Song of the Deep

 Xbox One
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 5 out of 29
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  1. RetroDan90
    Aug 10, 2016
    8
    Song of the deep is a good game that just falls short of greatness.

    For fans of the metroidvania genre this game will give you a quick fix. The story is very strong and told well through a beautiful narrative. It's intriguing and original, constantly willing you to play that little long. To further this games strengths one glace wil tell you this is a stunning game. The undersea    Song of the deep is a good game that just falls short of greatness.

    For fans of the metroidvania genre this game will give you a quick fix. The story is very strong and told well through a beautiful narrative. It's intriguing and original, constantly willing you to play that little long.

    To further this games strengths one glace wil tell you this is a stunning game. The undersea world is a gripping expanse and you want to explore.

    Unfortunately it is in it's exploration and gameplay that this game shows it's weakness. The submarine gameplay occasionally boarders on being a tad loose. Controlling Merryn does feel somewhat better and insomniac does deserve credit for creating that differential between the sub and Merryn.

    The biggest letdown in gameplay for me is in the combat, it often feels like you are penned in to using the same attacks when facing enemies, and while this might be a reflection of my ability I did find changing attack during combat cumbersome. On top of this the upgrades do not offer the variety or improvements that you want and often just feel purposely placed to allow story progression.

    In closing xbox players were spoilt with the fantastic Ori And The Blind Forest and while Song Of The Deep can't match that level of greatness there's enough here to enjoy and make Song Of The Deep more than worth a play through. I also think Insomniac deserve massive praise for breaking from their norm and offering a stand out story and visual delight. So while the gameplay may leave you wanting, the story and graphics will leave you in awe.    … Expand
  2. adamhorton
    Jan 29, 2017
    9
    How can a game this beautiful and fun have a 6.6 critic score? This game is amazing. This should be in the upper 8s at least. I would give it a 9.5 if I could. It's not a 10 (that score is reserved for a handful of games only), but it's very, very good.
  3. richp
    Apr 24, 2017
    4
    Lovely to look at but spoilt entirely by horrible controls and unnecessarily awkward combat sections. A real missed opportunity as the exploration, voiceover and vibe of the game are all very well done but it's just not any fun :(
  4. Rysingzombie
    Jul 19, 2016
    9
    Picked this little gem of a game up the other day because I love Insomniac Games and wanted to support Game Stop's first publishing effort! As a big fan of metrovidian games like Castlevania, Super Metroid, Guacamelee etc....I was eager to try it out and boy am I glad that I did so. Song of the Deep has an intriguing story, a haunting and beautiful soundtrack, and gorgeous graphics. ItPicked this little gem of a game up the other day because I love Insomniac Games and wanted to support Game Stop's first publishing effort! As a big fan of metrovidian games like Castlevania, Super Metroid, Guacamelee etc....I was eager to try it out and boy am I glad that I did so. Song of the Deep has an intriguing story, a haunting and beautiful soundtrack, and gorgeous graphics. It also is such a breath of fresh air to play a video game that isn't a first person shooter or a 3rd person action/adventure title. So fun maneuvering the submarine underwater and I have enjoyed upgrading my sub to uncover new locations! For $15 this title is a must buy for fans of unique games.… Expand
  5. DioOmicida
    Jul 27, 2016
    9
    I wasn't expecting as much as Insomniac delivered with this title.
    The music perfectly matches every tone in each location and battle.
    The story is well written and narrated. The game is absolutely stunning in terms of visuals. The puzzles are difficult but aren't impossible. The controls weren't not difficult and the upgrades were well paced for learning. The only reason I didn't    I wasn't expecting as much as Insomniac delivered with this title.
    The music perfectly matches every tone in each location and battle.
    The story is well written and narrated.
    The game is absolutely stunning in terms of visuals.
    The puzzles are difficult but aren't impossible.
    The controls weren't not difficult and the upgrades were well paced for learning.
    The only reason I didn't give it a 10 was a rather short play time.
    However, for a simple price of $15 USD, I couldn't have asked for more.    … Expand
  6. Leo_Le_Mine
    Dec 11, 2016
    9
    Beautiful game, lovely music and the story is cute. There are a lot of goodies and improvements all around and puzzle solving can be quite challenging in some cases. Very nice game for casual player who prefer to play games in a nice environment without zombies, blood & body parts all over ;-) I wish there could be many more of these type of games for XBox One.
  7. PaleHorse79
    Aug 29, 2018
    9
    This game is excellent. Everyone in our family of six enjoys it, and the controls are intuitive enough for even the youngest of us to pick it up right away. Sub upgrades are well thought out and designed. The different abilities you acquire are put to good use solving new puzzles and exploring new areas. They even make earlier areas worth revisiting to see what new things you can find withThis game is excellent. Everyone in our family of six enjoys it, and the controls are intuitive enough for even the youngest of us to pick it up right away. Sub upgrades are well thought out and designed. The different abilities you acquire are put to good use solving new puzzles and exploring new areas. They even make earlier areas worth revisiting to see what new things you can find with your new tools.

    The story may not be the most inspired thing ever written, but with the setting and voice acting it feels original. The music accompanies this to good effect. Playtime is about right. You feel like you get plenty for your money's worth, but it never feels like it drags on into repetitive drudgery like too many titles do. It leaves you satisfied and still not tired of it.

    I wish there were more titles like this one.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 13, 2016
    40
    Amiable adventure game that gets more annoying as it drags towards its lacklustre end. [Sept 2016, p.79]
  2. ICXM
    Aug 5, 2016
    75
    Song of the Deep is a good game you should play for its emotional story which is more complex than it initially seems. The mechanics are interesting and the fact that we don’t usually get many underwater adventures adds to its appeal. While there are problems—like the visual artifacts and storytelling decisions mentioned earlier—the story and gameplay make up for them.
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  3. We Got This Covered
    Jul 20, 2016
    80
    Shaky conclusion aside, Song of the Deep is a narrative rich adventure that successfully pairs Metroidvania gameplay with a dynamic underwater setting.
    Read full review
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