Song of the Deep

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 599 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Song of the Deep Game Cover
By going against their own grain, Insomniac Games has crafted a true winner with Song of the Deep, which is one of 2016’s most hypnotic and charming games.
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"Song of the Deep" is a metroidvania-style underwater adventure game where you play as Merryn, a young Irish girl in search of her missing father. Explore the mysterious depths of the ocean, discovering ancient ruins and mythical creatures, while upgrading your submarine and solving puzzles to progress. With a focus on atmospheric exploration and discovery, the game immerses you in a beautifully realized underwater world.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 599 reviews
story147 positive mentions
grinding25 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and art style that create an immersive underwater world.
  • Charming story with a heartfelt narrative, enhanced by excellent voice acting.
  • Engaging puzzles and exploration that encourage players to revisit areas with new abilities.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with limited enemy variety.
  • Some puzzles can be frustrating due to imprecise controls and physics.
  • The game can be too easy, with few challenging moments, leading to a lack of excitement.
  • story338 mentions

    The story of "Song of the Deep" is characterized as charming and heartwarming, following a young girl named Merryn on her quest to find her missing father in an underwater world. While some reviewers noted the narrative as simple and somewhat cliché, many appreciated its fairy tale-like quality, beautiful visuals, and engaging narration that enhances the overall experience. The storytelling is often described as soothing and immersive, making it appealing to both children and adults, despite some criticisms regarding predictability and pacing.

    • “It's beautifully drawn, has fun exploration and combat, excellent music, and has a great story.”
    • “The story is whimsical, but mature, and it's told by a narrator with a lovely voice that makes it all just feel complete.”
    • “The story is heartwarming and filled with lore, beautiful storybook-like art, and easy to learn controls.”
    • “The story was also super disappointing.”
    • “The story is very cliche; the themes are ham-fisted, and the foreshadowing is ridiculously obvious.”
    • “The story left me completely uninvested; the characters failed to make me sympathize or care at all about them, and the overall plot just felt weak.”
  • music259 mentions

    The music in "Song of the Deep" is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its calming and enchanting qualities. The soundtrack effectively complements the visuals and gameplay, creating a serene underwater experience that resonates with players. While some found the music occasionally repetitive, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's charm and emotional depth.

    • “The music struck me as absolutely gorgeous and well orchestrated, while the gameplay and story kept me quite entertained with its many upgrade features, puzzles and exciting events, akin to the Ori series.”
    • “The music, story, and art are all balanced wonderfully into an artistic masterpiece of a game.”
    • “The atmosphere and music are also pretty great.”
    • “The music is very, um, watery - which got a touch dull after a while.”
    • “The music is passable, but not particularly memorable, and some of the sound effects randomly play much too loudly.”
    • “You've got your typical hipster-indie storyline about a girl who loses her father, builds a submarine and looks for him, including a well-trodden violin-and-piano soundtrack for the oohs and aahs when you venture deeper into the ocean.”
  • gameplay201 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the unique underwater mechanics and exploration aspects, while others find it slow-paced, simplistic, and occasionally tedious. Many appreciate the beautiful environments and engaging story, but criticize the repetitive combat and lack of depth in gameplay mechanics. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments and solid mechanics, it may not satisfy those seeking a more action-oriented experience.

    • “The gameplay is enjoyable, and I found it quite easy to control with a mouse and keyboard; however, I am primarily a PC gamer and that is what my hands are used to.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, and the game's map is huge and expansive, with so much variation in its environments.”
    • “The mechanics and puzzles are incredibly enjoyable, and there is some variety in weaponry, but not too much.”
    • “The gameplay itself is a bit disappointing.”
    • “Puzzles become needlessly laborious, and the puzzle mechanics unintuitive, as the game progresses.”
    • “The gameplay is very stale and repetitive; I don't have much played time in the game, but I can't bring myself to stomach the basic concepts.”
  • graphics156 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning beauty and artistic style, often compared to other visually impressive titles like "Ori and the Blind Forest." Players appreciate the vibrant underwater environments, charming character designs, and the overall atmospheric presentation that enhances the storytelling experience. While some minor technical issues and inconsistencies in rendering were noted, the overall consensus is that the visuals significantly contribute to the game's appeal and immersive quality.

    • “Wonderful visuals, fun exploration.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the music and narration very fitting, and the gameplay is quite well done.”
    • “The artwork is amazing and each area feels unique and separate.”
    • “I was running the game at 2560x1080 on ultrawide and never had a problem...except...graphical options are abysmal (I had to change the launch options to get ultrawide).”
    • “For reference, this is all on the lowest resolution (which is the only option, as specific graphic settings do not exist), on a computer that can quite comfortably handle a heavily modded Skyrim on high settings.”
    • “Whether it's the art style, interface, music, or story, it all feels familiar but doesn't quite have the same polish or impact.”
  • atmosphere44 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive soundtracks, and coherent storytelling, creating a captivating and soulful experience. Players appreciate the atmospheric depth, particularly in the underwater setting, which enhances exploration and puzzle-solving. However, some reviews note that certain gameplay elements can disrupt this otherwise enchanting atmosphere.

    • “The atmosphere is established so masterfully by the story, the soundtrack, and the narrator.”
    • “The music, the sounds, and the narration make for an amazing atmosphere that kept me engrossed for the entire time I played.”
    • “Very atmospheric and full of wonder, 'Song of the Deep' is another Insomniac classic.”
    • “This really killed the atmosphere of the game for me.”
    • “But I can't help but feel so frustrated by the combat that it completely breaks this atmosphere for me.”
    • “The art style for this game is wonderful, the music is serene, and the overall atmosphere is relaxing.”
  • grinding25 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many puzzles and combat encounters feeling frustratingly drawn out. While some enjoy the exploration and challenge, the lack of enemy variety and the slow pacing contribute to a sense of monotony, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's overall enjoyment. Many reviewers express that the game feels like a time-waster, with excessive backtracking and grinding detracting from the experience.

    • “There's countless ways this game just makes you feel like you're waiting on something or just grinding through ways the game can eat your time.”
    • “It's basically just a long string of increasingly frustrating and tedious (in other words, not fun) puzzles.”
    • “I feel like this game wasted my time; it's not awful, but it's mediocre at best and frustratingly tedious at worst.”
  • emotional22 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a heartwarming and touching story, often described as simple yet effective, complemented by beautiful visuals and music. While many players found the narrative engaging and evocative, some felt it lacked depth or emotional impact, particularly in its execution and pacing. Overall, the game successfully creates a wholesome atmosphere, though opinions vary on the effectiveness of its emotional storytelling.

    • “The story is heartwarming and filled with lore, beautiful storybook-like art, and easy to learn controls.”
    • “It's a beautiful game with a simple but touching story.”
    • “With a touching story, great narration, inventive and challenging puzzles, gorgeous visual design, and a good OST, Song of the Deep is a true gem of a game.”
  • stability13 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with character movement, collectible interactions, and visual anomalies. Players frequently encounter problems such as getting stuck in corners, erratic grabbing mechanics, and audio inconsistencies, which detract from the overall experience. While some users noted smooth gameplay and excellent art, the prevalence of these technical issues suggests a lack of thorough playtesting.

    • “The game runs great without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I haven't experienced any stability issues; everything runs smoothly.”
    • “The performance is solid, providing a stable gaming experience.”
    • “Minor bugs and glitches are present; sometimes the character can get stuck, and you would have to wiggle her out of a corner. Other times, collectibles and enemies can get stuck, requiring a restart from a checkpoint.”
    • “There are some smaller bugs; you can often get stuck when playing as the girl, which is inexcusable. I wish the grabbing mechanisms weren't broken—way too often it feels random and buggy, doing strange things and grabbing items I didn't want, even if I'm aiming and highlighting something else!”
    • “However, it's riddled with glitches, and you need to be prepared for pixelization on story cards, levers that don't work, and having to fight that boss again because something broke.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with many players expressing that it lacks sufficient content to encourage multiple playthroughs. While some mention opportunities to revisit areas or complete additional tasks post-game, the consensus leans towards a short experience that doesn't justify a high price tag due to its minimal replay value.

    • “Plenty to do after you beat the game, including replay value and revisiting previously blocked areas.”
    • “Not a bad ROI, in my opinion, but it's got basically no replay value.”
    • “The only con for me is the lack of replay value.”
    • “Rather short; I got all achievements and 100% everything in about 15 hours, and little replayability.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of cute and entertaining puzzles, though some players find the overall comedic elements lacking or underwhelming. While the title itself is amusing, it doesn't resonate strongly, and some reviewers express disappointment in the game's ability to maintain engagement or deliver consistent humor. Overall, the humor is seen as light and whimsical, but not enough to elevate the experience significantly.

    • “Funny, he doesn’t look that intelligent.”
    • “Cute funny puzzles, even though they are not too hard, they are entertaining.”
    • “Funny genre title 'ability-unlockable labyrinth adventure' doesn't quite roll off the tongue as well, I suppose.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally satisfactory, with most players reporting smooth performance on the Steam Deck, though some experience minor stuttering and lag during gameplay. Controller support is well-optimized, but keyboard and mouse controls can feel inconsistent, and users have found that adjusting settings can alleviate initial stuttering issues.

    • “The controller optimization makes gameplay feel smooth and responsive, although the keyboard and mouse controls can be a bit wonky at times.”
    • “I appreciate the effort put into optimizing the controls for the controller, but the keybindings could use some improvement.”
    • “The game is well-optimized for controllers, enhancing the overall experience, even if the keyboard and mouse setup isn't perfect.”
    • “Game runs just fine on deck with some minor stuttering and slowdown in some areas for literally no reason as nothing interesting was happening on screen.”
    • “Controller optimized controls, but keyboard and mouse can be wonky sometimes, and keybindings are not perfect.”
    • “Stuttering movement and laggy turning.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

58% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-13hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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