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Ever since Mario first dove into the ocean to battle bloopers on the NES, gamers have dreaded having to put on their swimming trunks. Games or stages that take place underwater have a reputation for being slow, hard to control and frustrating, but a new wave of games like The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human and the upcoming Abzu seek to redeem the watery genre. Song of the Deep, a new underwater exploration game made by Ratchet & Clank creators Insomniac Games, is part of this trend.
Does Song of the Deep help salvage the reputation of underwater games, or does the the genre remain all wet? Let’s find out…
Song of the Deep (PC, Xbox One & PS4)
Artistic Achievement
Song of the Deep, which tells its story with storybook-style watercolor illustrations, is the tale of Merryn, a 12-year-old girl raised by her single fisherman father. When said father disappears at sea, Merryn constructs a rickety submarine and delves into a magical, menacing underwater world to (hopefully) find him. The story isn’t terribly complex, and the children’s book presentation has been done before, but it’s a welcome departure for Insomniac, whose games usually strike more of a rad, bad, snarky tone. The game’s story is also buoyed by an excellent Irish-tinged narrator, who gives the tale a properly mythic feel.
Song of the Deep is visually lush, and carries over some of the watercolor look of the cutscenes, without becoming overly stylized. It’s a nice, polished-looking game, but not quite as striking as it could be. The solid visuals are backed up by a fantastic, old-world-folksy soundtrack that adds immeasurably to the atmosphere of the game. Charm is not a word I’d usually associate with Insomniac Games’ output, but Song of the Deep has charm in spades.
Innovation
Song of the Deep is a fairly standard “Metroidvania” style action-adventure title. That is to say, all the game’s areas are interconnected, progress is tied to collecting new items and abilities, and you will have to do a fair bit of backtracking. Some of your abilities are somewhat unique – I’ve never played as a sub that fights with a magnetic harpoon before – but, for the most part, Song of the Deep doesn’t seek to break the mold.
Execution
For an underwater game, Song of the Deep controls fairly well. As you might expect, the sub is a little floaty, but not excessively so, and the game’s grappling claw works well enough. Grabbing, carrying and throwing items with said claw can be a little tricky at first, but eventually becomes second nature. Fighting enemies mostly boils down to brazenly bashing them with your claw, then retreating to one of the game’s frequent save points to heal. I think the game wants you to attack enemies from afar by throwing objects at them, but the direct approach is simply easier. Honestly, I almost would have preferred if the game eschewed most enemies altogether, as they’re the least compelling part of the game.
Yes, there’s a giant spider living under the ocean. Video games, everybody!
As mentioned, the game doesn’t do much to alter what Metroidvania games are all about, but hey, it’s a classic formula for a reason. Collecting new items, or powering them up at shops run by giant hermit crabs, is fun, and the game really starts to open up in a satisfying way once you gain missiles and the ability to swim outside your sub. Challenge-wise, early parts of the game aren’t terribly taxing, but once you’ve gained most of your abilities, the game serves of some gratifyingly challenging puzzles. Oh, and there are giant underwater spiders, octopuses and other intimidating old-school bosses waiting to end your adventures as well. You’ve seen most of this before, but not usually done this well.
Staying Power
This is a fairly brief adventure, clocking in at around six or seven hours, although that’s an acceptable length given the game only costs $15. Song of the Deep also serves up plenty of extra collectibles for completionists who want to scour every corner of Davey Jones’ locker.
Bullsh*t Factor
Song of the Deep is a straightforward budget game without any sort of DLC, micro-transactions, or other nonsense. Given the title is being directly published by GameStop, I would have at least expected a bunch of wacky pre-order bonuses, but nope. The game is also stable as a rock – I never experienced any glitches or issues, even when I badly bungled up puzzles or managed to back myself into awkward corners.
Final Thoughts
Song of the Deep doesn’t serve up anything too surprising, but Insomniac pulls off the Metroidvania formula with confidence, and demonstrates the developer can do something other than sass-talking Saturday morning cartoon characters. Hopefully this is a sign of more interesting things to come for them.
If you’re a fan of old-school action-adventure games and are on the lookout for a nice, laid-back summer gaming jam, this might be the title for you. Song of the Deep doesn’t prove an underwater game can be great, but it does show they can at least be good.
Verdict: Worth A Chance
This review was based on a digital PS4 copy of Song of the Deep provided by Insomniac Games.