Info about Hidden Deep:

Official game description:
  
Hidden Deep is a 2D action & exploration sci-fi thriller set in a mining and research facility – more than a mile under the ocean floor.  
A group of researchers detected strange anomalies of unknown nature and organized an expedition to examine the mysterious phenomenon. Suddenly, after 681 days, contact with the researchers breaks off. You are the leader of the second team: Go down there, find out what happened, rescue anybody who is alive.
COMMAND YOUR TEAM – OPERATE EQUIPMENT – FACE UNKNOWN HORRORS
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Control your team members directly or by giving orders. Accomplish your mission by coordinating different tasks. Explore the sub oceanic caves by using specialized equipment: grappling hooks, scanners, drones and heavy machinery are all part of your arsenal.  
Defend against horrific alien life forms and other, undiscovered horrors that lurk in the deep.
MULTIPLE GAME MODES – ALONE OR IN LOCAL CO-OP
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\-**Single-Player campaign** with hand-crafted levels.  
\-**Challenge Mode** for single and local co-op play where you can tackle various mission goals in randomized levels.
FEATURES
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*   **Rich dark sci-fi story.** The story pays tribute to 80's and 90's games and movie classics like Aliens, The Thing, and Half-Life.  
*   **Tons of tools to use** from grappling hooks and scanners to drones, weapons and heavy machinery.  
*   **Over 20 hours of gameplay** in story mode (will be completed within the game’s Early Access period).  
*   **Challenge mode** for even more adventures in the deep.  
*   **Local co-op and Remote Play co-op already available** (Online co-op will be introduced within the game’s Early Access period).

Release date: Jan 24, 2022

Categories: 2D Side-scrolling Shooter, Survival Horror, Puzzle Solving, Single-player Story, Cooperative Multiplayer, Exploration, Physics Simulation, Tools and Gadgets Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 0; verdict: Works flawlessly on Linux; summary: Based on the available review, the game works out of the box on Linux (Ubuntu) without any Proton tweaks, suggesting a native Linux build or excellent default compatibility.
- Steam Deck: score 85; verdict: Broken; summary: The game has severe stability issues with frequent crashes on Windows, though it runs natively on Linux without Proton. Controller support is incomplete and small text may impact readability on Steam Deck. Overall, the experience is broken due to crashes.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Players with less than 8GB VRAM on Windows report the game runs well, with no performance complaints in the provided snippets.
  - Sample size: 25 (3% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (positive, 14 reports): All provided reviews are recommended, indicating good performance on this hardware.
  - Caveats: 25 of 740 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $2.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews indicate the game is overpriced at full price and only worth purchasing at a deep discount. Specific price points show that $2 is considered fair for the value received, while $7 is viewed as too high. This suggests a fair base-game price range between $2 and $5, reflecting the community's valuation of the game's current content and quality.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 8.6h
  - Story completion: 8.6h
  - Session length: 0.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The 8.6 hours and 8 hours evidence consistently indicate that completing the current content of Hidden Deep (all levels or story) takes approximately 8-9 hours. The 30-minute session example suggests typical play sessions are around half an hour. No reliable evidence for endgame content hours was found; multiple reviews mention the game is unfinished and lacks post-story content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game offers an enjoyable start with tense exploration and unique tools, but after a few hours, repetition, bugs, and clunky mechanics cause enjoyment to drop for many players. Some never enjoy it due to early frustration like tutorial resets.
  - Stance: Mixed
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Full tutorial level reset on death; Multiplayer bugs causing desyncs and crashes; Repetitive enemy and map design after few hours; Clunky movement and grappling hook controls; No save progress in multiplayer; Unreasonable map layouts and pixel-perfect grappling hook requirements
  - Unlock drivers: Stable online co-op implementation; Additional co-op campaign missions; Bug fixes and checkpoint improvements; More enemy variety and map diversity; Improved AI for idle characters; Full co-op story mode
  - Conditions: Playing with friends; Tolerance for bugs and early access state; Patience for tutorial repetition; Interest in puzzle-heavy gameplay; Preference for slow-paced survival horror; Willingness to wait for updates; Acceptance of repetitive objectives; Low expectations for multiplayer reliability
- Player Archetypes:
  - Co-op Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Playing cooperatively with friends
    - Playstyle: Team-based puzzle solving and survival with friend groups
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Barotrauma
  - Solo Immersionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Immersive atmosphere and puzzle-solving
    - Playstyle: Methodical single-player with real-time team management
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Barotrauma
  - Frustrated Critic (no buy)
    - Motivation: Avoiding disappointment and wasted investment
    - Playstyle: Cautious consumer who waits for full release or deep discounts
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Supportive Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoying unique gameplay and supporting a solo developer
    - Playstyle: Forgiving explorative play with focus on fun physics and atmosphere
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Happy Wheels


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Tense horror atmosphere (weight 0.29): The atmosphere is highly praised, with tension, horror, sci-fi elements, and music creating an immersive experience similar to Alien franchise.
- Game is fun and addictive (weight 0.27): The game is frequently praised for being fun, engaging, and addictive. Reviewers describe it as enjoyable, interesting, and cool.
- Fun with friends multiplayer (weight 0.21): The game is considered much more enjoyable when played with friends, and multiplayer is a welcome feature despite some bugs.
- Good concept with potential (weight 0.18): The game has a good concept, interesting setting and atmosphere, and is seen as having strong potential.
- Nice overall gameplay (weight 0.15): Overall gameplay is nice and fun, leading to recommendations and overall enjoyment.
- Great game mechanics (weight 0.15): The mechanics are highlighted as fun, deep, unique, and well-designed. Players appreciate their complexity and learning curve.
- Grappling hook is excellent (weight 0.13): The grappling hook is consistently called the best part of the game, praised for its feel, cleverness, and usefulness.
- Engaging puzzles and mix (weight 0.12): Puzzles are engaging, logical, and combine well with platforming and shooting to create a diverse gameplay experience.
- Reminiscent of Barotrauma (weight 0.12): The game is often compared to Barotrauma for its realism and atmosphere but offers simpler mechanics and more exploration.
- Nostalgic for flash games (weight 0.06): The game evokes nostalgia for old flash games, which is appreciated by players.
- Varied and dangerous enemies (weight 0.06): Enemy variety is dangerous and surprising, adding to the challenge and excitement.
- Decent physics system (weight 0.05): The physics are described as decent or good, enhancing gameplay interactions.
- Co-op mode works well (weight 0.05): Co-op mode is praised and supports up to 4 players, adding to replayability.
- Good sound and visuals (weight 0.05): Sound design and visuals are well-crafted, improving the overall presentation.
- Plenty of enemies (weight 0.05): There are plenty of enemies for an early access game, keeping combat engaging.
- Runs on old hardware (weight 0.05): The game runs well on old hardware, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Common complaints:
- Multiplayer broken and unplayable (weight 0.48): The multiplayer and co-op modes are widely criticized as unstable, buggy, unplayable, and lacking promised features like full campaign co-op and four-player support. Many players report crashes, desyncs, and broken functionality.
- No updates, game abandoned (weight 0.4): Multiple reviews indicate the game has not received meaningful updates or developer communication for over a year, leading players to believe it is abandoned. This is the most frequent and impactful theme across all feedback.
- Missing co-op and content (weight 0.24): Players express disappointment over the lack of a full co-op campaign, limited multiplayer maps, absence of save functionality in multiplayer, and missing split-screen co-op for all missions.
- Clunky and frustrating controls (weight 0.14): The control scheme is frequently described as clunky, sluggish, and frustrating to learn, impacting the core gameplay experience.
- Not worth the price (weight 0.13): Many players feel the game does not deliver value for its price, even when discounted, due to its poor state and lack of content.
- Game is very buggy (weight 0.13): Players report a high number of bugs across the game, affecting general gameplay and enjoyment.
- Elevator bug breaks multiplayer (weight 0.09): A specific bug causes players to fall out of the map in the elevator during multiplayer, making them stuck and unable to continue.
- Scanner bug causes progress loss (weight 0.07): The scanner tool frequently malfunctions, forcing players to reset and potentially lose progress.
- Poor level design, backtracking (weight 0.07): Later levels are criticized for poor design, including excessive backtracking, which detracts from the experience.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.07): Gameplay becomes monotonous after extended play, lacking variety to keep players engaged.

Gameplay feedback:
- 2D side-scrolling horror (weight 0.32): The game is a 2D side-scrolling survival horror shooter set in dark, claustrophobic environments like abandoned mines and underwater caves.
- Horror and sci-fi atmosphere (weight 0.26): The game combines science fiction and horror elements with a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere inspired by The Thing, featuring dark caves and underground facilities.
- Puzzle-solving elements (weight 0.24): Puzzles are a core part of the gameplay, often requiring characters to be apart and involving puzzle exploration in a 2D horror setting.
- Monster and creature combat (weight 0.23): Players fight monsters, zombies, and creatures with weapons like pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles, including radioactive mutating flies and tapeworm enemies.
- Single player and multiplayer (weight 0.23): The game offers both single player and multiplayer modes, including co-op up to 4 players, local multiplayer, and a challenge mode.
- Grappling hook traversal (weight 0.22): The game features a grappling hook and zip line for traversal, used in each mission alongside other tools like a hook gun and rope.
- Physics-based mechanics (weight 0.22): Physics play a key role with weighty movement, fall damage, collision, and realistic physics for traversal and interaction.
- Cave and cavern exploration (weight 0.22): Exploration focuses on dark, narrow caves, underwater caverns, and mine depths, using hooks and climbing for traversal.
- Tools and gadgets variety (weight 0.21): Various tools like tracking ball, hook gun, rope, terra scanner, winches, drones, and industrial machines provide varied, physics-based gameplay.
- Comprehensive gameplay blend (weight 0.12): The game combines puzzling, platforming, shooting, and exploration with physics, tools, and horror elements for a varied experience.
- Weapon variety and feedback (weight 0.11): The game offers varied weapons like pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles, with a damage model providing feedback on weapon power.
- Level design and length (weight 0.11): Levels are designed with an average time of 30-45 minutes, featuring varied missions and large locations in a campaign with 17 missions.
- Early access and single developer (weight 0.11): The game is in early access and developed by a single developer, with linear content and planned future updates like mod support and Steam Workshop.
- Difficulty and progression (weight 0.1): Difficulty scales with locations and enemies, each level increases difficulty, and progression is based on mine depth and day-based cycles.
- Equipment and resource management (weight 0.1): Players must manage equipment and resources, with realistic movement restrictions and survival costs in a dangerous environment.
- Random level generation (weight 0.07): A random level generator is planned, with random maps and objectives to increase replayability.
- Limited enemy types (weight 0.05): Enemy types are limited, with same enemies across missions, though combat intensity is acceptable.

Performance notes:
- Frequent general crashes (weight 0.31): The game crashes repeatedly during normal play, including in singleplayer and co-op. Crashes occur as often as in an alpha build, and some players report crashes every few hours.
- Crashes on startup or restart (weight 0.14): The game fails to launch from the start or crashes upon restarting, preventing players from accessing the game at all. This includes execution failures and initialization errors.
- ACCESS_VIOLATION crashes (weight 0.11): Players encounter EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors when minimizing the game, on startup, or during specific actions like placing explosives. These crashes are a recurring technical issue.
- Audio and driver issues (weight 0.1): Some players encounter audio bugs requiring a reinstall or cannot initialize the audio driver, often linked to OpenAL. Blue screens may occur with other games.
- Progression loss due to crashes (weight 0.06): Crashes lead to loss of progress, though autosave helps somewhat in singleplayer. In co-op, saved progress may not persist, frustrating players.
- Smooth performance on Ubuntu (weight 0.05): Players running the game on Ubuntu without Proton report smooth frame rates and no control or OS bugs.
- Grappling hook related crashes (weight 0.05): Specific actions with the grappling hook, such as changing gravity, cause crashes.
- Long loading times (weight 0.03): The game has noticeably long loading times, around 20 seconds, which impacts the user experience.
- In-game settings not working (weight 0.03): The FPS cap and V-Sync options do not work as intended, limiting players' ability to customize performance settings.
- Map loading failures (weight 0.03): Players report issues with maps not loading correctly, causing the game to stall or crash.
- Experimental branch workaround (weight 0.03): An experimental branch may reduce crashes, but it is not a guaranteed fix for all players.
- Visual and texture bugs (weight 0.03): Bugs such as texture clipping occur, though they are reported less frequently than crashes.
- Performance issues possible (weight 0.03): Some players mention performance issues may arise, particularly on certain hardware configurations.
- Crashes on Windows 11 (weight 0.03): Frequent crashes occur specifically on Windows 11, suggesting possible compatibility issues.
- Lobby joining crashes (weight 0.03): The game crashes when attempting to join a lobby, hindering online play.
- Window switching crash (weight 0.03): Switching away from the game window and back causes a crash for some players.
- No crashes reported (weight 0.03): A small number of players report zero crashes during their gameplay experience.
- Scan ball explosion crash (weight 0.03): Using the scan ball explosion ability leads to a game crash.

Recommendations:
- Recommend overall (weight 0.55): Many reviewers recommend the game, especially when on sale or for fans of the genre. They praise the core gameplay and atmosphere.
- Do not buy (weight 0.46): Several reviewers strongly advise against purchasing the game, describing it as a scam, not worth the money, or a waste of time.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.32): Many reviewers recommend waiting for a sale or deep discount before purchasing, as the game is not worth the full price.
- Not worth full price (weight 0.31): Reviewers feel the game is overpriced for its content, suggesting it is only acceptable at a reduced price or not worth even the discounted cost.
- Multiplayer not recommended (weight 0.27): A significant number of reviews warn against buying the game for multiplayer, citing bugs, lack of fixes, and missing features like saves.
- Unfinished and abandoned (weight 0.2): Multiple reviewers mention the game feels unfinished, abandoned, or in early access for too long, advising against buying until the full release.
- Good for single player (weight 0.15): Some reviewers recommend the game as a single player experience, especially if played on sale or for the atmosphere.
- Co-op not recommended (weight 0.13): Reviewers advise avoiding the game for co-op play, citing poor implementation and bugs specific to cooperative mode.
- Not for everyone (weight 0.12): Some reviewers note the game is not suitable for all players, due to its difficulty, length, or specific niche appeal.
- Recommend with caveats (weight 0.1): Some reviewers recommend the game but with reservations, such as technical issues, repetitive gameplay, or the need for patience.
- Play Barotrauma instead (weight 0.1): A few reviewers suggest that Barotrauma is a better game in a similar style, recommending playing that instead.
- Wait for full release (weight 0.1): Multiple reviewers advise waiting for the full 1.0 release or for the developer to finish the game before buying.
- Support the developer (weight 0.09): A few reviewers encourage buying the game to support the solo developer, hoping for continued updates and improvements.
- Need more content (weight 0.09): Reviewers note the game lacks content, such as only two maps or limited levels, making it not entertaining for long play.
- Refunded the game (weight 0.09): Some reviewers refunded the game, often due to misleading co-op promises or technical issues.
- Buggy and frustrating (weight 0.09): Several reviews mention bugs, crashes, frustrating controls, and softlocks that ruin the experience.
- Best on deep discount (weight 0.07): A few reviewers emphasize buying only on a deep discount, and even then only for single player if the genre appeals.
- Great for horror fans (weight 0.07): A few reviews highlight the game's atmosphere, tension, and horror elements, recommending it to fans of the genre.
- Avoid if poor quality (weight 0.07): A few reviewers call the game a crooked imitation, trash work, or advise avoiding it at all costs.
- Good price for value (weight 0.05): A few reviewers feel the game is worth the low price (e.g., 7-8 euros) and offers a decent experience for the cost.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are overwhelmingly frustrated by a multitude of bugs, including crashes, elevator glitches, and rope mechanics that halt progress. The game's controls are widely criticized as clunky and painful, and the multiplayer mode is described as broken and unplayable due to constant desync and crashes. This is compounded by a perceived lack of developer support and slow, infrequent updates.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): The primary source of disappointment is the game's unfinished and abandoned state, with many players citing a lack of updates and broken promises of content, such as a full multiplayer experience. The short playtime, lack of replayability, and buggy co-op mode have left players feeling the game does not deliver on its initial potential or price point.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): When the game functions, players find enjoyment in the core gameplay loop, particularly the exploration of caves, the physics-based grappling hook, and the tense atmosphere. The co-op experience with friends, despite its flaws, is a significant source of fun, and players appreciate the game's unique concept and sound design.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Satisfaction is derived from the game's challenging and rewarding gameplay mechanics, such as the impactful shooting and mastering the tools. Players who experienced a stable single-player campaign with varied missions and a good atmosphere report a positive, worthwhile experience, often noting the game offers good value for the price.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement is felt towards the game's core mechanics, particularly the physics and grappling hook, and the anticipation of future content and updates. Players are also excited by the game's captivating atmosphere, which encourages them to play through the entire solo campaign in one sitting.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger stems from the game's unfair design, including instant-death spiders and poor hitboxes, compounded by severe bugs that can erase 30 hours of save progress. Players are also furious at the developer for what they perceive as abandonment of the game, leaving it broken and unplayable with no support.
- Anticipation (weight 0.03): Players are looking forward to future improvements, especially the full release of the game and the addition of more multiplayer maps and features like random level generation. Many express a willingness to replay the game once it is finished, indicating a belief in its potential.
- Desire (weight 0.02): Players most desire expanded multiplayer and co-op support, including more missions and the ability for four-player co-op. There is a strong wish for optimizations to make the multiplayer experience smoother and for features like mod support to increase replayability.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is centered on the developer continuing to update and polish the game, with many players believing it has great potential if properly developed. This is especially strong among those who see promise in the early access model and hope the game will mature into a more enjoyable experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance is caused by several specific gameplay issues, including a brain-dead NPC AI that cannot defend itself, annoying friendly fire in co-op, and enemy respawning. Other minor annoyances include janky aiming, an auto-aim feature that disrupts manual aim, and the need to rely on guides for basic functions.
- Love (weight 0.02): Despite its flaws, players express love for the game's deep mechanics, fantastic level design, and strong atmosphere. Some players loved the game so much that they feel a deep sense of loss regarding its abandoned and incomplete campaign state.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is triggered by the game's oldschool platform style and controls, which remind players of classic flash games from their childhood. The game's atmosphere also evokes strong memories of the anime 'Made in Abyss' and horror flash games, creating a powerful sentimental connection.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom results from the game's repetitive nature, with missions becoming too similar after around 10 hours and the story lacking depth. Players find the exploration segments too long and monotonous, making the game unreplayable despite its initial appeal.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement is found in the game's funny death animations and the absurdity of chaotic co-op moments, such as friends dying from electricity or massive falls. Players find humor in the contrast between the horror setting and the silly ways in which their characters die.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is directed at the solo developer for their effort, particularly for adding a co-op mode. Players also admire the game's beautiful atmosphere, sound design, and art style, as well as the interactive depth of the world.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Concern revolves around the game's future, with players worried it will vanish into obscurity without a Workshop and better multiplayer. The long period in early access (4 years) and the developer's focus on multiplayer over the main game are also cited as major concerns.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is expressed toward the poorly implemented underwater movement and the use of AI-generated art on loading screens. Overall, some players describe the game as a 'frozen piece of vomit' and a complete waste of money, even at a steep discount.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Positive surprise comes from the game exceeding low expectations, with players finding it to be a solid indie title despite its flaws. Conversely, players are negatively surprised by the 'To be continued' cliffhanger ending, which feels abrupt and unfinished.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stems from the unclear purpose of the game and why its greatest charm, co-op, is not fully available across all modes. Players also express confusion regarding the game's lore and story, which are poorly explained or absent.
- Fear (weight 0.01): Fear is primarily generated by the game's constant claustrophobic atmosphere and the feeling of being watched. Players feel extremely vulnerable while exploring, and the presence of life-force-absorbing monsters adds to the intense horror experience.}