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"The Jet Gamer" Game Review: Song of the Deep
9 years ago
It’s a PS4 Game!?
Song of the Deep
Well then, you guys haven’t seen me review a PS4 game in quite some time. It’s not like I’ve been eager to get a ton of new ones either, but I picked this one up for two main reasons. First is that it is pretty cheap, and second is that Gamestop did publish the game, and since I do work there, I figured I should at least try the game out as well. Just because I’m a Gamestop employee, don’t expect me to go easy on this game just because they helped with the game. Let’s see if this PS4 game is worth it, especially for the cheap price tag it is at shall we?
Gameplay
The basic gameplay of Song of the Deep is that this game plays sort of like that metroidvania style of gameplay. Basically you explore a large complex labyrinth of a world where you solve puzzles and collect items that you can use to gain access to new areas of the world, which lead to other items to further progress in the world. That’s the kind of style this game offers. You are in a small submarine under the ocean as you explore caverns, caves and graveyards under the sea, as well as a lost civilizations city that is found under there as well. You roam these areas in this little sub solving puzzles that lead to various items that help power up your sub. These can range from a claw that helps you attack enemies, a small engine that helps make you faster for small amounts of time, and even many different types of torpedo’s for stronger attacks and for getting through certain barriers. Unlike metroid and castlevania though, this game is more focused on the puzzles overall than combat in general. While combat is a part of the game, the puzzle and exploration elements far outweigh the combat elements of this game. The puzzle and exploration aspect is very nice and fits in well with this game, the lack of combat does show as you get further into the game. While there is an okay amount of enemy variety, you do start to see palette swaps after a while of some of the more common enemies, and another downside is that there is a grand total of two bosses in the game. You don’t even really attack them either. You solve a small puzzle and pull things to defeat them. Yeah, so if you are looking for some interesting combat, you aren’t likely going to find it here. While it is a bit of a bummer that combat isn’t focused on as you might expect with a game like this, the puzzles that the game offer are tricky at times and plentiful. The game is more about the environment and exploring and such over how many enemies are we out to kill today after all. While it may sound simple, that is the bulk of the gameplay of the game. You are just exploring, which slowly reveals the large map, you solve puzzles and collect equipment, you find some enemies, and you repeat. It is simple, but it is effective. There may not be a large variety of things you do, but the puzzles offer quite the variety. Many of them involve you just needing a new upgrade to get past some barrier later in the game, but there can be some pretty complex puzzles thrown in there as well. For example, there is one part of the game where you have various colored lasers that you need to get to hit certain points to open doors for you to progress. You do this by reflecting the color beams either with a knife you find later, or by moving panels to make the light reflect into various directions to hit the switches. Yeah, that’s actually quite the complex puzzle and not something I could see a little kid figuring out at first glance. While some people may look at this game and think it is a bit kiddy, the stuff the game isn’t something I can see little kids figure out. For those that like a good puzzle game or an exploration game, they are going to enjoy the gameplay of this game quite a bit. If you are expecting something heavily combat based though, you are going to be disappointed for sure.
Story
The story of Song of the Deep involves a little girl named Merryn who has built a small submarine to explore under the ocean after her father, a fisherman, goes missing one day. Merryn’s father had just one day not returned, and she figured, after hearing many stories as she grew up, that if something happened to his ship and that he was under the sea, that there could be a possible chance that he could still be alive down there. As Merryn starts to explore under the ocean, many of the stories that her father has told her slowly start to look like that they might actually have merit to them and that they may not all be stories. This is especially the case when she very quickly starts to find remnants of an ancient underwater creature civilization under the sea. I’m not going to spoil the entire game’s story, but it is a neat little story that the game has going along with it. The main characters of the game don’t actually talk at all. The entire game is told from the prospective of a narrator that is explaining the characters thoughts and sights as she is exploring the sea. It explains the stories progression, and what things are going on around Merryn. Pretty much, the story is told in the format of a story book where a narrator is telling the story to a group of people instead of the people in the game actually telling the story themselves. It’s a neat little concept to go for that kids story book feel. While I don’t think this game may be able to be figured out by little kids, this seems like a game you play with kids or have them watch an older person play. You get a nice little story told as you playing this puzzle and exploration game. Sure, I wish it was a little more in-depth and that there was a bit more to the story, as it is a bit predictable as to what is going to happen, but is a neat little story for what it is worth after all.
Graphics
The graphics of this game are actually quite neat for a 2.5D game. As with the story, the game has this sort of story book feel where things yes are a bit on the cartoony side, but it is in that bright way where things look not only good for a cartoony like setting, but is also has the detailed likeness where things in the game look very detailed and well designed. Under the sea looks very believable in many areas as too areas you might actually see under the sea, such as ship graveyards, areas full of fish and sea plants, and need depths that just go down down and down into the dark depths. There are also plenty of unrealistic areas of course, seeing as this game does focus on a lost sea civilization and there are twisty maze like caves with contraptions and puzzles all over the place under the water. Yeah, those things would never happen, but seeing as this is like a story book as well, you can imagine that there could be this story of stuff under the sea, and the narrators descriptions actually spell out the things you are seeing in the game rather well. I didn’t see too much wrong with the design of this game at all. When you think of how cheap this game is, they did a great job and it really doesn’t look like a budget title at all. I mean sure, if you are expecting something super realistic and all, you aren’t going to get that, but for what this game is worth, a nicely detailed, cartoony game under the sea, it hits the mark pretty well I would say. It is definitely something pretty to look at in my opinion.
Sound
The sound of this came is completely original and offers a very very soft and calming experience when it comes to the music this game offers. So often, the music is soft humming from people or just that soft kind of singing where you are just singing notes, not words, and doing it in this very low and soft tone through a lot of the game. It is meant to be calm as the ocean so often is supposed to be a quiet and calm place. The game does a good job of that, and some areas are for sure better than others. Really, I wish there was a bit more music, as honestly, as neat as it is that the music has this soft, calming feeling about it, it can sometimes be a bit too calming and soft that you barely even notice that it is there. I know you want to go for that calming sort of feel, but you want to at least notice the music more than in just bits and pieces. When you do it is, it is so nice. If you wanted a soundtrack that was all about relaxation, then you got that here. The narrator though does a wonderful job at her job. She is so descriptive and has the little kid story narrator voice as someone is telling a kids story. She does it though in a way that doesn’t sound over the top lovey dovey like say the narrator from Kirby’s epic yarn, where he goes over the top and does that super cutesy talk and you just feel like he is talking kiddy to you. This narrator tells the story as if you are really just hearing someone read from a book, just with some good soft emotion from her. I do have to say, she gets an A on her effort and would make a pretty decent book narrator for sure.
Control
This game controls pretty well, as the submarine you are controlling does move generally in the directions you want, and you do attack when you want as well. While the sub goes where you want it to most of the time, seeing as this game is based on being under the sea, underwater momentum is a thing you will run across quite often. When you let go of the stick, you will keep going in certain directions, and when you try and make turns, you have that very floaty feeling and it does take time to turn or change directions. Attacking enemies is also just alright. It isn’t broken by any means, but there are times you need to pay attention where your sub is facing, as that is usually where your attack arm and torpedo’s are going to head and attack. If you aren’t facing the right way or you haven’t turned fully yet, it is easy to miss your target. This isn’t always the case of course, and honestly, once you get more used to the submarine controls and sort of get the feel of the floatiness that comes with being under the water like this, you will start hitting your marks quite often. Of course, you sort of want smoother controls, but I get what they are going for her. You almost expect these kinds of controls in under water levels in games. Since this game is entirely under water, the controls are like that though most of the game. As long as you can get used to the controls being floaty, you will be alright. If you can’t though, you are going to be bugged through the entire game.
Replay Value
The replay value of this game doesn’t come from the story by any means. Once you are done with the game, you are going to get a similar experience every time you play it. The replay value once again comes from the collectathon like stuff that this game offers the player. This is one of those games though where the collecting for the most part is still optional, so people that just want a one play through of the game and want to get through it as fast as possible, they can do that. If you want to beat the game getting as few things as possible, you can. However, if you want to try and get every single item in the game, you are going to be exploring for quite some time. You are going to have to reveal most of the map and also figure out how to unlock the various items and treasures that are spread all throughout the entire game. As I said, this is like a collectathon kind of game. If you enjoy finding all the hidden items in a game and having to work for quite a while to find them all, then you are going to get many many more hours out of this game, than someone that just wants to play the game for just the story. That is a bit of a downside though in a way. While collectathons in games do add replay value, they only add it for the people that enjoy collecting all the items in a game. If you aren’t one of those people that most get all the items, then this game isn’t for you. I still have to give the game props for having inventive ideas on how many items there are hidden and how if you do want them all, you are going to have to think and explore quite a bit. Some of that replay value is artificial in a way yes, but it is still there for the people that enjoy that kind of gameplay, then you will enjoy this and be at the collectathon for many hours.
Overall, I have to say I’m impressed with Song of the Deep and what it has to offer for the cheap fifteen dollar price tag. A 2.5D exploration, metroidvania like game for a cheap price tag that has great visuals, and a neat little story book like story, is a game that you don’t see that often for these days, at least not from a main developer. You see these kinds of games from indies all the time in the digital realm, but this is a physical game done by a main developer. For those that enjoy these 2.5D games and have even heard of the collectathon games or the metroidvania genres, they would be the audience that would want to give this game a try. If you are one of those people that graphics is everything and you must have the most realistic looking game out there, this is for sure not the game that is for you. While this game does lack a bit in variety and the controls are a bit floaty due to the water physics, overall, this game delivers and is for sure worth a try for the fifteen dollar price tag that sits on it. I’m honestly surprised it sells for this cheap right off the bat. Shovel Knight was ten dollars more than this right at launch, and this game starts at fifteen. Definitely a bargain and a game that people that enjoy the older school kinds of games would enjoy. I say check it out if you get a chance.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Song of the Deep an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Control: 7
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8
Song of the Deep
Well then, you guys haven’t seen me review a PS4 game in quite some time. It’s not like I’ve been eager to get a ton of new ones either, but I picked this one up for two main reasons. First is that it is pretty cheap, and second is that Gamestop did publish the game, and since I do work there, I figured I should at least try the game out as well. Just because I’m a Gamestop employee, don’t expect me to go easy on this game just because they helped with the game. Let’s see if this PS4 game is worth it, especially for the cheap price tag it is at shall we?
Gameplay
The basic gameplay of Song of the Deep is that this game plays sort of like that metroidvania style of gameplay. Basically you explore a large complex labyrinth of a world where you solve puzzles and collect items that you can use to gain access to new areas of the world, which lead to other items to further progress in the world. That’s the kind of style this game offers. You are in a small submarine under the ocean as you explore caverns, caves and graveyards under the sea, as well as a lost civilizations city that is found under there as well. You roam these areas in this little sub solving puzzles that lead to various items that help power up your sub. These can range from a claw that helps you attack enemies, a small engine that helps make you faster for small amounts of time, and even many different types of torpedo’s for stronger attacks and for getting through certain barriers. Unlike metroid and castlevania though, this game is more focused on the puzzles overall than combat in general. While combat is a part of the game, the puzzle and exploration elements far outweigh the combat elements of this game. The puzzle and exploration aspect is very nice and fits in well with this game, the lack of combat does show as you get further into the game. While there is an okay amount of enemy variety, you do start to see palette swaps after a while of some of the more common enemies, and another downside is that there is a grand total of two bosses in the game. You don’t even really attack them either. You solve a small puzzle and pull things to defeat them. Yeah, so if you are looking for some interesting combat, you aren’t likely going to find it here. While it is a bit of a bummer that combat isn’t focused on as you might expect with a game like this, the puzzles that the game offer are tricky at times and plentiful. The game is more about the environment and exploring and such over how many enemies are we out to kill today after all. While it may sound simple, that is the bulk of the gameplay of the game. You are just exploring, which slowly reveals the large map, you solve puzzles and collect equipment, you find some enemies, and you repeat. It is simple, but it is effective. There may not be a large variety of things you do, but the puzzles offer quite the variety. Many of them involve you just needing a new upgrade to get past some barrier later in the game, but there can be some pretty complex puzzles thrown in there as well. For example, there is one part of the game where you have various colored lasers that you need to get to hit certain points to open doors for you to progress. You do this by reflecting the color beams either with a knife you find later, or by moving panels to make the light reflect into various directions to hit the switches. Yeah, that’s actually quite the complex puzzle and not something I could see a little kid figuring out at first glance. While some people may look at this game and think it is a bit kiddy, the stuff the game isn’t something I can see little kids figure out. For those that like a good puzzle game or an exploration game, they are going to enjoy the gameplay of this game quite a bit. If you are expecting something heavily combat based though, you are going to be disappointed for sure.
Story
The story of Song of the Deep involves a little girl named Merryn who has built a small submarine to explore under the ocean after her father, a fisherman, goes missing one day. Merryn’s father had just one day not returned, and she figured, after hearing many stories as she grew up, that if something happened to his ship and that he was under the sea, that there could be a possible chance that he could still be alive down there. As Merryn starts to explore under the ocean, many of the stories that her father has told her slowly start to look like that they might actually have merit to them and that they may not all be stories. This is especially the case when she very quickly starts to find remnants of an ancient underwater creature civilization under the sea. I’m not going to spoil the entire game’s story, but it is a neat little story that the game has going along with it. The main characters of the game don’t actually talk at all. The entire game is told from the prospective of a narrator that is explaining the characters thoughts and sights as she is exploring the sea. It explains the stories progression, and what things are going on around Merryn. Pretty much, the story is told in the format of a story book where a narrator is telling the story to a group of people instead of the people in the game actually telling the story themselves. It’s a neat little concept to go for that kids story book feel. While I don’t think this game may be able to be figured out by little kids, this seems like a game you play with kids or have them watch an older person play. You get a nice little story told as you playing this puzzle and exploration game. Sure, I wish it was a little more in-depth and that there was a bit more to the story, as it is a bit predictable as to what is going to happen, but is a neat little story for what it is worth after all.
Graphics
The graphics of this game are actually quite neat for a 2.5D game. As with the story, the game has this sort of story book feel where things yes are a bit on the cartoony side, but it is in that bright way where things look not only good for a cartoony like setting, but is also has the detailed likeness where things in the game look very detailed and well designed. Under the sea looks very believable in many areas as too areas you might actually see under the sea, such as ship graveyards, areas full of fish and sea plants, and need depths that just go down down and down into the dark depths. There are also plenty of unrealistic areas of course, seeing as this game does focus on a lost sea civilization and there are twisty maze like caves with contraptions and puzzles all over the place under the water. Yeah, those things would never happen, but seeing as this is like a story book as well, you can imagine that there could be this story of stuff under the sea, and the narrators descriptions actually spell out the things you are seeing in the game rather well. I didn’t see too much wrong with the design of this game at all. When you think of how cheap this game is, they did a great job and it really doesn’t look like a budget title at all. I mean sure, if you are expecting something super realistic and all, you aren’t going to get that, but for what this game is worth, a nicely detailed, cartoony game under the sea, it hits the mark pretty well I would say. It is definitely something pretty to look at in my opinion.
Sound
The sound of this came is completely original and offers a very very soft and calming experience when it comes to the music this game offers. So often, the music is soft humming from people or just that soft kind of singing where you are just singing notes, not words, and doing it in this very low and soft tone through a lot of the game. It is meant to be calm as the ocean so often is supposed to be a quiet and calm place. The game does a good job of that, and some areas are for sure better than others. Really, I wish there was a bit more music, as honestly, as neat as it is that the music has this soft, calming feeling about it, it can sometimes be a bit too calming and soft that you barely even notice that it is there. I know you want to go for that calming sort of feel, but you want to at least notice the music more than in just bits and pieces. When you do it is, it is so nice. If you wanted a soundtrack that was all about relaxation, then you got that here. The narrator though does a wonderful job at her job. She is so descriptive and has the little kid story narrator voice as someone is telling a kids story. She does it though in a way that doesn’t sound over the top lovey dovey like say the narrator from Kirby’s epic yarn, where he goes over the top and does that super cutesy talk and you just feel like he is talking kiddy to you. This narrator tells the story as if you are really just hearing someone read from a book, just with some good soft emotion from her. I do have to say, she gets an A on her effort and would make a pretty decent book narrator for sure.
Control
This game controls pretty well, as the submarine you are controlling does move generally in the directions you want, and you do attack when you want as well. While the sub goes where you want it to most of the time, seeing as this game is based on being under the sea, underwater momentum is a thing you will run across quite often. When you let go of the stick, you will keep going in certain directions, and when you try and make turns, you have that very floaty feeling and it does take time to turn or change directions. Attacking enemies is also just alright. It isn’t broken by any means, but there are times you need to pay attention where your sub is facing, as that is usually where your attack arm and torpedo’s are going to head and attack. If you aren’t facing the right way or you haven’t turned fully yet, it is easy to miss your target. This isn’t always the case of course, and honestly, once you get more used to the submarine controls and sort of get the feel of the floatiness that comes with being under the water like this, you will start hitting your marks quite often. Of course, you sort of want smoother controls, but I get what they are going for her. You almost expect these kinds of controls in under water levels in games. Since this game is entirely under water, the controls are like that though most of the game. As long as you can get used to the controls being floaty, you will be alright. If you can’t though, you are going to be bugged through the entire game.
Replay Value
The replay value of this game doesn’t come from the story by any means. Once you are done with the game, you are going to get a similar experience every time you play it. The replay value once again comes from the collectathon like stuff that this game offers the player. This is one of those games though where the collecting for the most part is still optional, so people that just want a one play through of the game and want to get through it as fast as possible, they can do that. If you want to beat the game getting as few things as possible, you can. However, if you want to try and get every single item in the game, you are going to be exploring for quite some time. You are going to have to reveal most of the map and also figure out how to unlock the various items and treasures that are spread all throughout the entire game. As I said, this is like a collectathon kind of game. If you enjoy finding all the hidden items in a game and having to work for quite a while to find them all, then you are going to get many many more hours out of this game, than someone that just wants to play the game for just the story. That is a bit of a downside though in a way. While collectathons in games do add replay value, they only add it for the people that enjoy collecting all the items in a game. If you aren’t one of those people that most get all the items, then this game isn’t for you. I still have to give the game props for having inventive ideas on how many items there are hidden and how if you do want them all, you are going to have to think and explore quite a bit. Some of that replay value is artificial in a way yes, but it is still there for the people that enjoy that kind of gameplay, then you will enjoy this and be at the collectathon for many hours.
Overall, I have to say I’m impressed with Song of the Deep and what it has to offer for the cheap fifteen dollar price tag. A 2.5D exploration, metroidvania like game for a cheap price tag that has great visuals, and a neat little story book like story, is a game that you don’t see that often for these days, at least not from a main developer. You see these kinds of games from indies all the time in the digital realm, but this is a physical game done by a main developer. For those that enjoy these 2.5D games and have even heard of the collectathon games or the metroidvania genres, they would be the audience that would want to give this game a try. If you are one of those people that graphics is everything and you must have the most realistic looking game out there, this is for sure not the game that is for you. While this game does lack a bit in variety and the controls are a bit floaty due to the water physics, overall, this game delivers and is for sure worth a try for the fifteen dollar price tag that sits on it. I’m honestly surprised it sells for this cheap right off the bat. Shovel Knight was ten dollars more than this right at launch, and this game starts at fifteen. Definitely a bargain and a game that people that enjoy the older school kinds of games would enjoy. I say check it out if you get a chance.
Overall, in my opinion at least, I give Song of the Deep an eight out of ten.
Gameplay: 7
Story: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Control: 7
Replay Value: 8
Overall: 8
