Submerged

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 32
  3. Negative: 9 out of 32
  1. Kill Screen
    Aug 26, 2015
    48
    Submerged is skeletal and unoiled. It is damned by competence: a short story that checks the boxes, but in doing so leaves no mark.
  2. Everyeye.it
    Aug 3, 2015
    48
    A forgettable experience. It wants to mimic Papo & Yo and Journey, but ends up being way less than the sum of its parts.
  3. IGN Italia
    Aug 17, 2015
    45
    Submerged is a poorly executed adventure game in which you have to climb to the top of a bunch of buildings emerging from a forgotten city swallowed by the ocean, looking for supplies for your wounded little brother.
  5. Edge Magazine
    Sep 15, 2015
    30
    A host of inchoate ideas served with a helping of self-importance, Submerged threatens to plumb the emotional depths, but there's little of value beneath its surface. [Oct 2015, p.121]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Gameblog.fr
    Aug 6, 2015
    30
    Submerged offers a charming atmosphere, but it suffers from repetitive gameplay, a limited world and... a lot of bugs. It was promising and we are finally disappointed.
  7. Shacknews
    Aug 5, 2015
    30
    The gameplay is boring, the landmarks and scenery are mediocre, and the story is almost nonexistent. Submerged is a rapidly sinking ship that never even left the harbor.
  8. We Got This Covered
    Aug 5, 2015
    30
    Sunk by lacklustre gameplay, cliched storytelling and technical hiccups, Submerged is one of the biggest missed opportunities in recent memory.
  9. TheSixthAxis
    Aug 4, 2015
    30
    As much as I wanted to fall in love with Submerged, it’s standing proof that a game needs more than good looks and a unique angle to win me over. With the ’emotional’ story-driven approach slowly receding from the frontline of gaming, I’m left craving fun and challenging experiences that have us do more than haplessly roam within the confines of a digital sandbox.
  10. The Digital Fix
    Aug 27, 2015
    20
    Submerged can only be described as a huge disappointment that squandered its potential thanks to some terrible design decisions and being let out the door far too early.
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Dec 8, 2015
    Submerged doesn’t want to see you fail, but it doesn’t trust you to succeed without its help, either. It bears repeating: Children aren’t morons. Submerged knows this, but it still treats its players like they’re just kids.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 39
  3. Negative: 13 out of 39
  1. Skirmish
    Aug 5, 2015
    10
    This game is a real gem. My kids found this on PSN and convinced me to download it. After watching my daughter sail around the overgrownThis game is a real gem. My kids found this on PSN and convinced me to download it. After watching my daughter sail around the overgrown urban decay I started playing it myself. Submerged is truly beautiful. Visually of course, but I am finding the combination of the music and the way the story is delivered is really touching.

    I have grown a bit tired of brown hued wastelands. Don't get me wrong, I have been a fan of the Fallout series since the beginning and I find post-apocalyptic worlds really compelling. But Submerged's lush green world, full of life, offers a refreshing alternative.

    I am finding this to be an intriguing experience so far with mystery, and maybe menace, lying behind what seems like tranquility. This game now sits along side Journey as an example for my non-gaming friends of what games can strive for.    … Full Review »
  2. Thirdrail
    Aug 4, 2015
    5
    The basic idea of Submerged is great, especially the combat-free part, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. For starters, it's a $10The basic idea of Submerged is great, especially the combat-free part, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. For starters, it's a $10 game that costs $20. After the first ten minutes of play, you've done and seen the vast majority of everything the game will ever show you or have you do. I don't just mean the wall climbing and boat steering (the game's two main/only activities), I mean everything. Every model. Every texture. Every corroded sea creature. It's just so little actual content. There is one kind of wall to climb. There is one kind of flowered vine to climb. The ledge, the game's real star, comes in two varieties - kind of worn and very worn. Everything is the same colour. Every half submerged building looks like every other half submerged building. None of the animals are very inspired or imaginative, though there are eight total. Or maybe I'm the weirdo, for not getting more excited about seeing a virtual pelican. You know what, I take it back, this isn't a $10 game masquerading as a $20 game, it's an $8 game, masquerading as a $20 game. And not a particularly good one. If you do find yourself curious, despite the many available warnings, I would strongly suggest you wait for Submerged to be half the price it should have launched at in the first place, which would be $4.… Full Review »
  3. mfk04
    Aug 27, 2016
    7
    With an interesting premise, Submerged delivers a beautiful post apocalyptic world with a subtle but intriguing story. But its repetitiveWith an interesting premise, Submerged delivers a beautiful post apocalyptic world with a subtle but intriguing story. But its repetitive minute to minute gameplay makes it hard to go through it.
    Not that I don't like simple, artistic, story focused games, but the constant loop of climbing a building, opening a package and watching a short cutscene (with the same music every time) gets tedious over time.
    I don't say I wouldn't recommend it but if you want to try it, go with measured expectations.    … Full Review »
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