If Insomniac's Song of the Deep
was a children's book or a graphic novel, I would have no problem
singing its praises to anyone of any age. Its captivating portrayal of a
young girl's undersea adventure not only looks and sounds beautiful, it
also tells a story that sparkles with all the wonder, danger, and
timelessness of a classic fable. But Song of the Deep is not a book.
Rather, it's a relatively uninventive Metroidvania-style
action-adventure title whose gameplay turns tedious and frustrating a
little too often to forgive. If you're willing to weather the storm,
however, Song of the Deep still delivers moments of fun and, more
importantly, an entrancing, well-crafted story.
The
setup is simple and sweet: when her father fails to return from his
latest fishing expedition, the young, resourceful Merryn cobbles
together a ramshackle submarine and goes looking for him. Beneath the
waves, she finds a spellbinding world full of sunken ships, hidden
treasure, hideous monsters, and mysterious cities. The colorful,
imaginative backdrops play perfectly on the pirate tales we loved as
kids, evoking a sense of wonder that anyone can connect with. The music
too is subtle but evocative, shifting from awe and tranquility to danger
and dread as the tension starts to mount.
The
story itself is well-written. Like a Pixar film, it never condescends
to its audience with watered-down exposition or moronic humor. Instead,
it carefully and clearly builds a world, expertly introducing important
elements early before bringing them back just in time to save the day
later on. As you play, you'll receive little bursts of narration that
feel like you flipped the page of a storybook. These moments are not
only smartly paced, they also offer context and insight without simply
explaining what's happening like some distant radio partner dumping
exposition in your ear. Ultimately, Song of the Deep provides a rare and
welcome example of exceptional interactive storytelling.
Unfortunately,
the game's mechanics don't deserve quite that much praise. You'll spend
most of your time exploring the 2D world in Merryn's sub with only
limited direction, carefully maneuvering through treacherous areas while
gradually gathering upgrades. Once bolted on, these upgrades allow her
to smash different types of barriers and enter previously inaccessible
areas--you know, classic Metroidvania stuff. For the most part,
exploration proves enjoyable, but the puzzles you encounter along the
way--especially those that reward you optional upgrades and
currency--tend to sink the experience.
Most
have an obvious solution but still require a great deal of patience to
complete. You might need to, say, grab a sea mine with Merryn's finicky
tethered claw and use it to explode a reinforced door. One glance at the
scenario and you know, "Okay: mine, door--got it," but dragging the
uncooperative mine to that door without bumping something and
prematurely detonating the device might make you pull your hair out.
And
that's just one example. Several repeated puzzle types are
frustratingly time-consuming or worse, boring. You'll inevitably spend
tons of time waiting: waiting for the searchlight to pass, waiting for
the mine to respawn, waiting for your boost to recharge, waiting for an
ocean current to stop. Later puzzles involving reflected beams of light
can be even more infuriating simply because they're so damn protracted.
In fairness, the puzzles do grow more inventive once you acquire later
upgrades. Being able to float a bomb by blasting it with ice or flip a
switch through a wall using a sonar pulse, for example, opens up some
creative possibilities. I even uncovered a couple delightful "A-ha!"
moments, like tricking a school of fish into eating the kelp encasing a
chest.
In between puzzles, there's always a chance
you'll be attacked by some especially nefarious sea life. Thankfully,
Song of the Deep comes prepared with simplistic but generally enjoyable
combat mechanics. Though you can defeat enemies by smashing them with
Merryn's claw or shooting them with various types of missiles, the
controls utilize only a single stick, meaning you must always move and
aim in the same direction. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it does
underscore the simplistic nature of the mechanics.
You
can dodge attacks and repel enemies with your sonar once you find the
requisite upgrades, and darting around blasting loads of deadly
jellyfish does feel empowering. But the generous health and energy
levels usually allow you to just pummel your attackers without much need
for deeper strategy. Even "boss battles" mainly recycle the same basic,
repetitive enemies. The only real challenge comes from elluding the
invincible death squids that populate a specific part of the world.
Being repeatedly one-hit killed and forced to restart from a distant
spawn point is the scientific opposite of fun.
Still, Song of the
Deep's mix of combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration generally lands
somewhere around "fine," even if it waivers between aggravating and
enjoyable in the process. And although the game tests your patience more
often than your skill, its engrossing world and excellent story keep
the experience afloat through it all.