Depths of Sanity
- November 1, 2022
- Bomb Shelter Games
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Depths of Sanity" is a psychological horror game set in a mysterious bomb shelter. Players must uncover the dark secrets of the shelter while surviving against supernatural enemies and solving puzzles. With a focus on narrative and exploration, the game offers a chilling and immersive experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Depths of Sanity features a captivating and well-written story that effectively weaves together elements of Lovecraftian horror and underwater exploration, keeping players engaged throughout.
- The game offers a unique gameplay experience with its 360-degree underwater movement, allowing for innovative combat and exploration mechanics that set it apart from traditional Metroidvanias.
- The atmosphere is haunting and immersive, enhanced by excellent audio design and pixel art that create a sense of dread as players descend deeper into the ocean.
- Combat can be frustrating due to fast-moving enemies and the floaty controls, making it difficult to hit targets and leading to tedious encounters.
- Backtracking is made tedious by the lack of fast travel options until late in the game, which can disrupt the flow of exploration.
- Some players have noted that certain upgrades and weapons feel underutilized, and the AI of regular enemies can be inconsistent, leading to unchallenging or repetitive gameplay.
- story118 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is highly praised for its depth and engagement, centering on submarine pilot Abe's quest to uncover the fate of his crew and son after a tragic incident. Players appreciate the atmospheric and haunting narrative, which is enriched by diary entries and audio logs, creating a compelling Lovecraftian mystery that keeps them invested in the exploration. Overall, the storytelling is considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay experience and making it a recommended title for fans of story-driven metroidvanias.
“The story is gripping, the music and sound design are incredible, the art is great.”
“Each new piece to this gripping story really kept me guessing.”
“In addition to all of this, there is a creepy story that I did not expect to compel as much as it did; a Lovecraftian mystery that leaves just enough behind the veil and offers a couple of endings to boot (one of which was sufficiently chilling).”
“The story also helped with one of my main criticisms of Metroid, that being that exploration doesn't really feel rewarding because you're likely to find either a max health or ammo capacity increase, which aren't very exciting.”
“In this game, most of the story is told through diary entries or audio logs, which adds diversity to the pool of rewards for exploration.”
“The story is told through Abe's tales to a navy therapist who is trying to help him piece together the black holes in our fair captain's memory.”
- atmosphere42 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its Lovecraftian and underwater themes, creating a creepy and immersive experience that deepens as players progress. Excellent use of lighting and sound enhances the sense of dread, while the storytelling and detailed pixel art contribute to a captivating environment. Although some aspects of the gameplay may not be as polished, the overall atmosphere, combined with a well-crafted narrative, makes it a standout in the metroidvania genre.
“It's lovecraftian and underwater theme really gives it this creepy atmosphere as you progress.”
“Excellent metroidvania with a well-written story and characters and a captivating, haunting atmosphere.”
“This one won't blow your socks off aesthetically (obviously), but if you're looking for a metroidvania where the atmosphere, story, and exploration aspects are the focus, you should check it out.”
“But the atmosphere is well-paced, getting creepier the deeper you go, and the writing helps to sell it.”
“The music is at times foreboding and eerie, and the usage of light and dark really works to build on the atmosphere.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique 360-degree underwater movement system that sets it apart from other metroidvanias, offering a smooth and innovative experience despite some initial control adjustments. While the combat can feel floaty and the pacing is slower than traditional platformers, the integration of mechanics with the story and atmosphere creates an engaging experience for players. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable, though it has a few flaws that may hold it back.
“A great underwater metroidvania, with awesome atmosphere and good gameplay.”
“The gameplay is really good, and the story and atmosphere are incredible.”
“Innovative gameplay: the 360-degree underwater movement is a unique gameplay mechanic, and really sets this game apart from others in the genre.”
“The gameplay has a few flaws that hold it back a bit.”
“In terms of combat, this game is okay; it suffers all the same cons as Aquaria and similar games: floaty combat, rigid feeling control, and slower, more methodical gameplay.”
“I can't emphasize enough how much it irks me when indie metroidvanias mess with the health mechanics—giving you less health overall, fewer health pickups, or some other more specific gimmick like a souls-like, limited healing mechanic.”
- music26 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, perfectly complementing the cosmic eldritch horror theme. Reviewers note its foreboding and eerie tones, with a memorable chip soundtrack that evokes a retro feel reminiscent of the DOS era. Overall, the sound design significantly enhances the gripping story and detailed pixel art, contributing to a superb overall experience.
“The music is perfect for the mood.”
“The atmosphere, story, music, everything is just superb.”
“The presentation is wrapped up by an excellent chip soundtrack with several memorable tunes that will stick with you long after you're done playing.”
“The music is at times foreboding and eerie, and the usage of light and dark really works to build on the atmosphere.”
“It also has an audio-visual aesthetic that evokes what my friend termed a 'different retro feel' from the type seen in many indie games, more closely resembling the DOS era, especially in some of the boss music tracks.”
“This is better than aquatic adventures but slightly worse than Song of the Deep.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the detailed pixel art style and atmospheric soundtrack, others feel that the aesthetics are weak and could benefit from better blending and more interesting enemy designs. Overall, the visuals are described as not groundbreaking but fitting for a metroidvania focused on atmosphere and exploration, evoking a retro feel reminiscent of the DOS era.
“It has a nice, detailed pixel art style graphics and atmospheric soundtrack to match.”
“The graphics throughout are a highlight.”
“It also has an audio-visual aesthetic that evokes what my friend termed a 'different retro feel' from the type seen in many indie games, more closely resembling the DOS era, especially in some of the boss music tracks.”
“The storyline was pretty good, although probably held back a bit by the graphics.”
“The aesthetics are a bit weak, as one can see from the pics/videos, but the gameplay is deliciously smooth.”
“Depths is beginning to remind me of a robot named fight, if only superficially, in that it presents a darker take on the metroidvania formula whose low-res graphics contrast sharply with its content.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, primarily due to the lack of fast travel until late in the game, which complicates backtracking. While enemy variety is praised, their poor AI leads to repetitive combat, as many can be easily defeated from a distance, resulting in prolonged battles due to their high health.
“Exploration is fun, but the game decides not to give the player access to fast travel until the last quarter, which makes backtracking very tedious and time-consuming.”
“Enemies have terrific variety and are wonderfully diverse, and yet hampered by poor AI that makes them tedious to fight -- that is to say, 90% of them, you can just hang outside their attack zone and shoot them, although they take a long time to kill from their huge health pools.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the replayability of the game due to its multiple endings, which encourage them to revisit the experience for different outcomes. Many express a desire to return for another playthrough in the future.
“There's replay value in the form of multiple endings, and I will go back for another dive sometime in the future.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by strong character writing that fosters an immediate connection with the protagonist, Abe, as he embarks on a poignant quest to find his missing coworkers. This coherence in storytelling enhances the overall emotional experience for players.
“The overall experience is more coherent, with a quality of character writing that made me feel for protagonist Abe and his search for his missing coworkers right away.”
