Release Date: 04/08/2015
Played On: Win
Available On: iOS / NS / PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 3h 57m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Uppercut Games
Publisher: Uppercut Games
In some ways, the term "open-world" has become a bit of a dirty word these days. It can either stand for freedom and exploration, or a never-ending to-do list of pointless objectives. While the big budget blockbusters love to fill their huge maps with boring collectibles and errands, it's actually a joy to play a game that encourages exploration, but doesn't waste your time.
Submerged is that game, as it takes place in an open world that has been purposefully crafted to allow for that thrill of discovery, while still respecting the player's time. Is it the biggest map we've ever seen? Far from it. Is it going to take you hundreds of hours to see everything? Nowhere near. Will you be satisfied and fulfilled by the time the credits roll? Most definitely.
Without giving anything away, the basic premise is that the world is funnily enough under water. We play as a young girl who is looking after her younger brother, who we quickly learn is suffering from some kind of sickness. In the opening moments we find a suitable place to shelter and use as a home base, which will serve as the game's hub for the remainder of the story.
With the world under water, the only dry surfaces to be found are the tops of sky scrapers that are in varying states of disrepair. These monoliths jut out of the water to striking heights and do well to make you feel like you're navigating an actual city, even though you're putting around in a boat most of the time.
Essentially, we are free to explore this submerged city via pre-determined docks and grapple points. Most buildings will have one or two places where you can tie up your boat and disembark. Then it's up to us to find various pipes, ladders, and overgrown vines to climb up and around each building to find loot.
As it turns out, there are certain caches of good to be found at the top of certain buildings. This is where the post-apocalyptic theme of a sunken city really starts to be fleshed out in detail, as there are many tell-tale signs of survivors that have either moved on, or perished. As you climb each building to find supplies, you'll come across mementos from the past and desperate please like home-made banners crying for help, strung up against the side of buildings. That and the old supply drops whose parachutes have snagged themselves on different parts of each structure, really goes a long way to build the narrative further.
In fact, this might be one of the crowning achievements of Submerged, as it manages to do so much with so little. I've heard massive games like Skyrim be criticised for being an ocean with the depth of a puddle, and I have to say that as much I loved playing Skyrim, I kind of agree. It doesn't matter what you do in that world, it always feels like everything will continue on the same, whether you're there to intervene or not.
Hence why I'm impressed (bot not particularly surprised) when a much smaller game like Submerged manages to out-do the big games when it comes to world building and narrative depth. After all, every section of the game's relatively small map is filled with lore and references to the game's history. Every time you encounter a new area and progress the story a little further, you get to learn a little more about what's happened to this desolate environment.
Although, desolate probably isn't the correct word, as there's a whole lot of life forms inhabiting the water beneath you. Occasionally you'll get a glimpse of a giant whale as it slowly passes over what used to be city streets. Then a flock of birds will flutter overhead, disturbed as you pass them by. In this way, the city's ever-present desolation is nicely contrast by the thriving species that have taken up residence.
There's even more to it, but in the interest of spoilers I'm not going to say anything else. Just know that the lore and narrative goes even further and does a good job of telling its story in a retrospective fashion as you learn about the environment even more.
If I were to be reductive, I could reduce the gameplay down to a simple loop. Basically you need to find food and medicine for your brother who is ill, so you set out in your boat to find resources. After putting around a while, you find a building with indications of a supply drop on its roof. Then it's as simple as finding where you park your boat, then following the different pipes and ledges available to help you climb the outside of the building.
This could be the weakest part of Submerged, as there's often only a single way to climb each building. Every now and then you might find a short diversion in the path that leads to a hidden item, but ultimately it's really hard to get lost on your way to the top.
However, the upside is that the climbing mechanics aren't the strongest element of the game anyway, so the less you have to do, the better. It's an odd thing to consider, seeing as climbing up buildings is actually one of the core systems in Submerged, but I had a much better time doing just about anything else.
It's not that the climbing is bad per se, but the controls do feel a little bit clunky at times. I recently played through all the Uncharted games again, so maybe I've just been spoiled by some of the best climbing animations in the business, but it really made me feel the lack of detail in Submerged's animations (what's the possessive of "Submerged" anyway? "Submerged's" sounds pretty awkward, but I'm going with it). This is no doubt one of the limitations of a small development team, but it's hard to ignore either way.
Clunky as it may be in parts, the stilted climbing mechanics didn't ruin the game for me. Not least because I spent most of my time in Submerged exploring the map and looking for landmarks and hidden objects. Apparently it's much more enjoyable to collect random items when you know there are only a handful to find on the map. I might have given up in a larger world, but every point of interest in Submerged actually had a little bit of world-building and discovery to offer.
One of the other key systems in the game is that you have a camera that you can use to unlock lore along the way. By taking photos of different animals and buildings, we're taught more about the world and encouraged to learn about our surroundings even more.
Landmarks are always unique buildings and structures that stand out in the city. It could be an old ferris-wheel poking out of the water, or a sign pointing to an ocean that used to be a highway. The landmarks I enjoyed the most where some buildings with unique architecture that could easily be missed if you're not paying attention and exploring.
Likewise, the animals in the world can prove to be just as elusive when you're not looking for them. The whales I mentioned earlier aren't even the largest animals on the map, but there are some circling the deeper waters around the edge that can be tricky to locate. I found that there was an odd feeling of dread and excitement as I putted around in my boat, trying to keep an eye out for gigantic monsters that might be swimming beneath the surface.
This feeling of unease carries itself throughout the game and manifests in different ways. Don't be fooled though, this isn't an action game by any means, and gameplay is ultimately limited to pure exploration. The cool thing is that you never feel alone in the world, despite the obvious loneliness and lack of companionship.
To this end, Submerged has managed to hit the proverbial nail on the head with its scope and design. The explorable world is small enough that you quickly learn how to get around with ease, but there's enough going on that it never feels empty. There are enough collectibles to upgrade your boat, and photos to take of wildlife and buildings, but it never feels like a chore. Most of these discoveries can be made by simply boating around and looking at your surroundings.
From a narrative perspective, the world feels full of history and even life, while remaining hostile and obviously destroyed. The story about your brother is interesting enough, especially when you learn how your presence not only shapes the world around you, but provides context for the future. It's a simple, but elegant story that has enough going on to be interesting, but never tries to outsmart you and disrespect your own reasoning.
I suppose the biggest compliment I can pay Submerged is that it manages to nail all the elements of its open world. Even the clunky climbing mechanics do the job, but it's clear that this was a result of not having the time or budget to really tweak the details. To the same end, the graphics and technical depth isn't going to come close to some of its larger competitors like the excellent Horizon: Zero Dawn.
However, the big plus for Submerged is that it doesn't waste your time by trying to impress you with big numbers. There aren't hundreds of locations to visit, or thousands of pointless collectibles to pick up, and it doesn't take a real-time hour to traverse a huge in-game map. Instead you get concise objectives that are easy to understand and maintain context within the world and its story. Plus, you get enjoyable exploration that's rewarded with meaningful discoveries and never feels like a boring shopping list.
Considering this is a game with an understandably limited scope thanks to a smaller development team, what's here is well worth looking at. In context it's actually quite impressive to see what can be achieved when a developer pays attention to making smart design choices that are actually meaningful to the player.
I previously mentioned that the graphics weren't all that impressive, even though they do a decent job and I think the game looks good either way. However, I have to make a special note of the way that the Unreal Engine water has been used in the world, as you rarely lose sight of its enveloping undulations.
Coupled with a gorgeous and reserved soundtrack, the way the waves lap at buildings and reflect the orange sun is actually very beautiful. There were some moments where I had to stop and soak in my surroundings, as many camera angles provide the perfect postcard moment along the way. Thus, proving once again that you don't need the most technically complex graphics to make something that looks good.
So at the end of the day, Submerged is a neat little open-world exploration game that overcomes its small studio limitations by respecting the player's time and doing the best with what they have. Yes there are some areas that could do with a bit of improvement and work, but there's nothing game-breaking or offensively bad. In fact, this is one game that I would say is well worth a look, especially as it's priced appropriately and a nice way to chill out for a while.
I'd like to think that some larger studios would take a leaf out of Submerged's open-world book, but something tells me they'll continue to market how big their numbers are. Thankfully there are smaller games like this one around to remind us of how much fun it is to explore for the sake of discovery, instead of ticking boxes on an infinite shopping list.