premise yet ultimately fails to enchant, falling flat due to a number of graphical bugs and sense of misdirection. While it boasts a wonderful soundtrack and fascinating setting concept, Submerged is a game which has been tainted by shoddy design and lacklustre execution – producing a city devoid of soul and a lifeless protagonist who could play the part of a shop-window mannequin.

   Playstation Lifestyle - 5/10
   

   Submerged’s problem is its failure to align its presentation and narrative with what you do. Because it hides so much of its narrative and history behind drawings you find as you climb, you search for detail in the minutiae of its world and characters. But there isn’t any to find. The buildings blur together, the soundtrack repeats itself over and over, and the story of the boy and the girl doesn’t resonate with the world’s visual themes of rebirth and evolution. There’s no cohesiveness to your role in the game, like your actions don’t matter, which runs antithetical to the way the game doles out its narrative through your progress.

9. VideoGamer.com - 5/10
   

   Submerged feels like a concept rather than a complete game. What's here is so slight, the story so flimsy, that it left almost no impression on me. I didn't enjoy it, but neither did I hate it. Looking back on the experience, I'm completely apathetic towards it. Should you play it? I really don't care one way or the other.

10. Slant - 2/5
    

    While the visuals are nothing to scoff at (there's a postcard mode included for snapping in-game selfies), this nascent title is a baby that could've been thrown away with all the bathwater.

    GRYOnline.pl - 3.5/10
    

    Submerged is a game that is not a game. A hollow shell. An empty box with huge ambitions, an ugly, badly designed, at times painfully dull product. There is no atmosphere, only boredom and embarrassment. There's enough good exploration games that you can simply avoid Submerged altogether.

11. Shacknews - 3/10
    

    After only ten minutes in the game you’ve already experienced everything that Submerged has to offer. It’s a rather dull and shallow title in what could have been an exciting and scary world. There is no combat, no urgency, and no chance of failure. The gameplay is boring, the landmarks and scenery are mediocre, and the story is almost nonexistent. Submerged is a rapidly sinking ship that never even left the harbor.

12. Gameblog.fr - 1.5/5
    

    Submerged offers a charming atmosphere, but it suffers from repetitive gameplay, a limited world and... a lot of bugs. It was promising and we are finally disappointed.

13. GameStar - 30/100
    

    There is no meaning, no point. It's just a boring game that lasts three hours.

14. The Jimquisition - 3/10
    

    Submerged is a sad prime example of the vapidity people imagine when they derisively mention “walking simulators” – it’s an unfair bit of elitist sneering, to be sure, but games like this don’t help matters at all. It’s the kind of game that believes plonking players in a brightly lit space is enough audience engagement to satisfy.
    
    I am here to say it isn’t. A game so proud of its lack of combat needs something else. Otherwise it’s simply a game with a great big hole in it.

15. Destructoid - 3/10
    

    Sometimes games take concepts from other popular titles and combine them into a beautiful mix -- this is not one of those games...
    
    Within under ten minutes time you'll have experienced all the game has to offer; boring boating, equally dull scaling of buildings and peering out a periscope to find the next white and green building to climb. There is no failstate, no urgency, no combat, just moving from point to point and monotonously collecting shit. The story isn't interesting, the gameplay is boring, everything looks the same aside from a few landmarks, and the whole ordeal is over in no time.

16. The Sixth Axis - 3/10
    

    Ultimately, what Submerged lacks is a decent hook in both its story and gameplay. With nothing in the way of substantive dialogue, I found it almost impossible to build a connection with the game’s lead character. Gameplay, on the hand, has nothing to offer in the way of complexity, presenting players with a bareboned toolset to navigate the lost city.

    
    We Got This Covered - 1.5/5
    

    The dull and repetitive gameplay wears out its welcome quickly, while the clichéd storyline squanders its potential with unfocused presentation, plus a lack of depth and true world-building. This is nothing short of a catastrophe, but I hope that Uppercut Games can take the experience gained here and turn it into something actually worth playing.

17. Hardcore Gamer - 1/5
    

    By combining nearly every bad video game trope into a package that feels like it desperately wants to be held in the same regard as Journey or The Unfinished Swan, Submerged finds a way to fail in every way imaginable

 

[Blablurn]

Looks really cool

Nice OP too

 

[Cardon]

Pretty excited for this. Just hope the length is decent in the end since this is shaping up to be one of those games I wouldn't mind playing for a large chunk of time rather than having a Journey style experience.

 

[thekiddfran]

Finished the game last night. Review embargo is Wednesday

 

[Acquiescence]

Pants are awful baggy, you got something in there?

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Finished the game last night. Review embargo is Wednesday

Nope, it isn't. Actually the embargo is already over:

please observe the Embargo on review coverage AND streaming/videos until 12.01AM AEST August 3rd.

 

[BioHazard]

Finished the game last night. Review embargo is Wednesday

The embargo is a day after it releases?

 

[nynt9]

How long is this supposed to be?

 

[thekiddfran]

The embargo is a day after it releases?

Wednesday the 5th in Europe I according to Sony

 

[SerTapTap]

Game was lovely, little replay value though, and 100% collection is a pain. Here's my review/let's play. I'll share my almost 100% map when the game actually releases, hopefully people can help fill out what I'm missing.

Finished the game last night. Review embargo is Wednesday

I think you got the wrong memo, was yesterday (I even emailed them and confirmed embargo was past because I was confused by the australian timing)

Wednesday the 5th in Europe I according to Sony

Wait what? That's not what the dev told me, not sure if Europe is a different case but with a US code I got the all clear yesterday (monday after midnight in Australia)

Pretty excited for this. Just hope the length is decent in the end since this is shaping up to be one of those games I wouldn't mind playing for a large chunk of time rather than having a Journey style experience.

It's longer than Journey as long as you take your time/get optional stuff, less variety of environments, less/no linearity. I do greatly appreciate the ability to dilly-dally and explore more.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

How long is this supposed to be?

Three hours if you mainly focus on the story. I found it to be a very repetitive game though,with an underwhelming story.

 

[grandwizard]

Can anyone confirm if it's a walking sim or not? Is there any puzzles?

 

[thekiddfran]

Game was lovely, little replay value though, and 100% collection is a pain. Here's my review/let's play. I'll share my almost 100% map when the game actually releases, hopefully people can help fill out what I'm missing.



I think you got the wrong memo, was yesterday (I even emailed them and confirmed embargo was past because I was confused by the australian timing)



Wait what? That's not what the dev told me, not sure if Europe is a different case but with a US code I got the all clear yesterday (monday after midnight in Australia)



It's longer than Journey as long as you take your time/get optional stuff, less variety of environments, less/no linearity. I do greatly appreciate the ability to dilly-dally and explore more.

Nope just checked email from Sony and Wednesday's is embargo for Europe

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Three hours if you mainly focus on the story. I found it to be a very repetitive game though,with an underwhelming story.

I'm going to be honest, I found myself thinking much the same. The idea of a combat-free exploration game is lovely. The soundtrack and visuals? Lovely. But when they removed combat from the table, I don't think that they replaced it fully enough in terms of mechanics.

Personally, I'd wait for a big sale, especially on Steam.

 

[thekiddfran]

Can anyone confirm if it's a walking sim or not? Is there any puzzles?

Puzzle elements are climbing buildings to get care packages and you travel in a boat to get to each building. The game was good but the soundtrack was incredible.

Up there with Journey OST

 

[ultrazilla]

Just reading that it's not a "shoot everything in the face" game and there's little if any violence makes
this an instant purchase.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Up there with Journey OST

For those who don't recognize Jeff Van Dyck's name from the OP, he's the man behind many very solid soundtracks. This might be one of his best though. It's really gorgeous and helps really sell the "aloneness" of the game.

Hand of Fate (2015)
Alien : Isolation (2014)
Assault Android Cactus (2013-2015)
VEGA Conflict (2013)
Total War Shogun II: Fall of the Samurai (2012)
Total War Shogun II (2011)
Stormrise (2009)
Medieval II Total War (2006)
Spartan Total Warrior (2005)
Rome Total War (2004)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (2003)
EA Sports Rugby 2004 (2003)
Medieval Total War (2002)
Emperor : Rise of the Middle Kingdom (2002)
Shogun Total War (2001)
EA Sports Rugby 2001 (2000)
EA Sports Cricket 2000 (2000)
Battleship – Surface Thunder (2000)
Sled Storm (1999)
Missile Command (1999)
EA Sports Cricket World Cup (1999)
EA Sports AFL ’99 (1998)
EA Sports NHL ’99 (1998)
EA Sports NHL ’98 (1997)
EA Sports NHL ’97 (1996)
Need for Speed II (1996)
The Need for Speed (1995)
Coach K College Basketball (1995)
EA Sports NBA ’96 Live (1995)
EA Sports NHL ’96 (1995)
FIFA Soccer ’95 (1994)
FIFA International Soccer (1993)
Skitchin’ (1993)

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Can anyone confirm if it's a walking sim or not? Is there any puzzles?

Absolutely no puzzles, unless you consider climbing a building a puzzle, which clearly isn't. I must say, to be a game focusing on just a couple mechanics, it even didn't nail them like other games did. But it's obviously an indie low budget game, one can't expect Uncharted/Tomb Raider level climbing.

I'm going to be honest, I found myself thinking much the same. The idea of a combat-free exploration game is lovely. The soundtrack and visuals? Lovely. But when they removed combat from the table, I don't think that they replaced it fully enough in terms of mechanics.

Yep, I agree. And it's just not the mechanics. I mean, Gone Home is very repetitive in its mechanics but what makes it interesting is the world you explore, the house, all the tiny details and the story that you get to uncover bit by bit. In Submerged you find instead every building is very similar to the others, there are almost no signs of past lives, you don't get that intimate feeling. And the story you uncover? Found it to be quite dull, sincerely.

But they really nailed the overall scenario, with some gorgeous panoramas, and music/atmosphere. I don't find it enough to recommend the game, though.

 

[SerTapTap]

Nope just checked email from Sony and Wednesday's is embargo for Europe

Weird, is it published by SCEE in europe or something? I didn't deal with Sony at all (if I had to I probably wouldn't have gotten it, lol)

Three hours if you mainly focus on the story. I found it to be a very repetitive game though,with an underwhelming story.

Focusing on the story is a huge mistake in this game IMO, the secrets and exploring are where it's at. I'd suggest people take their time and explore every nook and cranny on their way to progress the story. Take in the sights, the music, watch the time of day change.

The length isn't fantastic, but I'd say I played for well over 4 hours but definitely less than 10. A good weekend game.

Can anyone confirm if it's a walking sim or not? Is there any puzzles?

Gameplay is more like the exploration of Wind Waker in a much denser space with some uncharted-light climbing around once you're on land. I'm not sure I'd say they're "puzzles" but there's a lot of optional its and bits that will take effort to find. By Uncharted-light I mean you're more restricted in how you move, you can't jump to your death or anything, and there's none of that "drake takes the whole building down by jumping on the wrong thing" stuff. It's a very serene game.

 

[Golgo 13]

This looks really good, and different. Still gonna wait for reviews though.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

That 20% discount might get me to bite on this. The idea of a relaxing combat-free, exploration-based collectathon with a gorgeous soundtrack and artstyle sounds very appealing to me.

 

[30yearsofhurt]

I'm on board. Playstation store isn't though. Can't even pre-order.

 

[SerTapTap]

I'm on board. Playstation store isn't though. Can't even pre-order.

While finding store links to put in my video description I stumbled upon this:

PSN's problems go well beyond "sometimes it's slow"

 

[FelipeMGM]

Well, in the email they sent with the code they say the embargo ended yesterday.

Uppercut Games has given you access to their game Submerged.

Thank you for checking out Submerged!

All users: please observe the Embargo on review coverage AND streaming/videos until 12.01AM AEST August 3rd.

My review should be up today. The game is not very good IMO, too repetitive and kinda boring story. Sailling is cool especially if whales and dolphins are around you.

 

[Cardon]

It's longer than Journey as long as you take your time/get optional stuff, less variety of environments, less/no linearity. I do greatly appreciate the ability to dilly-dally and explore more.

Gotcha. That's the thing I want to do the most; just explore and take in the sights since from the look of things the atmosphere is going to be incredible.

 

[metareferential]

Well, I'm in.

Animations look awful but that comes with the budget I guess. Still looks incredibly promising.

 

[kevin1025]

I feel bad for those that preordered on Xbox, since the discount still isn't up yet and the preorder has been up for a few days. I've been holding off for that...apart from trying to decide to go Xbox or PS4.

Otherwise, though, really looking forward to playing this one.

 

[grandwizard]

Puzzle elements are climbing buildings to get care packages and you travel in a boat to get to each building. The game was good but the soundtrack was incredible.

Up there with Journey OST

Absolutely no puzzles, unless you consider climbing a building a puzzle, which clearly isn't. I must say, to be a game focusing on just a couple mechanics, it even didn't nail them like other games did. But it's obviously an indie low budget game, one can't expect Uncharted/Tomb Raider level climbing.

Thanks

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

Focusing on the story is a huge mistake in this game IMO, the secrets and exploring are where it's at. I'd suggest people take their time and explore every nook and cranny on their way to progress the story. Take in the sights, the music, watch the time of day change.

I agree, it's got some gorgeous scenarios. Infact I took a lot of screenshots. But aside from that, it all felt lacking variety to me. Buildings look all the same, nooks and crannys too, I really didn't feel that sense of exploration. Just nice sights, good music, and that's all.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Yep, I agree. And it's just not the mechanics. I mean, Gone Home is very repetitive in its mechanics but what makes it interesting is the world you explore, the house, all the tiny details and the story that you get to uncover bit by bit. In Submerged you find instead every building is very similar to the others, there are almost no signs of past lives, you don't get that intimate feeling. And the story you uncover? Found it to be quite dull, sincerely.

But they really nailed the overall scenario, with some gorgeous panoramas, and music/atmosphere. I don't find it enough to recommend the game, though.

You're absolutely right. It doesn't necessarily need more mechanics, it just definitely needs something more.

 

[BananasWithGuns]

Game was lovely, little replay value though, and 100% collection is a pain.

When you say 100% collection is a pain, does that mean that there's missable stuff or just that it can be annoying to roam around looking for collectibles?

 

[SerTapTap]

I feel bad for those that preordered on Xbox, since the discount still isn't up yet and the preorder has been up for a few days. I've been holding off for that...apart from trying to decide to go Xbox or PS4.

Otherwise, though, really looking forward to playing this one.

Of note is the PS4 version has some minor to moderate frame drops/"chugging" when moving through the city as fast as possible in the boat--high speed + switching to the spyglass would usually cause it to drop a few frames. It's nothing that would make me recommend against buying the game at all, but it seems possible the PC version is preferable due to that.

I don't assume the Xbox One version will perform better than PS4 due to hardware but anything's possible with ports. Can anyone comment on PC/Xbone performance (I assume PC is fine)? I'm always curious in cases like this but not enough to try and request keys for multiple platforms.

When you say 100% collection is a pain, does that mean that there's missable stuff or just that it can be annoying to roam around looking for collectibles?

Nothing's missable, if you finish the story the "continue" option just changes to "explore". But it's possible to end up with That One Collectable left on the map and no idea how to get it. Story completion is extremely easy, but finding the last couple boat or secret pieces can be hard.

I agree, it's got some gorgeous scenarios. Infact I took a lot of screenshots. But aside from that, it all felt lacking variety to me. Buildings look all the same, nooks and crannys too, I really didn't feel that sense of exploration. Just nice sights, good music, and that's all.

There's a fairly high level of reuse of assets, but for the most part the game still looks great despite it. I'd certainly prefer say a $40-$60 game with significantly expanded environments, for instance Journey has more variety despite being probably shorter.

I mostly wish there were more animal variety and "landmarks". Building variety really wasn't too bad at a distance, but what you climb over is largely the same from place to place.

 

[FelipeMGM]

I agree, it's got some gorgeous scenarios. Infact I took a lot of screenshots. But aside from that, it all felt lacking variety to me. Buildings look all the same, nooks and crannys too, I really didn't feel that sense of exploration. Just nice sights, good music, and that's all.

I spent most of my time doing stuff like this. The Postcard photo mode is the best feature in the game. I spent like 2 hours taking shots of buildings and animals jumping in the water. Then I went to go trough the very boring story and repetitive climbing. Its very visual and that is all, def not worthy 20 bucks in my opinion.

 

[thekiddfran]

I spent most of my time doing stuff like this. The Postcard photo mode is the best feature in the game. I spent like 2 hours taking shots of buildings and animals jumping in the water. Then I went to go trough the very boring story and repetitive climbing. Its very visual and that is all, def not worthy 20 bucks in my opinion.

Boring story? There is no story.

 

[FelipeMGM]

Boring story? There is no story.

Yeah, its very weird. From half of the supplies on to the end, the game showcases on those postcards the things you have been doing since you got to the city, makes no sense at all. It only tells half of a very dull story


Photo mode is cool, I took a lot of pics

 

[SerTapTap]

I was actually a bit disappointed you couldn't turn off the vignette and game logo in the photo mode (unless I just couldn't find out how) so I mostly just used the ingame camera to line up shots. The photo mode is pretty solid otherwise, a bit barebones next to Sony first party games' photo mode, but it gives you most of what you need.

Depends on how much you value doing stuff like that I guess. I enjoyed it but I can certainly see how it'd be a rough sell at $20. Next to N++ and Axiom Verge it's harder to justify, but I don't like to be too picky about saying who can price what at what amount

Yeah, its very weird. From half of the supplies on to the end, the game showcases on those postcards the things you have been doing since you got to city, makes no sense at all. It only tells half of a very dull story

The main event is the story of the city, told through the secrets. Still a bit minimal/vague, but I enjoy the storytelling method. But that's why I don't recommend only focusing on completing the main story, both because exploration/taking in the sights are the real meat, and because the story you unlock from secrets is way more interesting than the one you get from progressing the "main" story.

 

[BananasWithGuns]

Nothing's missable, if you finish the story the "continue" option just changes to "explore". But it's possible to end up with That One Collectable left on the map and no idea how to get it. Story completion is extremely easy, but finding the last couple boat or secret pieces can be hard.

Thanks, nice to hear that you can continue after the end. As long as nothing is missable I'm sure I won't be too bothered.

Boring story? There is no story.

Well this is somewhat concerning. Is it just supposed to be an entirely atmospheric game then?

 

[Karak]

Game is ok. Not for everyone though by a long shot. No death, barely any story, very boring walking around for the most part and almost no interaction with the world. At least finding everything was blindingly easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf3WHumqQHc

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Some of the things people have popped out of the Postcard thing are indeed pretty gorgeous.

 

[FelipeMGM]

The main event is the story of the city, told through the secrets. Still a bit minimal/vague, but I enjoy the storytelling method. But that's why I don't recommend only focusing on completing the main story, both because exploration/taking in the sights are the real meat, and because the story you unlock from secrets is way more interesting than the one you get from progressing the "main" story.

I finished my main campaign with 42 of 60 secrets unlocked, gathering all them now so I can finish my review. Its a better story, but still not a good one.

The best thing about this game is the whales jumping, very visual. I took like 20 pics just of whales and dolphins. Dynamic weather looks fine as well

 

[Steel]

I was fairly interested, then I read this:

absolutely no death

I mean, I'm fine with no combat, but why would you set up a life or death situation with absolutely no chance of any death? Well, I still might check this out.

 

[thekiddfran]

Thanks, nice to hear that you can continue after the end. As long as nothing is missable I'm sure I won't be too bothered.



Well this is somewhat concerning. Is it just supposed to be an entirely atmospheric game then?

Well there is a story but it isn't told through normal narrative. Basic story at the start and then you search the city for items that reveal the story of the city.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

The 20% discount isn't up on the Xbox Live pre-order. Weird and can cause complains from people that buy it.

 

[SerTapTap]

The 20% discount isn't up on the Xbox Live pre-order. Weird and can cause complains from people that buy it.

How both stores handle launch/preorder discounts suck. I'd prefer "preorder" discounts to be active for a week after launch and immediately active any time you can preorder of course.

I was fairly interested, then I read this:

I mean, I'm fine with no combat, but why would you set up a life or death situation with absolutely no chance of any death? Well, I still might check this out.

It's not really what I'd call a life or death situation, not in the video gamey sense at least. I can't imagine any way to include death in the game that isn't a huge pain in the ass. For instance adding a game over timer to your brother's health status would make this complete crap and ruin almost every good aspect. Only other option would be letting the animals kill you (annoying, since dicking around with the animals is half the fun) or letting you jump to your death which would get old fast

 

[wouwie]

A bit dissapointed in impressions so far since i had high hopes for this game. It seems strange that there isn't any backstory (finding things that explain the world and what happened to it) in what is essentially a discovery/exploration game in a mystery setting. I wonder what the main appeal of exploring is in the game?

That being said, i think i'll buy it anyway since it seems to be my kind of game. And it has whales.

 

[thekiddfran]

A bit dissapointed in impressions so far since i had high hopes for this game. It seems strange that there isn't any backstory (finding things that explain the world and what happened to it) in what is essentially a discovery/exploration game in a mystery setting. I wonder what the main appeal of exploring is in the game?

That being said, i think i'll buy it anyway since it seems to be my kind of game. And it has whales.

There is a backstory but it is told in simple drawings that you find scattered throughout the city. That said it isn't a compelling backstory

 

[Steel]

It's not really what I'd call a life or death situation, not in the video gamey sense at least. I can't imagine any way to include death in the game that isn't a huge pain in the ass. For instance adding a game over timer to your brother's health status would make this complete crap and ruin almost every good aspect. Only other option would be letting the animals kill you (annoying, since dicking around with the animals is half the fun) or letting you jump to your death which would get old fast

I wasn't talking about video gamey life or death situation, as I said, I'm fine with the game not having combat. But yeah, it does seem rather odd that the brother's life hanging in the balance doesn't have any consequences, it also seems rather odd that with gigantic whales coming out of the sea and the like that there's no chance for it to even capsize your boat and drown you. It just seems odd to put these two characters in a desperate situation and not have their actions have any possible negative consequences come up as a result of player input.

But regardless game still looks interesting.

 

[BananasWithGuns]

Destructoid Review

They umm, weren't too kind to it.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Destructoid Review

They umm, weren't too kind to it.

Added to the OP, thanks.

I really agree with this issue:

Climbing up buildings is the other main activity in Submerged, and it couldn't be more dull. Close-up views of cement walls of the girl shimmying along randomly placed ledges just to climb up and find another ledge to shimmy and climb; it is one of the utmost boring gameplay mechanics in any game ever, and it makes up a majority of time spent in Submerged.

For a game that's labeled as a "platformer," it's a really terrible at filling that role. Once again proving as people say, 3D platformers are hard. I think a 3/10 is a bit overly harsh, but if you're someone who factors price-point/value in, that might be fair.

 

[Coreda]

Reminds me of Lili: Child of Geos set in a post-disaster landscape and without the light-hearted, kid-centric self-awareness.