Song of the Deep Collector's Edition
Underwater tale with heart, depth slightly sunk by controls.
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Song of the Deep Collector's Edition
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Song of the Deep is an underwater adventure that has you play as a girl who's trying to find her missing father. It features a strong young female protagonist, who puts together a makeshift submarine and ventures out to solve puzzles, take on creatures, and meet some allies along the way. There isn't any inappropriate content, but there are mild combat sequences against jellyfish, urchins, and other threats, using the submarine's torpedoes, giant claw, and other weapons. The controls are simple to learn but have finicky moments that could frustrate some players. The Collector's Edition has extra content, including a book, a voucher to download the music soundtrack, stickers, and more.
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What’s It About?
In SONG OF THE DEEP, Merryn waits all night for her dad to return home after a fishing trip, but he never does. She has a dream he was trapped under the sea, so Merryn builds a tiny submarine, vowing to find and rescue him. As she dives deeper and deeper into the sea, she moves from a diving suit to the safety of her sub. Merryn also makes some friends along the way, solves puzzles, battles dangerous creatures, explores underwater ruins, and enhances her ship.
Is It Any Good?
For the most part, this underwater adventure is a very good game for players of all ages. It fuses a strong lead character with a beautiful story and fun gameplay elements (such as exploration, puzzle-solving, combat, and upgrading). The game also features attractive graphics, atmospheric music, and high-quality narration. Parents should like the strong female lead and story of love and determination, while kids will no doubt fall for the game's charm, upgrades, and high-production values. There are some secrets to find that reward players for experimenting. While the gameplay remains the same as that in the original game, the Collector's Edition adds lots of extras that players should love as well.
The issues with this game range from some finicky controls to limitations in your exploration to a few frustrating puzzles that require a lot of trial and error. For example, using the submarine's claw proves more difficult than it needs to be. Combat is also a little boring as it's overly simplistic. But the puzzle-solving and action do get better over time. Overall, the good very much outweighs the bad. It's unfortunate these issues exist because they could've likely been addressed with a little more time and testing. It's still worth the investment, especially for those looking for a family-friendly underwater adventure with a lot of heart and character.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games. Does the mild violence in this game bother mom and dad at all? Could it have been all about puzzle-solving instead of some combat?
Talk about the message of love and determination. How far are you willing to go to accomplish your goals for someone (or something) you love? Are you willing to overcome dangerous obstacles? Should you ever have to do this?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Insomniac Games
- Release date: July 12, 2016
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Great Girl Role Models, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Ocean Creatures
- ESRB rating: E for No Descriptions
- Last updated: January 9, 2022
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