Submerged Reviews
One of the most relaxing games I've played in ages. Submerged is a game happy to let the player explore, with minimal challenge making for an experience that focuses on player exploration and stopping to enjoy the view. The story of the children and the desolate world around them slowly becomes clearer, leaving just enough room for the player's personal interpretation.
Submerged turned out pretty horrible, and while its concept sounded okay on paper, sadly, the execution is an unbelievable disaster. Ugly, extremely rough, buggy and boring; Submerged should be cast off and is not worth the asking price at all. Anyone who might be interested in a, atmospheric exploration game should just play the HD collection of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, or get Journey.
Submerged is skeletal and unoiled. It is damned by competence: a short story that checks the boxes, but in doing so leaves no mark. I fell asleep twice while playing it, shaken awake by Miku's worsening cough, just looking to fix up Taku and motorboat out as fast as possible. It's a game that has no ambition and says nothing, and through that, quietly stumbles, erodes, and disappears, leaving no impression, no haunting memories.
A game of two parts, one that makes you feel so relaxed within its world and another that just about works, but feels like it doesn't quite belong in this experience.
What impressed me most about Submerged is that it never tries to be more than its concept. It set out to be a simple narrative-driven and emotional experience with a strong environmental message, and it achieves just that. With no unnecessary actions to distract those with limited attention spans it might be perceieved as "dull" by some, but in practice it's a reflective, mature, and artful work, and this here is where games should be going.
Submerged is a flawed exploration game that relies too heavily on boring climbing mechanics and stiff animations, but its top-notch atmospheric setting and soothing, relaxing soundtrack might be enough to guarantee at least a foray into its flooded canals.
The Uppercut Games game seeks to connect with the player in this adventure through the presentation of an attractive and mysterious world that unleashes captivating art. The pampering of details to create an environment of great beauty, such as lighting, weather, the night sky, or the day-night cycle helps to want to lose ourselves in the waters of this city, while we delight in a melancholic and evocative soundtrack. An experience that is far from perfect, but if it appeals to you in the least, you should try and feel.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Submerged has an interesting concept and artistic presentations very well built. Navigation and exploration are exciting at first until you notice the constant reuse of textures and similarities of some constructions. Some of the most different buildings cannot be climbed which is a bit frustrating. But the game's biggest downs are in the weak history and in the climbing mechanics, which presents no challenge at all and is extremely boring at some points. Despite some beautiful vistas the game has little to offer and I do not recommend it on its base price.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite it's cumbersome and repetitive climbing mechanics, gathering objects and reconstructing the story of the characters kept me going on trying to find supplies to heal the wounded Taku. It is a short game, completable in around 3 hours, so i would recommend it if you are into the exploring genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The game Submerged could have, and by all accounts wanted to be is still hidden here somewhere, but that hardly matters when it so fervently refuses to let you see it.
A slow-moving pace and undemanding platforming might be a draw to the more brain-addled gamer, perhaps enduring a slow-moving Sunday afternoon or a comedown from a particularly Red Bull-heavy Friday night. Nevertheless, there's still an aching sense of potential behind Miku's adventure that will leave you thinking what could've been. As it is, Submerged is pretty forgettable, and sinks rather than swims in the wake of other superior indie journeys. Journey in particular.
A short, sweet, melancholic exploration game that offers precious few hours of gameplay, but it's beautiful to look at, and highly enjoyable to play.