Song of the Deep Reviews
Beautiful, plays well – but could have been better.
Song of the Deep is a very nice Metroidvania game featuring a huge map to explore, plenty of secrets to discover, and a huge array of different situations and puzzles which make the experience incredibly varied. Other highlights are its beautiful presentation, seamless storytelling style and excellent soundtrack/voice acting. Some irritating puzzles, made so by physics, mediocre boss battles and a few performance hiccups are just minor issues and, thankfully, they are not enough to make this beautiful song go out of tune. Highly recommended to Metroidvania fans and to all those who enjoy well crafted experiences.
Song of the Deep is a nice, solid length, beautiful side scrolling adventure game that will take most players anywhere from 6 to 10 hours to complete. Lots of hidden treasures to find, upgrades to purchase, and secret areas to discover. Genre wise it’s not doing anything that most other games haven’t done before it, but the setting and story are unique and just captivating enough to provide players with a wonderful undersea fairy tale.
Even just moving from one zone to the next can leave you feeling like a child reading an adventure novel, imagining all of the cool new worlds just ready to be explored.
Insomniac Games delivers a traditional Metroidvania with a pleasant atmosphere and an intelligent use of backtracking. Song of the Deep is a solid adventure, with some memorable boss fights and a complex level design.
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The latest from Insomniac Games is particularly polished when it comes to the variety of its puzzles.
Song of the Deep feels like a distinctly different experience from the Insomniac that we’re used to. It’s a beautiful, lonely world and the Ghibi-like aesthetic work incredibly well in its favor.
Song of the Deep tells a compelling story and presents enjoyable, captivating Metroidvania gameplay set in an enthralling underwater world.
Shaky conclusion aside, Song of the Deep is a narrative rich adventure that successfully pairs Metroidvania gameplay with a dynamic underwater setting.
Song of the Deep's story is touching, its art is beautiful, and its soundtrack is lovely, all of which come together to make a visual treat. Then I had to actually play it and I found it frustrating at some times, boring at others, and quite glitchy. Some may be able to forgive it, but I can't see many doing so.
Enchanting and charming, Song of the Deep is a children’s-fairy-tale-turned-video-game that’s full of wonder and vibrant beauty. The gameplay is both solid and enjoyable, but not without hiccups and hindrances.
Song of the Deep is an intriguing, fun adventure game with enjoyable puzzles and a remarkable presentation. The colorful setting leaps off the screen, taking me back to my childhood story books. The game shines with the sheer amount of puzzles that range from accessing a hidden treasure chest, opening a door latch, to more advanced ones.
By going against their own grain, Insomniac Games has crafted a true winner with Song of the Deep, which is one of 2016’s most hypnotic and charming games.
I won't lie. This game hits you right in the feels. This is a story driven by love and begs the question how far would you go for the people you love. In Merryn's case, it's to the bottom of the ocean. The games artistry, music, and narration had me close to tears at a few key points. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the game. I only wish they had a clear definition of what they wanted the game to be. With such a hard turn from puzzles to strictly waves of enemies, the game lost it for me a little. It felt like a different game in the last couple of hours, and I missed the game I had started six hours back.
You'll find out while deep under the sea, that this adventure should have remained on shore. With uninteresting puzzles and mixed controls, you may want to think twice,
Song of the Deep is a meandering lesson that not every reflection of Metroidvania has to be a grand odyssey. By that measure it's a serviceable decent into the great unknown with a handful of neat ideas. It's also too oblivious of its own limitations to leave a distinct impression in a crowded field. "Groundwork for something greater" isn't a beacon of optimism, but it's probably the finest impression Song of the Deep can manage.
Song of the Deep is a very mixed experience but one that should be experienced at least once. On one hand you’ve got a breathtakingly beautiful rendition of the deep sea that progressively gets both more intense and intimidating as you descend into its depths. You’ve got a genuinely loveable protagonist with a great journey to undertake. You’ve even got a large map that’s quite fun to explore.
Insomniac proves with Song of the Deep that it can make a gem with a small team, on a tiny budget, and in a previously-unexplored genre.
Song of the Deep isn’t a bad metroidvania; it’s just very basic. It doesn’t do anything particularly well, outside of maybe its endearing story, but it isn’t absolutely unplayable either.
Despite some of the puzzles becoming a major pain in the last few hours of the game, it’s pretty easy to recommend Song of the Deep. It’s a relaxing undersea adventure with a compelling storyline and an earnest and endearing protagonist that you genuinely want to help with completing the task of locating her father.