Dive The Depths

About

Dive The Depths is a single player survival role playing game with a horror theme. It was developed by Starpixel and was released on April 15, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

DISCLAIMER: The build here is not fully representative of what the final game will be like, there are still performance issues and a bunch of missing content/features, but I'm always working on those :D The Depths See All... Wishlist on Steam Now... A diver sent down into the deepest depths of the vast and treacherous oceans to discover secrets untold. You will face formidable adversaries, …

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Play Modes

Single-Player

+16

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a vibrant art style that enhances the underwater theme.
Gameplay is addictive and offers a challenging experience with unique mechanics and engaging boss fights.
The atmosphere is immersive, with a haunting soundtrack and a sense of exploration that keeps players engaged.

The game suffers from various bugs and balancing issues, including softlocks and unclear navigation.
Sound design is inconsistent, with missing effects and repetitive music that detracts from the overall experience.
Players often feel overwhelmed by the difficulty and lack of guidance, making it hard to progress without frustration.

gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
45%
13%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of dynamic mechanics, including looting, slashing, and dodging, set against a beautifully crafted nautical backdrop. While the combat system can feel rough and punishing, particularly in early runs, it fosters a rewarding trial-and-error learning experience, especially during engaging boss fights that require strategic thinking. Overall, the gameplay is addictive and offers high replayability, despite some minor bugs and a steep learning curve.
- “The gameplay is addicting—you’ve got harpoons and anchors to fight off the horrors of the deep.”
- “Ultimately, Dive the Depths shows real promise as a moody, mechanically satisfying roguelike experience.”
- “Boss fights are a particular highlight - each one features distinct mechanics and creative designs that demand different strategies, keeping encounters exciting and memorable.”
- “Oh and the boss forces you to take a debuff that reverses your controls - because that's not the most annoying mechanic ever.”
- “When it comes to nautical themes in games, I have an obvious weak spot for the watery setting presented; however, in this case, the gameplay gets a bit in the way of me thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere, mostly due to a quite rough combat system.”
- “While the lack of polish sometimes enhances the feeling of being lost in the depths, it can also hinder gameplay, making it harder to read enemy attacks and time dodges effectively.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
36%
14%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, featuring a vibrant neon pixel art aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. While many players appreciate the detailed creature designs and immersive environments, some note issues with map clarity and UI design that detract from the visual presentation. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its charm and appeal.
- “Has a beautiful art style and satisfying gameplay.”
- “The game’s art style stands out with its neon pixel art aesthetic, giving the world a vibrant yet unsettling charm.”
- “The aesthetics of the game are gorgeous, I really like the creature designs and the color palette.”
- “The game does have some rough edges—particularly in map clarity, enemy visuals, and UI design.”
- “Visuals on the chest state could be clearer (opened and unopened look too similar).”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The atmosphere in "Dive the Depths" is characterized by eerie lighting, a muted color palette, and a compelling deep-sea setting that creates a tense and immersive experience. While the environmental design and adaptive score enhance the game's ambiance, some players feel that the combat mechanics detract from fully enjoying the atmosphere. Overall, it offers a unique and rewarding experience for those who appreciate atmospheric indie games, despite some technical issues.
- “The eerie lighting and muted color palette create a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere that feels both beautiful and dangerous.”
- “Dive the Depths delivers a compelling deep-sea roguelike experience that thrives on atmosphere and tension.”
- “Each area feels distinct, thanks to strong environmental design and an atmospheric score that adapts to your surroundings.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting synth soundtrack and immersive sound design, effectively enhancing the underwater exploration experience. While many players appreciate the dynamic and atmospheric qualities of the music, some note that certain tracks can become repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that beautifully complements the game's visuals and themes.
- “The haunting synth soundtrack and distant whale calls amplify every heartbeat, making each descent feel like a true exploration of the abyss.”
- “Combined with immersive sound design and a dynamic soundtrack, the game does a great job of pulling you into its submerged world.”
- “Absolutely nailed the underwater theme with the ambient soundtrack.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it low due to repetitive boss and biome loops, others appreciate its nonlinear progression and encourage experimentation, leading to enjoyable repeat runs. Overall, many find the gameplay fun and addictive, with potential for high replayability, especially if a multiplayer mode is added.
- “Progression is a clear-cut case of nonlinear and well-implemented replayability, encouraging experimentation and repeat runs without ever feeling repetitive.”
- “Gameplay is fun and addicting with potentially high replayability.”
- “Overall, I recommend you play it; it's a very fun and replayable game even by yourself. I really hope the devs add a multiplayer mode, then I would definitely recommend it to my friends!”
- “Right now the replayability is quite low given it is the same loop of bosses and biomes, only the difficulty differs, and that is kind of a problem in itself.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization remains a significant issue, with players reporting heavy stutters and frame lag, particularly during intense moments like boss encounters and world generation. Despite the developers' efforts to address some bugs, performance is still inconsistent and can detract from the overall experience.
- “So to summarize, this game is still quite rough around the edges and even though the developers have been expedient in ironing out the worst of the bugs, it is still quite unoptimized and suffers from heavy stutters the four times I have encountered the endzone boss due to all the effects cluttering the screen.”
- “Performance can be spotty, with noticeable frame stuttering and lag during world generation.”
- “Performance can be spotty, with noticeable frame stuttering and lag during world generation.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and softlocks that can disrupt gameplay. Despite these problems, players remain engaged and optimistic about future patches that may resolve these glitches, indicating a strong potential for the game once stability improves.
- “I won't lie, the game is super buggy at the moment, with lots of soft locks and ways to put yourself in a weird zombie state. The nautical flask seems especially prone to this; I swear every time I use that thing, I go into a permanent dash state. Maybe the latest patch fixed it...”
- “There's a lot of creativity on display here, and I eagerly await all of the glitches to be ironed out and the bugs to be fixed, because I think this will be one of my all-time favorite roguelikes once they are.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its clever and absurd item descriptions, such as dubious meat that fully heals but also poisons, and an item that blinds the player while significantly boosting stats, leading to a chaotic "blind rage." This blend of dark comedy and unexpected consequences adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience.
- “Some of the really funny active items, like the one that fully heals you but then poisons you because it's dubious meat, or the one that blinds you but raises your stats to insane levels, leading you into a literal blind rage.”
- “The humor in the game is top-notch, with clever puns and hilarious character interactions that keep you laughing throughout your playthrough.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, with absurd scenarios and witty dialogue that make every moment enjoyable.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive concept and art design, highlighting the potential for growth and improvement if the developers invest further effort into enhancing these elements.
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect of the game is perceived as somewhat hindered by a crowded user interface and excessive on-screen mission reminders, which detract from the immersive experience typical of roguelike games.