Deep Black
- April 17, 2012
- Biart
- 9h median play time
It's an obscure Russian dev, along with limited budget and the main thing here is that - you've got a Gears of War clone which is largely set underwater. Simple as that.
Get on Steam"Deep Black: Reloaded" is a third-person shooter offering 40 single-player missions in 4 environments, with a mix of terrestrial and underwater battles. The game features a sci-fi storyline set in a near-future world of chaos, espionage, and bio-terror, where players can experience both land and underwater combat with realistic physical effects.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- Some players enjoyed the graphics and ambience, finding the underwater sections unique and fun.
- A few users reported that the game worked after minor tweaks, suggesting it can be enjoyable for those who can get it running.
- There are players who appreciate the game as a budget shooter, finding it not as bad as its reviews suggest.
- The game is fundamentally broken, with many players unable to get it to start or crashing shortly after launch.
- Gameplay is repetitive and unbalanced, with poor AI and frustrating controls that detract from the experience.
- The lack of support from the developers and the necessity of workarounds to play the game have led to widespread dissatisfaction among users.
- story26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story is widely criticized as forgettable and uninspired, often relying on clichéd tropes such as betrayal and a soldier saving the day. Many reviewers note that the narrative feels forced, with most of it conveyed through short cutscenes that fail to engage players, resulting in a lack of memorable characters and plot. Overall, the storytelling detracts significantly from the gaming experience, leaving players disappointed.
“Most of the game's story is told through short cutscenes that occur before or after certain missions.”
“The story is not too dumb.”
“The story is non-existent and it is your typical soldier gets betrayed by his commanding officers, but manages to save the day trope.”
“The problem is that the storytelling just feels forced.”
“Couple that with forgettable characters, and you've got yourself a plot that you'll forget sooner than a goldfish forgets its lunch.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its repetitiveness and lack of variety, with many players finding it dull and plagued by bugs and clunky mechanics. Difficulty spikes necessitate playing on easy mode to avoid frustration, and the absence of customizable controls and a sprint ability further detracts from the experience. While the graphics are deemed acceptable, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to significant disappointment among players.
“Gameplay is your standard third-person cover shooter type deal, minus a sprint ability that would make crossing the game's dull gray facility environments even more of a bore.”
“What I did see was a lot of repetitiveness as far as gameplay and the look of the environment.”
“The bad parts are difficulty spikes (you have to play on easy otherwise you will hate this game), bad voice acting, non-customizable controls, and bugs (clunky game mechanics and crashes).”
“Gameplay's your standard third person cover shooter type deal minus a sprint ability that would make crossing the game's dull gray facility environments even more of a bore.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes and freezes shortly after launching. Many describe it as a poorly executed early access title, plagued by bugs and inadequate support from developers. Overall, players feel frustrated and cheated, especially given the game's inability to run properly even after troubleshooting attempts.
“I have had it running for about 5 minutes before it freezes or crashes.”
“This game is a part of the worst side of Steam, the side with early access, bad ports, and buggy games. Do not buy this. This is not me saying that I just didn't like the game; it won't even run without a crack. I bought it on sale for $2.50 and I still feel cheated.”
“Update: it's been 36 days since the last time they sent me any troubleshooting, which consisted of them telling me to run Steam in administrator.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the impressive visuals, particularly the water and underwater effects, while others find the overall art direction lacking. Although the graphics are generally described as decent, they are not consistently impressive, and the pacing of the visuals can be inconsistent.
“I enjoyed the graphics, the ambience, the combat.”
“[b]+ impressive graphics (water effects especially) are decent though, same with the underwater effects.”
“The only positive thing I can say about this game is that it has some decent visuals, but unfortunately not a great art direction.”
“The graphics are outdated and lack detail, making the game feel unpolished.”
“The visual effects are underwhelming and fail to create an immersive experience.”
“The character models look bland and lack any real personality or depth.”
- humor7 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its over-the-top elements, particularly the drawn-out and absurd death screams of enemies, which many players find amusing. However, the voice acting is criticized for being repetitive and poor, contributing to a script that some liken to other notoriously bad games. Overall, the game's shortcomings can lead to a "so bad it's funny" experience, especially when enjoyed in a casual setting.
“I thought I could have some fun with DBR, as you know, some games are so bad that they can be funny (especially with a couple of beers).”
“+ Enemies' death screams that are just over the top funny.”
“[Generic. Pacing is inconsistent, along with the visuals. Voice-overs are hilarious.]”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as they face a repetitive array of enemies, including various soldiers and robotic foes, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. The grind is characterized by a lack of variety and engagement, making combat feel monotonous.
“Tedious is pretty much the defining word of this game.”
“Speaking of enemies, you've got your standard assault rifle guy, shotgun guy, rocket guy, the commando that carries the gun of the same name, snipers, and all sorts of robots and turrets that are tedious as hell to kill.”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely criticized, with reviewers describing it as subpar and lacking quality. Additionally, the voice acting has been labeled as lazy, contributing to an overall negative perception of the audio experience.
“The voice acting is some of the laziest I've heard in a long while, and the soundtrack is subpar at best.”
“The sounds, voice acting, and even the music are all pathetic.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting clunky and broken controls, a frustratingly high difficulty level, and overall poor performance.
“Controls are clunky and feel broken beyond belief, difficulty is nightmarish, overall performance is garbage.”
“Controls are clunky and feel broken beyond belief, difficulty is nightmarish, overall performance is garbage.”
