Submerged: Hidden Depths

[i]'Is it alright to make a review just to show off your screenshots?'[/i] Much like the original, Submerge, this game follows the same formula where you are rowing your boat around an overflooded, once civilised city that natural and mutated animals now conquer. This time, instead of climbing onto buildings to collect medical kits, you are now trying to cure different places infected with a mysterious machinery by disconnecting and then putting a plant ball back where it belongs to restore the location. Not only is there collectable across the map with different pieces that tell you a story, like where did the machinery come from? There are also others that, if you collect enough, you will unlock different customisations for things like the boat and a character's hairstyle. If you didn't know, the characters are more cartoony in appearance in this version. At first I thought the original art style was better, but then I re-checked and....yay this one is such an improvement. The characters are more expressive and dynamic with their emotions, which is important considering there's no familiar dialect in this game, but you can tell enough what's going on. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412639797 Playing this game, you will find opportunities to take different pictures, you can't help yourself because of how imaginably gorgeous it is. Everything down to the weather pattern change, the lighting, effects and colours. All of that with some wildlife, different marine and some iconic places, buildings, some non-fictional and some fictional? Like the Eiffel Tower? How did that get there? I've taken so many screenshots, I counted 184 screenshots, not as many this time by 24 (yes, I counted). I did make sure to be conservative with the storage space because you never know, but if I could take more, I would take a shot every minute. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3413907860 After finishing the game, I was surprised by how short it is. The same length as Submerged, so about 4 hours long, but there are many collectables tied to achievements to be found, so I have no issue continuing playing through this game more. It's all optional and relaxing to row around the city, admiring anything you can see if you wish to do so. This game is almost perfect if only the animals look more.... what the word? Transfigure? A bit picky, I admit, but I'm not gonna lie, part of me before was hoping we get a different type of never-seen animals or animals that were extinct and then suddenly return because there's no humans and all. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3412533316 Another nitpick I have is the brother, Taku's, gameplay segment. I was hoping his would be different from his sister, Miku, having some hardcore platforming sections, but it is just the same as hers. No matter, I will still cherish this game for the beautifully made exploration experience and the journey of escaping from the real world to clear my mind in this wonderful world. The last message I want to send this off is. [b]What a game to remember. [/b] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3413905951

Submerged: Hidden Depths is, like the previous game, a relaxing open world exploration game set in a flooded city. The movement is smoother than the first game and there are more details in the world. They have added more collectibles like different boats, hair styles and creatures. The game is great to play to relax. You can't die, you can't lose. You just drive around on a boat and climb up ruined buildings to collect things. It's a nice change of pace compared to a lot of games that are fast paced and constant action. The only negative is sometimes the game will stutter when you're on the boat. Going by posts in the forum, It seems to be a very common issue that everyone has and is caused because the game runs on Unreal Engine. It isn't game breaking but it is annoying when it happens.

The sound makes it really immersive