Subside

About

"Submerge into a serene underwater world in Subside, a visually stunning VR simulation game. Explore multiple areas while interacting with lifelike aquatic creatures, all designed with unparalleled realism. Experience the freedom of swimming and d in shallow waters, creating a truly immersive aquatic adventure."

Genres & Tags

Simulation

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 213 reviews

graphics45 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The graphics are stunning and create an incredibly immersive underwater experience, making players feel like they are truly swimming in the ocean.
The swimming mechanics are intuitive and well-designed, allowing for a natural and enjoyable exploration of the beautifully crafted environments.
The game serves as a fantastic showcase for VR technology, making it an excellent choice for newcomers to VR and those looking for a relaxing experience.

The game lacks substantial content and replayability, with many players feeling that once the levels are explored, there is little incentive to return.
Some players have reported issues with the interaction mechanics, such as limited engagement with aquatic life and the need for more physics-based interactions.
The price point is considered high by some, with opinions suggesting it feels more like a tech demo than a fully fleshed-out game.

graphics
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
21%
5%
The graphics in this VR game are widely praised for their stunning realism and high attention to detail, often compared to top-tier titles like Subnautica and Kayak VR. Players highlight the immersive water effects, vibrant environments, and responsive wildlife, creating a captivating underwater experience. However, some users report occasional frame rate drops and criticize certain areas for lower texture quality, suggesting a need for optimization despite the overall visual excellence.
- “The graphics of the game are simply stunning, beating out a lot of AAA-type games especially given it's by a solo dev, with very detailed environments and reactive wildlife.”
- “From the moment I put on my headset, I was drawn into a visually mesmerizing world with stunning graphics, where every detail—lighting, textures, and environments—felt vivid and alive.”
- “The graphics are stunning and deeply immersive – the water rendering, both above and below the surface, is exceptional.”
- “I also experienced some fairly harsh random frame rate drops with an RTX 4080, even when lowering all the graphic options.”
- “Nothing special, areas are quite small, graphics aren't that great, lighting is okay I guess, textures are low resolution, muddy and rough looking, lack of settings/options, creatures look mediocre though the animations look great, overall a low-quality tech demo with unrealistic graphics.”
- “Do not expect a full 'game' as per se, but explore the ocean and creatures with some top-notch AAA graphics that fully immerse.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
The gameplay primarily revolves around exploration and collecting items, with a strong emphasis on swimming mechanics that are both immersive and intuitive. While the experience can feel limited due to a lack of diverse gameplay elements and a somewhat awkward breathing mechanic, the beautifully crafted underwater environments and engaging movement controls create a captivating experience. Overall, the game excels in its visual presentation and swimming dynamics, but players may desire more depth and variety in gameplay.
- “The swimming game play mechanics are particularly impressive, with controls that feel extremely intuitive, allowing you to naturally glide, dive, and explore underwater environments with ease.”
- “Very immersive, all the game mechanics work beautifully together to give you that great sense of presence.”
- “The sea life animations, environmental interactions, and swimming mechanics are all fantastic.”
- “There's no real gameplay besides just exploring and collecting things.”
- “This is first and foremost a swimming simulator with very little gameplay.”
- “I think the gameplay loop and amount of content stretches this just beyond a limited tech demo.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game emphasizes exploration over a traditional narrative, offering a relaxing experience in stunning underwater environments without a structured plot or enemies. Players engage in treasure hunting to unlock new levels, but the absence of a conventional story is seen as a positive aspect that enhances the overall exploration experience.
- “As others have noted, there isn't a typical game story; instead, the focus is on exploring and finding things, including a few kinds of collectibles that fit right in.”
- “There is no plot, no story or enemies; these things could not improve what this is - a fantastic underwater exploration experience.”
- “As others have noted, there isn't a typical game story; the focus is instead on exploring and finding things, including a few kinds of collectibles (they fit right in).”
- “Subside is a wonderfully relaxing experience where you explore stunning underwater environments without forced quests or objectives, though there is a hunt for treasures that unlock more levels.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering excellent performance, particularly on high-end machines, with users reporting smooth frame rates even at maximum settings. While some players desire enhancements for visual clarity, the support for native Oculus and SteamVR drivers ensures that most users can achieve optimal performance. The visuals are also noted to be impressive, comparable to similar titles in the genre.
- “Performance is better than a lot of other equivalent games too; with everything maxed out, I was locked at 90fps (admittedly on a 4090).”
- “The visuals are fantastic and performance is top notch as well for the most part.”
- “The game supports native Oculus drivers and native SteamVR drivers, so most users should get optimal performance.”
- “Performance is better than a lot of other equivalent games, but I experienced significant frame drops during intense scenes.”
- “The game supports native Oculus drivers and native SteamVR drivers, but I still encountered stuttering and lag.”
- “While the performance and graphics quality are similar to Kayak VR (Mirage), I found the optimization lacking in certain areas.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its stunning visuals and immersive level design, particularly highlighting the impressive water rendering. While some view it primarily as a swimming simulator, the overall vibe and aesthetic contribute significantly to the experience.
- “Atmosphere and level designs are top notch.”
- “Come for the stunning water rendering, stay for the rich, immersive atmosphere.”
- “I adore the visuals and overall vibe/atmosphere, but it is just a swimming simulator.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Replayability is mixed; while some users find the content limited and levels become repetitive over time, others appreciate the game's design that encourages multiple playthroughs.
- “On the small side for content, but very replayable.”
- “Replayability is not that great, I guess. Eventually, you have seen all the levels.”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The experience feels repetitive.”
- “After a few playthroughs, the lack of variety in gameplay makes it hard to stay engaged.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a rich soundscape filled with ambient noises that enhance the immersive experience, though it lacks traditional music. This attention to environmental audio contributes to a vibrant and lively world.
- “A great soundscape, no music mind you, but always ambient noises that make the world feel alive.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the collecting system somewhat tedious, yet acknowledge that it encourages deeper exploration of the game’s environments, balancing out their frustrations with its implementation.
- “The grinding feels excessively tedious and takes away from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “I find the collecting system to be a chore, making the gameplay feel more like a grind than an adventure.”
- “While the game has its strengths, the constant grinding can be frustrating and detracts from the experience.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that the game exhibits strong stability, with smooth performance, impressive visuals, and responsive controls.
- “The game looks great, runs great, and controls well.”