The upcoming Submerged: Hidden Depths release on all platforms is exciting as it was previously a Google Stadia exclusive game. And being in Australia, I don’t know anyone who has used Stadia or played the game. Interestingly, Uppercut Games is a studio based in Canberra, Australia. Having the game on all platforms will be better as the game didn’t get much attention upon release, which says more about Stadia than it does about the game itself. 

From what I could gather from some solid Googling, Submerged: Hidden Depths is a sequel to the studios’ 2015 game, Submerged, and has the same characters but nothing to do with that game. Playing the first hour, I haven’t come across anything that makes me feel like I’m missing out by not playing the first game. 

Submerged: Hidden Depths is a relaxing game with no combat and little in the way of puzzles. It’s more akin to Journey as the sense of exploration and the journey make the game engaging. My first hour flew by because I was happy to chill-lax and pick up the games, many, many collectables, and explore the beautiful flooded world.

I haven’t grasped fully what’s happened in the world of Submerged. But it seems some force or disease has caused the end of life, with only the two siblings surviving, and now with nothing but a boat, looking to restore what they can. You do this by exploring locations like buildings and half-sunken malls, finding an orb using it to destroy the darkness surrounding that area. Slowly but surely looking to expel the disease from all reaches. 

Using a telescope and a map, your characters find new points of interest. There’s plenty to explore here, but it doesn’t feel overbearing and compared to the other thing I’ve been playing recently, Horizon Forbidden West, this is a much more contained world. 

I’ve played an hour of Submerged: Hidden Depths, and the relaxing gameplay paired with the music by Jeff Van Dyck had me lulling into my chair, happy to explore for even longer. I’m looking forward to diving back into the waters of Submerged, and you can look for our full review closer to the release on March 10th.