NEWS
by Ewan Wilson
Depth and Subnautica: Fish-hooked gaming
Underwater games have been appreciably terrible for the most part. Those that skirt the watery surface often find success, but capturing the depth below can be technically difficult. Developer Digital Confectioners Jaws-inspired Depth looks to remedy this with its asymmetric multiplayer game. Set deep below in an aquatic abyss, divers are tasked with finding treasure whilst teaming up to fight off a ferocious player-controlled shark.
The underwater environment introduces a unique atmosphere: suspense, claustrophobia. Add to that the adrenaline rush of desperately fighting off a Great White with a single-shot harpoon gun, and you’ll hopefully have something special. You can check out the trailer for Depth, voiced by none other than Tony Montana, below.
So that was the end of this year’s underwater news coverage… no wait, unfathomably, there’s additional watery goodness. Unknown Worlds, developer of one of the greatest asymmetric multiplayer games – Natural Selection – has been working on its new game, Subnautica. An open-world exploration and construction game, it’s aquatic world appears far more tranquil and alien, although no less suspenseful or atmospheric. Unknown Worlds has released a short, pre-alpha demonstration of its engine and water physics.
As the water level rises, there is less and less room to hide, and to breath. Perhaps if a submarine is not repaired fast enough, it will sink – And all the hard work that has gone into customising it, all the equipment stored on board, and even your life could be lost.
I’m not entirely sure what kind of experience to expect from the finished Subnautica, but it seems clear that a slowly flooding submarine is only a different kind of horror.