Xbox Preview Code Provided by Uppercut Games
Submerged: Hidden Depths is a non-combat “relaxploration” (relaxing-exploration) adventure, developed and published by Australian studio Uppercut Games. It’s the second installment in the award-winning series.
When I hear non-combat, I don't get excited. I prefer fast-paced shooter or strategy titles and I really didn't expect to like this game very much. But after playing countless hours of the preview they provided, I must say, this game blew me away.
Gameplay
The game is very simple to learn, with a fast and basic tutorial that gets right to the point and doesn't drag on, and lets you set out almost right away, in any direction you choose.
You travel around a vibrant open-world city that’s almost entirely submerged in water. You spend the majority of your time exploring what's left, climbing up the tallest structures via scaffolding in order to wipe out some sort of dark entity. It can take wit to get to the top though, with lots of puzzles to solve to clear the path.
You use a boat to get from place to place, it’s fun to drive and the controls are great. You can find upgrades for it floating in the ocean that gives you the ability to boost your speed for a short time, with each consecutive upgrade increasing the duration.
Collectibles are everywhere in Submerged: Hidden Depths, all of which are more than just filler. Diaries can be found all over the world, that tell the story of the city and what happened in the past, and the majority of the others unlock cosmetic upgrades to your boat and characters.
Expectations
While the game looks gorgeous in every sense everywhere you can go, there are some areas I found that were very bare just out of reach of me but still clearly visible. hopefully, this is just because it's a preview version and it will be fixed on release.
I found that there aren’t very many cosmetics to unlock. It's not a huge issue since there’s still tons to collect to add to the story of the world, as well as Relics, which I haven't mentioned because I haven't found any yet and I am not sure what they do.
Verdict
Submerged: Hidden Depths is one of the best games I’ve ever played, which is strange coming from me since I usually can’t hold my attention on something that isn't fast-paced and intense. This game does everything it’s trying to do exceptionally well and I cannot wait to play the full version next month!
