- Stunning art style and visuals.
- Unique Jules Verne submarine gameplay.
- Captivating deep-sea world to explore.
- Widespread Bugs and Lack of Polish.
- Significant Crew Management and UI issues.
- Weak story, inconsistent combat.
Emotions
Players experienced significant frustration due to pervasive game-breaking bugs that led to lost progress, inability to complete quests, and unplayable states. This was compounded by clunky controls, poor navigation systems, an unpolished user interface, and repetitive or tedious gameplay mechanics. Incomplete or buggy localizations and a perceived lack of developer follow-through on bug reports further exacerbated negative feelings.
Many players felt disappointment stemming from the game's unfulfilled potential, often described as a promising concept marred by an unfinished state and numerous game-breaking bugs. Developer abandonment, lack of updates, and critical issues like broken achievements or poor localization also contributed to a sense that the game did not live up to initial expectations or trailers. The combat, story, and overall content were frequently criticized as shallow, short, or unsatisfying.
Satisfaction arose from enjoying the game's atmosphere, exploration, and combat, especially after developers addressed issues with updates and bug fixes. Players felt they received good value for their money and appreciated responsive controls, good graphics, music, and a compelling story. Some found a perfect or problem-free experience, particularly with older versions or after specific localization fixes.
Players appreciated the game's unique concept, distinctive art direction, and immersive atmosphere, often highlighting the beautiful visuals and captivating soundtrack. The attention to detail in sound design, innovative mechanics, and challenging but enjoyable learning curve were also sources of positive sentiment. Developer responsiveness to feedback and continuous bug fixing contributed to this sense of appreciation.
Enjoyment was derived from the game's overall charm, engaging atmosphere, and satisfying exploration. Players found pleasure in the stunning visuals, captivating soundtrack, and effective resource and crew management systems. Even with flaws, the core gameplay loop, combat, and the unique world provided a fun and engaging experience that encouraged continued play.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 48% · Negative 52%. Score: 52 / 100
Positives:
- Players found the game highly engaging and fun, often highlighting its innovative mechanics and immersive experience. Many returned for multiple playthroughs, appreciating its unique charm and long-term appeal for those with patience.
- The game received widespread praise for its beautiful and distinctive visual identity, creatively blending 2D and 3D elements. Reviewers consistently highlighted the captivating aesthetics, artistic effort, and strong graphical style as major strengths, drawing players in and enhancing the overall experience.
- The game features a decent and intriguing storyline, which many found well-written and charming, despite some noting it wasn't overly complex. The well-crafted lore and heartfelt characters further contributed positively to the narrative experience.
- The unique, beautifully crafted, and mysterious post-apocalyptic underwater world was a significant draw. The game excels at creating an immersive sense of deep-sea adventure, solitude, and wonder, encouraging extensive exploration and often evoking a grand, cinematic feeling.
- Players appreciated the game's diverse submarine models, customization, and upgrade options. While initial controls could be quirky, they became intuitive and fun with practice, leading to satisfying deep-sea combat that felt appropriately sluggish and challenging.
Negatives:
- Players frequently encountered numerous bugs, performance issues, and general lack of polish, making the game feel unfinished or even unplayable, especially in later stages or after major updates. Many bugs are game-breaking, preventing quest completion, progress, or forcing restarts, indicating a significant quality control problem.
- The crew management system suffers from multiple bugs, including assignments resetting, crew members disappearing or randomly unassigning, and issues with managing full rosters. Players also report general clunkiness and poor ergonomics with the user interface, particularly with a controller.
- The narrative aspects of the game are frequently criticized for being thin, shallow, and poorly explained, with little lore about the world or factions. Players report an incomplete or rushed ending, often leaving questions unanswered, and dialogue is marred by grammatical errors, repetition, and a lack of engagement.
- Combat encounters present an inconsistent challenge, with some players finding bosses overly difficult due to aggressive enemies with infinite resources, while others find combat overwhelmingly easy and boring after initial upgrades. Enemy AI can be problematic, with foes pursuing endlessly or glitching, and submarine combat often feels clunky.
- Players experience significant frustration with the game's navigation systems, including an unreliable "goldfish" guide that often misleads or disappears. The lack of clear quest markers and general direction results in tedious backtracking and wasted time, impacting progression and overall enjoyment.
Gameplay:
- The game is a post-apocalyptic, Jules Verne-inspired underwater exploration game where players captain a submarine and its crew. It combines 3D exploration and combat with 2D base/sub interactions, featuring a linear story within open-world-like zones, resource management, and RPG progression.
- Core gameplay involves significant resource gathering from wrecks and stations, fighting pirates, and trading with merchants. Scrap metal functions as both currency and ammunition, driving the grind-heavy progression for submarine and crew upgrades.
- Players manage their submarine, monitoring vital resources like oxygen, food, and ammunition. Crew members are crucial; they are hired, assigned to stations to boost performance, consume resources, and unassigned crew will automatically repair hull damage. Running out of food causes crew to strike.
- The game's submarine controls often feel like moving through gel or space, requiring players to get used to the inertia. While not overly difficult, the controls can be finicky, though an "easy-mode" was introduced to address this.
- Player feedback suggests the game is of medium quality among indie titles, with some aspects like story, dialogue, and characters being "ok". The gameplay can become repetitive due to the grind-heavy nature, but controls and interface are generally considered good after a learning curve.
Performance:
- Players observed that recent patches have generally improved the game's state, leading to a decrease in overall bugs, resolution of automatic save problems, and better performance optimization. This indicates active development and a positive trend in addressing player feedback.
- Despite some improvements, significant performance drops, notably during boss fights where FPS can plummet, are still a concern for players. Additionally, critical 'insoluble' bugs and occasional game crashes were reported, highlighting lingering stability issues that impact gameplay.
Recommendations:
- A significant portion of players do not recommend the game at full price, citing an unfinished state, lack of progression, bugs, and a generally disappointing experience. However, a large number suggest it might be worth purchasing if found during a deep sale, especially for a few hours of fun.
- Despite general reservations, the game is highly recommended for fans of deep-sea exploration, submarine games, Jules Verne-esque sci-fi, and abstract stories. Players who appreciate open worlds, unique aesthetics, and resource management (like FTL) are more likely to enjoy the experience and overlook its shortcomings.
- Players report that the updated "Resubmerged" version is plagued with bugs and instability, leading many to recommend the older, "UNsubmerged" or beta versions for a more stable experience. There's a strong call for developers to allow rolling back to previous versions or to address the game's unfinished feel and control issues, with many reviewers planning to wait for future improvements.
- Players strongly recommend using a game controller for a better experience. They also advise upgrading the ship early (saving ~20k) and pushing through initial monotony, especially during the collection quest, to fully enjoy the game.
- Players with bathophobia (fear of the deep sea) are advised to be cautious when considering this game. Its deep-sea setting might be unsettling for those with this specific phobia.
Miscellaneous:
- There are conflicting views on the game's ongoing development, with some players accusing developers of abandoning the crowdfunded project, while others note recent patches and ongoing improvements. Many players express hope for a large patch or believe the current version is an "alpha" state, showcasing a loyal community despite the uncertainty.
- The game is lauded for its deep and imaginative lore, drawing inspiration from classic works like Jules Verne and Disney's Atlantis. It successfully crafts a unique post-apocalyptic world where humanity survives under an ice-covered, water-dominated Earth. Players appreciate the conceptual depth and express a desire for an even richer world in future iterations.
- The game elicits strong, divided opinions, often described as a "rough gem" with significant potential. Many players feel initial frustrations, particularly with camera and controls, overshadow deeper gameplay elements. Despite its indie nature and mixed reviews, the game retains a dedicated player base.
- Players consistently report that the game's controls, especially for gamepad users, are clunky and require a significant learning curve to master. The interface often necessitates mouse input, which is inconvenient for controller-focused play. There is a strong desire for improved controls and a more intuitive user interface in future updates or sequels.
- There is a significant and expressed need for a Chinese language option, which the development team is actively addressing by working on localization efforts and soliciting community assistance. This indicates a growing international audience for the game. Previous improvements in other language translations, such as Japanese, suggest a commitment to supporting diverse players.
