Underwater games...list and why are there so few?

[lendelin]

Everblue 2 is a great game, still, there are themes which are obviously neglected in videogames. Why are there so few underwater games?

The deep sea would be an ideal set-up for games. You literally dive into a different world, a mysterious one, most of it unexplored; lost civilizations, sea-monsters, creations of different worlds, and exploration of a vast world would open up ideal possibilities for all game genres.

We conqured space at least a thousand times in games, but underwater games give even more options to developers to draw you into a game.

Is it a simple programming issue? Are good controls difficult to achieve because you don't have simply ground under your feet?...but then, we have the same issues for space ships, and old and futuristic underwater boats, diving suits which give you great abilities to move underwater (upgradeable) are easily introduced.

Underwater levels are in so many games, but hardly one game is set up specifically underwater.

I would be interested in a list of underwater games, all systems, with comments if they are wothwhile playing. Are underwater games also neglected for the pre-NES eras?

I know of Ecco, of course, but also of Deep Fighter (DC) (good game), and the incredible Everblue 2 (PS2). I heard of Critical Depth (PS1) but don't know if it's a good one.

[Achika]

Treasures of the Deep (PS One) I've seen this many times, disc only so I've neglected to pick it up and haven't yet played it.
Jaws (NES) One of my favorites as a kid. People around me hated it, but I loved the movies and jumping into the water with jaws, upgrading your boat, racking up points, etc.
Ocean Hunter (arcade, Sega) I've played this a few times while waiting for a movie. It's fun, but really difficult and IIRC, a bit hard to maneuver. It's a quarter sucker, definately, but not in a good way. Definately worth giving a whirl.

Ecco for DC was a wonderful game...but then, so was the whole series.

I suppose in the 8 & 16 bit eras, many adventure games had the obligitory water level, along with "fire", "ice", "sky", and "ground/normal" levels. I don't think those exactly count here, though. :)

[norkusa]

Funny you posted this. I was just thinking about this topic the other day after seeing Everblue 2 in a used game store....

My all-time favorite underwater game is Treasures Of The Deep by Namco for the PSX . I've been saying for years that this is one of the most underrated games for the PSX, and it's still a blast to play. There are 20 different levels in the game and in each one you control a sub and search the ocean floor for shipwrecks, lost cities and lost treasure. There is even a level where a passenger jet has crashed and you have to collect the bodies of the dead. You can also upgrade subs and equip them with torpedos and other weapons to help you fiend off sharks and enemy scuba divers.The graphics and sound are great and it really gives you the feeling that you are underwater. Works with the dual analog joysick too!

If you guys haven't played this one yet, check it out. You won't regret it.

[robotriot]

There's the Amiga shmup X-Out and two PC games I remember right now - Archimedean Dynasty and Sub Culture. Oh, and there are of course tons of submarine simulations like Silent Service, which technically qualify as underwater games as well, don't they ;)

[atomicthumbs]

One of my favorite things about Tomb Raider II was the underwater levels. I remember thinking then that I would just love a game where there was more of that sort of thing.

By the way, how is Everblue?

[Arcturius]

Deep Fighter (3D Submarine DC)
In The Hunt (2D Submarine Saturn)

[atomicthumbs]

Playing Blitzball in FFX.
The Submarine thing in FFVII.

Both pretty fun!

[KJN]

Divers Dream by Konami (psx)

[PapaStu]

Submarine Rebellion (PS2)

I know a few more, but its late and the brain has stopped working...

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

As for why there aren't more, I have to think that the difficulty of getting the physics right is probably a bit part of it. Buoyancy vs. weight, water speed and depth and pressure and direction of motion, resistance...that's a lotta variables. And getting it to look right is a whole other, erm, kettle of fish. ;)

[Kejoriv]

Aquaman for ngc and xbox. horrible game! :o

[Sotenga]

Hey, what about Fathom for the 2600? Only part of it takes place underwater, I know. Still, there aren't many underwater games, so this one will have to do. When you aren't a dolphin, you're a seagull. Pretty simple logic. :P

The second part of Jungle Hunt also takes place underwater. Friggin' crocs...

[Sylentwulf]

Primal has an underwater world, and kingdom hearts has an underwater world.

[PongHit]

Activision's SEAQUEST for the 2600.

-PongHit

[den68]

I've got one for PSX called Aquanauts Holiday. I only tried it once so I'm not exactly sure what it's all about.

[esquire]

Some of my favorite games have underwater levels, such as in Donkey Kong Country, Bonk's Adventure (actually in the stomach and digestive system of a dinosaur), and one of the Metal Slugs, I think Metal Slug 3. I would like to see more underwater games myself. I loved games like Treasures of the Deep, In the Hunt, Deep Fighter and Sub Culture.

Other underwater games include:

Shark! Shark! for the Intellivision
Polaris, Bermuda Triangle, Seaquest and Dolphin for the Atari 2600
Frogger II: Threeedeep! for the Atari 5200 and Colecovision
Aquanaut, Sea Fox and Sub Hunt for the C-64
Little Mermaid for the NES
The James Pond series and Seaquest DSV for the Genesis
Turbo Sub for the Atari Lynx
Sea Blade for the Xbox.
Finding Nemo for the Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube.

As for ideas, how about a game based upon the Submariner? Yes, I know Aquaman sucked, but the potential is still there. Also, a game based upon 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea would be great. Perhaps an action based RPG.

[Dangerboy]

Thank goodness someone mentioned Treasures of the Deep! **SWEET GAME** :D

Aquanauts Holiday asn't really a game, as much as it was a "just swim around and explore" type game.

You can also toss in TigerShark (PSX) to a degree...

[Arcade Antics]

Dolphin (2600)
Fishing Derby (2600)
Sub Scan(2600)

[furor]

Deep Blue (TG16) - Probably the sole reason there are so few underwater games.

[kevincure]

Everblue and the Ecco series are great, but how about the best "underwater" game ever - Seaman!

[SegaTecToy]

All underwater games I can remember are already listed above but there is a genre of games lacking there.

RPGs

An underwater RPG would be a spectacular experience to play. Something like 'Skies of Arcadia' (DC) set in an aquatic world is now the number one game in my list of must-have imaginary games. :D

[robotriot]

I just remembered X-Com: Terror from the Deep.

[sniperCCJVQ]

It's not a underwater game but the bomb level in NES TMNT always been my favorite part in the game.

[MarioAllStar2600]

Cause swimming in Video Games sucks! :angry:

[Ichi The Killer]

In general I would have to echo the previous poster"they suck". It is obviously a niche genre. But many times the game play is slow and the controls are awkward and generally the least amount of fun in games.

Obviously a few folks like em and there are some out there to choose from, but I think its a long way from being a "mainstream" genre...

[digitalpress]

I own Everblue 2 and still haven't opened the thing. I've heard only good things, so I'm looking forward to giving it some time.

I love Treasures of the Deep as well, to date, it's the best underwater game I've played.

Shark! Shark! is my favorite classic-era underwater game.

The fairly recent Champions of Norrath has an underwater game. It's exactly like an above-water game except that everything is slower. And bluer. You can still use fire-based weapons and fire spells as well as lightning attacks. *sigh*

Though it's been awhile, I really enjoyed Aquanaut's Holiday. True, it's really not so much a game as it is an interactive exploration, but it's immersive. And SUBmersive! I'm so damned clever.

You mentioned Critical Depth. It's a decent game but I'd describe it as "Twisted Metal with boats", which at the time was pretty innovative.

[rbudrick]

I think the main reason there are so few underwater games is simply because it is too difficult to make electronic components function under water. Ever drop your GBA in the toilet? It doesn't work too well after, does it?

Games and water just don't mix. Plus, the lawsuits from electrocution! It would be a nightmare for the publishers and developers. There better be a throrough and clear warning/disclaimer on every game and system!

-Rob

[atomicthumbs]

Cause swimming in Video Games sucks! :angry:

http://img30.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/formarioallstar.jpg

[k8track]

Let's see if I can think of some odds'n ends...

Shark Attack/Lochjaw (Games by Apollo, Atari 2600)
Crash Dive (20th Century Fox, Atari 2600)
Sea Wolf (Midway, arcade)
Air-Sea Battle (Atari, Atari 2600)
Aquaventure (Atari, Atari 2600 prototype)
Sub Hunt (Mattel, Intellivision)
Sea Hunt/Scuba Diver/Skin Diver (Froggo/Panda/Sancho, Atari 2600)
parts of Pitfall II (especially the 2nd quest in the 5200/8-bit version, where the underwater parts are greatly expanded)
How about Airlock by Data Age for the 2600? Does that count?

[digitalpress]

A little bit OT: we did an entire issue years ago where underwater (and some on top of water) was the theme. Articles have been culled out and appear in our archives section here at the site but the crux of the issue was reviews which are unfortunately not linked properly on that page (which needs some attention badly).

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/covers/dpcov_35.gif

[lendelin]

About Everblue 2: It is a fantastic game. Some people might be turned off at first by a window which seems almost archaic, you talk to people, new parts of the town open by fulfilling different tasks, but it is astonishing how much this drives the story forward. You have a map with a boat, and you can explore the ocean only to a certain extent and depth unless you upgrade your boat and diving equipment.

Almost everything takes place underwater. You dive in 3D, in bright blue water to deep, dark murky water, and you salvage maze-like shipwrecks. Collecting items, fulfilling tasks, the expereience to encounter all kinds of sealife, danger, upgrading your equipment, a developing story with twists and turns, and great level design keep things fresh, varied, and addictive. The game starts harmless, it gets better and better, and at the end you realize that you just played through a lil' masterpiece. The game is a strange mix between delightful linear simplicity and freedom to explore.

Everblue 2 gave me one of the best game experiences last year. It's right up there with Devil may Cry, Gran Turismo 3, Final Fantasy X and Metriod Prime. It's the most underrated PS2 game.

About the list: Great listing, I forgot a lot of the games mentioned. I will certainly hunt for Treasures of the Deep (PS1). It's amazing how few underwater games there are among these thousands of videogames.

About the genre: I think developers overlook a big opportunity by neglecting underwater games.

The set-up is ideal for a game! We want to experience different worlds in games, and at the same time have somehow to relate to it. An underwater set-up gives you both.

Imagine an action-adventure game with different types of upgradeable submarines, but you are also able to leave the boat and explore a vast underwater world. You could have maze like ancient civilization structures to be explored, existing civilaztions with towns and rivalries between them, daak mysterious caves with seamosnters and different races. With the garaphics the new consoles are able to produce the possibilioties are endless, and you could develop action emphasized adventure games a la Onimusha, emphasize exploartion like Metroid Prime, it would also work for a RPG like Star Wars KOTOR.

With the right story and great level design, lots of surprises and atmosphere, such a game could be a smash hit in particular now when gamers get a bit tired of the old Devil may Cry receipe, Metroid Prime receipe, and FPS military shooters. If such an underwater game would be developed with the same effort like an Onimusha, it has the potential to be a multi-million seller.

Why should we endlessly explore hunted castles and dungeons and surfaces of different planets when we have such a mysterious world like the deep sea?

I don't think physics is so much of a problem. You don't have to move underwater slowly and sluggish, realistic physics engines aren't for most genres not desirable anyway. Futuristic subs and diving suits could be introduced which overcome physics as we know it, there is no basic obstacle to get the controls right.

[hydr0x]

here are some more:

E.V.O. (partly) (SNES)
Seaquest DSV (SNES)
Aquatic Games (SNES)
X-Com - Terror from the Deep (PC)
Sub Culture (PC)
Aquanox (PC)
Aquanox 2 (PC)
Schleichfahrt (PC)

[acem77]

hunt for red october for game boy and snes. the under water levels in the donkey kong countries were soo cool the music was so nice.
amok for sega saturn. battle morph jag cd,

[esquire]

in the hunt for game boy and snes. the under water levels in the donkey kong countries were soo cool the music was so nice.
amok for sega saturn. battle morph jag cd,

I didn't know they made In the Hunt for the Game Boy. Was that for the original Game Boy, Color or Advance? I checked the rarity lists and didn't see it. Maybe it was a euro or jap release. I was just thinking that game, like Metal Slug, would make a great Game Boy Advance release.

[acem77]

i went stupid there for a bit. i ment to say hunt for red october.

[Aswald]

One problem is that too many do not use proper underwater physics, so there's not enough to distinguish them from "land/air" games.

An early example would be Super Mario Bros. In it, when you were Fire Mario, you could swim underwater, true, but you'd never have to go up for air, and you were still able to normally toss fireballs.

Cosmic Avenger was another. Your laser bolts and bombs were unaffected, as were your movements.

By the time Spiro 2: Rypto's Rage came out, it was better. Your fire-spitting underwater was temporary, explained by magic, and your swimming was clumsy. Still, you did not need any air.

[Crush Crawfish]

Wasn't Squoon for the NES an underwater Shooter? I also liked the underwater levels in Tiny toons for the Nes and the 1st DKC. They both had such calm, relaxing music.

[acem77]

get jaws unleashed for xbox or ps2.
nice underwater game made by the creators of ecco.
its only $30 new

[cyberfluxor]

Erm, Achika was the only to mention Jaws on the NES? Would have though someone else would have said "OH ya! Fun game!!" and share some old stories. All I can say for it is I recall playing it at a delicate age of 6 and not knowing what the hell I was doing, but dodging the damn shark and driving the boat around collecting shells. Fun times though!

Did anyone say Mario Party? They have a few minigames where you go diving into 2D water collecting coins and treasure boxes at the bottom with fish swimming back and forth trying to block you or cause a drop of your loots.

[tom]

Fluid (PSX)
Frogger II: Threeedeep (underwater level) (2600)
Airlock (2600)
Bermuda Triangle (2600)
Name this Game (2600)
Save the Whales (2600 online game)
Scuba Diver (2600)
Shark Attack (2600)
Submarine Commander (2600)
Swordquest: Waterworld (Sea of Sharks level)
Polaris (2600)
Ocean Depths (Jaguar)
Seastalker ...and the Ultramarine Biocepter (XE)
Fish (C-64)
Raise the Titanic (C-64)...not sure about this one actually...
Oceans Below (3DO)
Silent Service (XE)
Silent Service II (ST)
Submarine (Odyssey)
Barbie Software for Girls Ocean Discovery (GBC)

& numerous more Submarine games on home computers

[cyberfluxor]

I just recalled:
Darius Gaiden (Saturn)
It's a side-scroller with bosses that are huge flying fish. There are a few levels that you submerge and have a nice tough time beating it.

[Speedy_NES]

I just remembered X-Com: Terror from the Deep.
I was about to post this game until I saw you mention it...probably one of the best underwater games (mostly underwater anyway)!

Another underwater game is Sea of Dreamland for NES (shmup; one of the NTDEC/MegaSoft/Caltron games discovered in Europe not too long ago). I also remember a PC game that was based underwater from Westwood, but can't remember the title of the game..

[odyeiop]

While I can't think of any completely underwater games, that haven't been listed, I can think of some that have parts under water. Actually there are alot of games that have underwater sequences to them.

It would be interesting, as has been already stated, to see an RPG done completely underwater. Or even something stupid, like "Depths of the Dead". I mean c'mon, if they did typing of the dead, why not =D.

Mmm.. speaking of.. I think I'm going to go play that now.

[CRV]

Submarine Attack for the SMS

[50TBRD]

Final Fantasy VII had some underwater adventures. You fought one of the Weapons underwater and you did the submarine thing that later became the mini game.

A couple of the Sonic games had underwater levels which were some of the toughest in my opinion.

Spider-man and X-Men: Arcades Revenge for SNES had some as well. All of Storm's levels were underwater where you had to release the valves so she could breath. These were usually the ones that I had trouble beating.

I know that Mega Man X5 had an underwater level or at least it flooded from time to time.

Polar Rescue for Vectrex was in a sub, so that counts too.

[ROBOTNIK666]

The third level of Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle for the Genesis takes place underwater.

[Coleman]

Personaly i think that underwater gamming is usually enjoyable but is best used to change up the gameplay in a game that has a different usual style. For example all of the underwater stuff in Mega Man is a lot of fun. Its not revoloutionary but it adds some extra flavor to an already stellar game play experience.
I don't feel right talking about this without mentioning the Mario franchise. Another one of the things that Myamoto did exceptionaly well was to transport the mario gameplay under water. Initially you were just swimming through a water level avoiding stuff and collecting coins, but by mario 3 you were trying to find special suits that would help you while under watter.
And i cant mention mario without talking about Sonic. The sense of speed was never lost just because you were underwater. All though you were moving slowly you were still in just as bug of a hurry to get to that precious air bubble.
All in all i think that the under water experience can add a lot to a great game but i don't think that it is important to find a game that is 100% underwater. When the whole game is all the same in no longer feels different to be underwater - thats just the way the game plays, under water. But added to a game it revitalizes your game play experience and prevents that midgame point feeling of how your just doing more of the same.

[goemon]

Choro Q Marine: Q Boat has some submarine stages, and it has a trailer in it for another undersea game by Takara, Deep Sea Adventure. (I've been meaning to pick it up for a while - it looks cool. It's apparently an action/RPG in a submarine.) Aquanaut's Holiday and its sequel (Aquanaut's Holiday: Memories of Summer 1996) are fun for a while but without any real goals, they get old quickly. That's what I can remember the PS1.

[roushimsx]

Sub Rebellion (PS2)

Good lord did I love that game. It didn't fare well in the reviews, but I thought the mixture of underwater exploration and combat with some pretty well implemented (and sometimes VERY creative) missions was just fucking k-rad super snazzy.

Shame it didn't get more love. It's a true bargain bin gem right now.

[Aussie2B]

Maybe it's just me, but I find most underwater games pretty freaky. While I'm largely okay with 2D ones (although Ecco can be quite frightening in its own ways), it's the old 3D ones that scare the crap out of me. I'm not one to look down on old graphics, but underwater games are one of the WORST "genres" for primitive 3D. They're so empty, open, foggy, and just... blue everywhere. It's REALLY creepy. I've played Treasures of the Deep on one of those Namco demo discs, and while it may be a good game, I could hardly play it more than 5 minutes without it making me extremely uncomfortable.

[tom]

Try Fluid on PSX......listen to the sounds.....and relax....drifting (diving?) along.....finding Nemo....

[Aswald]

Good question.

One thing many such games do is ignore the physics. As you go deeper, the pressure increases (each foot=0.455 pounds/sq. in.). This is why, in that scene from "For Your Eyes Only," an Oxygen/Nitrogen mix was not used- too deep. Instead (if I remember correctly) it was helium. Don't forget the danger of "the bends."

But this also means the density of the medium increases. Therefore, certain things happen. For example, sound is "compressed." The chug-chug-chug of a barge can sound like a buzzsaw blade. The gurgle of an aqualung can sound like a screech.

Worse, still, is the conductivity of shockwaves.

An explosion in the air carries the "shockwaves" to your body. Once there, these waves must encounter a medium of different density.
But underwater, this is not the case. Your body has a density very much equal to water, so, the shockwaves continue through your body. But inside of you are cavities, including the area around the lungs. When the shockwaves reach this point...this is where the tissue damage of those caught underwater near explosions is greatest; INSIDE of you. So it's not just the fact that such explosions "travel further" in water, but this. It's literally the opposite of what happens in the air.
This is why, if you are in the water and something is about to explode, you are advised to at least get your upper body out, if possible.

A curious thing about most games, at least the early ones, is that fire is not affected by the water. Mario could toss fireballs underwater every bit as easily as elsewhere.

[j_factor]

There were a few on Genesis...

688 Attack Sub - early EA game, slow-paced submarine battle simulator, takes place in the cold war

Man Overboard - a Codemasters platformer involving a sinking ship, you have to save the passengers

SeaQuest DSV - remember that show? The game is basically Desert Strike underwater, kind of sucks

James Pond: Underwater Agent - the out-of-water sequels were better

Corporation - well, it feels like you're underwater :D

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Lots of people have already mentioned all the great 2D shooters that take place underwater. That's a very nice sub-genre of shooters, in my opinion. Certainly a welcome change of pace form the usual stuff at least.

One game no one's mentioned is Dive Alert for the Neo Geo Pocket. It's an RPG of sorts or maybe more of a strategy-sim game. Honestly it's boring as hell since all the action takes place via a sonar screen full of dots and triangles. Of course, this is probably a much better recreation of what it's actually like being on a submarine than most other sub-games, but it's not very exciting. Anyway, the game is especially agonizing for the first half or third until you can get better equipment and actually get to the point where you can take reasonable evasive actions and stuff.

Another game worth mentioning is Shadow Of Atlantis, which was was planned first for the Sega CD, then 32X CD and finally even for the Saturn briefly. It would have been based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and definitely seems to have been a very ambitious project. It was going to be an adventure game using the sort of rendered FMV seen in Mansion Of The Hidden Souls, but probably quite a bit more lively than that game. It got scrapped of course, but if Sega had put more resources into it, it really might have been a showcase title for the 32X. Maybe, anyway.

I have a half-completed Super Mario Bros. mod I was working on called Super Guppy Bros. that used various hacks and such to turn the game into something of a 2D shooter. One day I'd like o return to that. I can't believe people will actually criticize SMB for allowing you to shoot fireballs underwater...how silly, as if the game is meant to be totally realistic aside from that unforgivable oversight. Why not point out that there's no way koopa troopas would actually be able to support their weight in flight with those tiny wings and only flapping a couple times a second at that? Or that Mario seems to be able to jump approximately 8 feet directly up from a dead standstill?


...word is bondage...

[videogameoverdose]

I've got one for PSX called Aquanauts Holiday. I only tried it once so I'm not exactly sure what it's all about.

I found it a bit confusing too, I just drove or swam around for days, thinking something other than viewing the undersea life would happen.
I did get to see a variety of marine life at times, while empty sea as far as I could see at others.

I guess you could call this game a sleeper, literally! -_-

Did I miss something?

[bangtango]

Everblue 2 is a great game, still, there are themes which are obviously neglected in videogames. Why are there so few underwater games?


To second what DigitalPress himself said, it was simply bad reviews. I distinctly remember an issue of EGM from the late 1980's that reviewed at least two underwater games in the same month. One was "Deep Blue" on the Turbografx 16. Both of them got horrible reviews from Semrad and the gang. They might have even covered three titles, instead of two. I haven't seen the issue in many years.

If I remember right, the Quartermann section of that very issue or one right around the same time spent an entire paragraph ripping some recent underwater movies (like Deep Star Six (is that title right?), Leviathan and The Abyss) saying they were not only horrible movies but would make lousy games.

I never said it, but some people liked to believe that EGM had a knack for not only killing genres but entire game systems with their reviews.

I still remember the pissing match that Ed Semrad had with one of the guys who ported "World Heroes" onto Super NES when he accused both the programmer and Sunsoft of "trying to capitalize on the success of Street Fighter 2" in his review.

So simply blame EGM, like so many others :D