1000 jeux/month #1 | Submersion
1000 games per month
One thousand. That’s the average number of games released each month in 2023. One thousand games, and that’s just on the Steam platform, so we’re not counting exclusives from console manufacturers or, of course, all the games released on other platforms such as Itch.io.
It’s a staggering figure, especially if you go back to 2004, the year the hegemonic sales platform was launched, when just 72 games were released. In 2013, we were already alarmed at the growing number of annual sales as 573 games joined the Steam shelves that year, and in 2022, the number of releases stood at just over 10,300 games, almost 2,000 fewer than in 2023. Who wants to bet that 2024 will break all records?
There’s a lot to be said for these staggering figures, but what’s certain is that of the thirty or so games released daily on Steam, the vast majority will fly under the radar of the majority of gamers and the press, and will certainly fall into total oblivion. It’s a safe bet that not all of these titles are worthy of interest, as Valve isn’t very particular about the quality of what’s released on their shop (the same can be said of the Switch e-shop, which is completely polluted with rubbish games), but there are certainly some real nuggets in the mix that are just waiting to be discovered.
That’s why more and more curation outlets have sprung up in recent years, including the work of At0mium, from its Marginal Gamer programme to the sponsorship of its spiritual successor: Wishlist at Origami, not forgetting Seldell’s unmissable YouTube channel or the Manettes et Chouquettes newsletter for French games (as this article was initially written in French, these reference are probably unknown to you but there’s a chance such providers of hiddens games can be found in any other country). But you can never have enough curation, and it just so happens that spending hours searching the depths of Steam, itch.io and the e-shop for a few rare gems is one of my passions, so let’s get to it. I’m offering you this new format on Point’n Think to discover games that deserve the attention of more gamers. And because I like to do things my own way, I’m going to group my finds by theme.
As you know, Point’n Think offers a newsletter in support of the site (only available in French for now) and in April we explored the theme of water in video games. Having written the editorial for the newsletter myself, as well as an article on Subnautica, a game I’m obsessed with and which you can read about here, I decided to inaugurate this new format to advise you on games set in an underwater environment. So get your oxygen tanks and your wetsuits ready, we’re about to dive in.
To begin with, let’s tackle an obscure title, one of those games whose existence can only be discovered by searching well below the surface of Steam recommendations and other articles on mainstream media, you’ll have heard of it here. It’s Capsule, a game developed in 2014 by two people, a short survival experience on board a submarine but with an interesting twist. In a submarine, as you probably know, there are generally no portholes, as the pressure of the depths would cause them to burst, bringing the crew to an untimely and unsavoury end. To find your bearings and get a vague idea of what’s around the submersible, you use sonar, a screen with dots representing obstacles and other creatures of the deep. And that’s all Capsule gives us to see during the 2 hours or so that this dive lasts, and the more time that passes, the more it makes us feel a form of claustrophobia that is specific to the deep sea. Seeing the whole game through a single screen makes this minimalist experience all the more striking because there are no pretty graphics or artistic direction to take our minds off it. You’re glued to the sonar, looking for the slightest obstacle to avoid, and when one of those abstract dots starts moving towards the submarine, you realise that a few pixels can easily give you a thrill.
I discovered Capsule during an interview with a developer who has since enjoyed well-deserved success with his latest game, Citizen Sleepers. At the time, Gareth Damian Martin (whose interview you can find on the PnT website) spoke of Capsule as one of the main influences on his first game, In Other Waters.
And when you take a closer look at the latter, you immediately understand the connection between the two games. Like Capsule, In Other Waters takes place entirely on the ocean floor, this time on an unknown planet, and like Capsule, the entire game is played on a single screen. Not a sonar screen, but rather the interface of an artificial intelligence that we embody and that will assist Ellery, a researcher who has landed on this planet to determine whether it can be a refuge for humanity. Contrary to its influence, In Other Waters is a very colourful game, with an interface teeming with highly detailed mechanisms that are just as satisfying to manipulate. These buttons and levers allow us to remotely control Elery’s movements, as well as all the actions she asks us to perform. So we’re going to help her study the seabed of this planet, which, as we soon discover, is indeed home to unknown forms of life. The game stands out for its original concept, its magnificent art direction (with a special mention for the soundtrack) and, above all, its narrative. As Gareth Damian Martins proved with Citizen Sleepers, he knows how to write compelling stories, and if you’re intrigued by the idea of playing as the AI in a marine biologist’s diving suit, alone on an unknown planet, let me finish convincing you by telling you that we’ll very quickly be called upon to solve a mystery that won’t be solved until the end of the game.
Whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, there are some underwater games that have made such an impact on their audience that they’ve achieved cult status. This is the case of Subnautica, of course, the grand master of the deep, but also, to a lesser extent, Abzû, released in 2016. This diving game, with its highly atmospheric, almost ethereal atmosphere, was eagerly awaited as it was presented as the spiritual sequel to no less prestigious a title, the legendary Journey. Why talk about such a well-known game in a curation article, you might ask? Well, because, like me, many people were no doubt reluctant to launch it because of the reputation it was given when it was released. A disappointment, a meagre sub-Journey but in the water. Personally, I launched the game when it came out but I wasn’t hooked. It was only recently, on 1 January 2024 to be precise, that I decided that Abzû might be the perfect quiet game I needed to recover from New Year’s Eve.
And it was much more than that. Seen through the prism of a successor to Journey, I can understand why people might have been disappointed, although it’s never a good idea to simply compare one work to another. But Abzû actually has a lot to offer if you look at it in its own right, not as the supposed successor to a game whose aura is too great for its own good. Abzû plunges you into an ocean that looks familiar, but you don’t know if it’s actually on planet Earth. Yet the waters are indeed populated by marine creatures whose existence we know, and we can even interact with them, learn the names of the different species and swim alongside dolphins, whales and other schools of fish. Playing as this yellow-suited humanoid accompanied by futuristic drones, you’ll discover the ruins of unknown civilisations and even threats straight out of a sci-fi adventure. Is Abzû set on another planet? In the future? Does it really matter? Certainly not, what matters is enjoying the diving, the sudden surges of the current and the company of such majestic flora and fauna. And yes, there’s no denying it, Journey has been there. The fact that some of the studio’s team were involved in the development of both games is no stranger to this, but I personally find that the sometimes clumsy borrowings certainly don’t get in the way of the relaxing fun.
Abzû has a lot in common with Journey, but did you know that Thatgamecompany, the studio behind Journey, has also developed a game that takes place under the ocean? Not having had the chance to play it, I’ll leave the pen to Hauntya to tell us a few words about this game.
‘FlOw is a game that doesn’t hide its age, given that it was released in 2006, originally on PC, before being developed on other platforms over the years. Today, on the Playstation Store, it is part of the collector’s edition of Journey, Thatgamecompany’s first opus before Flower and Journey. FlOw is THE game that theorised the ‘flow’ you can feel when playing a game, a concept created by Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in the 1950s. Flow is when you feel serene and totally absorbed in a game, in control of what you’re doing while losing track of time. A floating, soothing mental state…And it couldn’t be more apt, since FlOw puts you in the role of a kind of micro-organism from the depths of the sea. The aim is to gradually devour other larger, more complex organisms, symbolised by geometric shapes that are both abstract and organic: a kind of jellyfish, a mini-snake/worm, a flower, a small fish… It’s hard to know what you are in FlOw, apart from a micro-organism seeking its place in the marine microcosm. But this quest never leads to game over. Above all, it invites you to float in the soothing darkness of the ocean, with sound effects that are always very quiet and gentle. After a few minutes, the game is reminiscent of the calming state of consciousness you feel when swimming in the sea, with only the contact of the water around you and your awareness of the present moment. You let yourself be taken in by the relaxing charm of the game, without any thalassophobia like in Subnautica or others; you simply follow the current of the ocean and a micro-life that evokes an entire ecosystem, where each organism is linked to the others.’
I’d like to thank Hauntya very much for this paragraph, which has made me want to get into FlOw even more. We’d all like to have the time to play all the games, but unfortunately time isn’t infinite. One of the aims of this article is to help you put together your wishlist.
While we’re on the subject of relaxing games that focus above all on atmosphere, let me suggest that you take a look at Koral. It’s the work of Carlos Coronado, a solo developer who’s usually more accustomed to horrific experiences. In Koral, you’re not exactly sure what you’re playing. An underwater wave? A wave? An eddy? That’s not really the point, since we’re going to be spectators more than anything else in this short experience. The richly coloured 3D scenes represent the seabed, which, as you might have guessed from the name, is covered in coral. The adventure involves exploring this vast universe from left to right, but while you can admire the depth of these panoramas, movement is limited to two dimensions. You’ll regularly have to solve small environmental puzzles to keep moving forward, but these aren’t real obstacles – you get the sense that they’re there more to keep the attention of the person holding the controller. Yes, Koral is a relaxing experience that’s rather pretty to look at, but it has a more distressing purpose. Through short text capsules scattered throughout the levels, in which we discover more and more underwater environments, we learn about the corals that inhabit our oceans and, above all, we are made aware of the problem of their destruction. It’s no secret that the seabed, like just about everything else about the nature of our planet, is under threat. In reality, you don’t learn much that’s new, and in that respect you may find the approach almost pointless, but I think it’s a clever one. The game is a pleasure to play and the text capsules are just short and well written enough to touch our senses. A wonderful curiosity.
Before plunging into murkier waters, I can’t resist the temptation to talk to you about games set in a more familiar context. When you think of video games that take place in the depths of the ocean, you tend to think in terms of science fiction or, at the very least, unrealistic environments. We’ve seen this with most of the games mentioned above, and we’re still swimming in fantastical waters. Isn’t it strange, moreover, to associate the seabed with a certain vision of the imaginary, when all you have to do is watch a documentary on the oceans to realise that they are largely self-sufficient? Why set the action of a game in the abysses of an imaginary planet when the depths of planet Earth already serve perfectly as a setting that is as marvellously unknown as it is potentially terrifying? Some studios have seized on this premise to offer adventures set in the more or less deep waters of our Earthly oceans.
Such is the case with Beyond Blue, a game released in 2020 that lets you take on the role of a diver hired by OceanX to document what’s going on beneath the surface of the ocean. If you’ve seen even one documentary about the oceans, you’ll no doubt already have heard about some of their discoveries. It was they, for example, who filmed a giant squid for the first time. In addition to their underwater research, OceanX is also active in the media, raising public awareness of the issues surrounding aquatic life. After working closely with the BBC on a number of documentaries, the company teamed up with studio E-Line Media to create Beyond Blue, the game we’re interested in. In Beyond Blue, we take on the role of what might be described as an ocean influencer to help us discover all the underwater species that inhabit our planet. The scenario invites us to move freely in open areas large enough to scan all forms of life. Our swimming sessions are broadcast live because, and I wasn’t joking when I said ‘influencer’, in Beyond Blue we dive to stream our discoveries, Inoxtag (a French Youtuber who climbed the Everest) climbs and we dive. In reality, the scenario in which we try to follow a family of sperm whales is just a pretext to make us dive deeper and deeper, and the narrative passages that intersperse the missions when we return to our submarine aren’t very interesting. What is much more interesting, however, are all the little video capsules we unlock as we make our discoveries, as well as the detailed information on all the species we’ve scanned. Beyond Blue offers a great gameplay experience that can be enjoyed over the course of 2-3 hours. The game’s educational value is underlined by impeccable graphics, including a photo-realistic recreation of the oceans, and while the gameplay leaves something to be desired, you can console yourself with the fact that it’s not really what you came for in the first place.
In a video game curation list, you expect to discover hidden gems, to be surprised by astonishing propositions coming straight from unknown horizons, and I hope that the few games mentioned above will have had this effect on some of you. On the other hand, in a list like this, you’d be much less likely to come across a title published by one of the industry’s major manufacturers. Yet Endless Ocean Luminous is a rare find, even though it was announced at the Nintendo Direct Partner event in February 2024. The Kyoto-based firm had already published Endless Ocean 1 and 2, released on Wii and developed by the Arika studio, just like this third episode, which came out in May 2024. Far from the colourful adventures full of innovative gameplay and extravagant characters to which Nintendo has accustomed us, Endless Ocean offers an experience somewhere between a simulation and an educational game, rather like Beyond Blue. You also play the role of a diver who sets off to explore the Veiled Sea (with all due respect to Zemmour), a part of the North Pacific Ocean invented for the occasion. As in Beyond Blue, the main activity consists of scanning all forms of life to fill in an encyclopaedia containing more or less detailed information on each species of fish, jellyfish and other crustaceans. As Nintendo is obliged to do, we’re also entitled to a few fancy tricks, such as discovering hidden treasures that give us points that can be exchanged for new colours and other stickers to wear on our suit. Because yes, the year is 2024 and the game has a multiplayer mode for group dives with up to 30 participants who can communicate non-verbally, for example to indicate the location of a rare fish or treasure. As with Beyond Blue, gameplay isn’t one of the game’s strong points, and the interest lies more in a form of collecting that’s akin to filling up a Pokédex, but based on existing species, with the exception of a few fantasies and a kind of ‘Shiny’ fish equivalent. Despite the fact that this is an absolutely unique title, it’s hard to recommend this game, which could almost be described as a videogame experiment. It’s certainly not an uninteresting title, but it comes at the usual price of Nintendo exclusives, which will no doubt be prohibitive for many gamers. A real curiosity nonetheless.
Apparently, hidden nuggets can even be found at Nintendo, so just imagine if another major player in the Japanese video game industry had also released such a title. Imagine if Capcom had developed an underwater Metroidvania that went completely unnoticed. That game does exist, it’s called Shinsekai: Into the Depths, and it has not stolen its place on this list. Originally developed as an Apple Arcade exclusive (yes), Shinsekai caught my eye during a Nintendo Direct during the Switch’s early years, but I’d never heard of it again until I found it on sale on the e-shop, and believe me, I don’t regret that spur-of-the-moment purchase. For once, you play as a diver in an ocean that, once again, looks a bit like our own, but not quite.
All we know is that the surface is now entirely covered in ice and that we are apparently the last survivor of our species. The ice in question seems to be gaining ground, so at the start of the game we are forced to leave the relative comfort of what appears to be our neo-retro scuba diver’s makeshift home. The adventure will consist of diving ever deeper to escape this new ice age, and where there’s depth, there’s pressure. The challenge will be to find the elements we need to improve our suit to survive the ever-increasing pressure of the depths. A second element to take into account, and by no means the least, is of course oxygen, and we’ll be regularly finding ways to refill our precious cylinders and even increase their capacity. In keeping with Capcom’s ethos, this is a game that can lay claim to the school of gameplay, so oxygen not only lets you breathe but also propels your avatar like some kind of underwater jet pack. Speaking of submarines, we’ll soon discover a vehicle that allows us to alternate modes of movement in the environment. I’m deliberately going to remain rather vague about the rest of the elements that make up Shinsekai, a remarkably singular game with breathtaking artistic direction that takes us on a hypnotic whirlwind ride for ten hours or so. A real hidden gem.
This list of games has taken us deeper and deeper, bringing us closer to the dark abysses of oceans, both familiar and unfamiliar, yet always fascinating. As we prepare to reach the bottom, where sunlight has long since ceased to penetrate, it is finally time to focus on the darker side of underwater games.
To begin, what better than a black-and-white game? Released in 2022, Silt immerses us in a silent adventure that could be described as an underwater descendant of Limbo. A silent protagonist (yet another diver, who would have guessed?), a 2D visual style that is both childlike and disturbing, and a series of levels to navigate by using your wits to avoid becoming a victim of the numerous dangers in this nightmarish aquatic world. In terms of artistic direction, Silt is a wonder at every moment, with backgrounds revealing an unsettling depth, while various elements of the scenery, cut like shadow puppets, outline the contours of vast, unknown corridors. It’s unfortunate that it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish the background from the scenery, which can hinder and slow down our already sluggish avatar. The adventure will push us to explore these levels and solve the few puzzles blocking our way. To do this, our diver has a major advantage: the ability to possess all the creatures of these dreamlike abysses. From the smallest fish surrounded by its school to the barracuda, and even an eel, each creature offers a potential solution to the environmental puzzles, which can be solved by playing with the different sizes, swimming speeds, or other unique abilities of each species. Despite its fantastic visual style, which is its main strength, Silt can be frustrating due to a lack of clarity, uneven gameplay, and a few overly complex puzzles. Should this stop you from giving it a try? Absolutely not. It’s a small game that can be completed in about 3 hours, often found on sale, and its base price is already quite reasonable. A beautiful curiosity, imperfect but very charming.
Speaking of imperfect curiosities, I have two to suggest before the grand finale of this deep dive. The first is undoubtedly the most flawed: Abyss of Neptune, a survival-horror game where you play—guess what—exploring the wreck of the Neptune, a ship that sank with its darkest secrets. You’ll traverse the flooded corridors of this distant cousin of the Titanic, searching for ways to open more doors or activate an additional power source, all while being careful to avoid the nightmarish creature haunting the ship. Abyss of Neptune’s gameplay is familiar, its art direction is not very original, and it certainly doesn’t shine technically, yet I decided to include it on this list for several reasons. The first, and not least: it’s a free game, the work of a solo developer who, likely aware that they haven’t created a masterpiece, still wanted to share their game—and that’s commendable. Plus, the game only lasts around two hours. Despite all its flaws, it remains entirely playable, and if you’re looking for an underwater horror experience, Abyss of Neptune fulfills that promise quite honestly. Lastly, and this may be the most personal reason why I recommend checking it out, I find it fascinating to discover slightly broken, unfinished games, works where you can see the seams, but that still exude the passion of their creators. Abyss of Neptune is one of those games.
In a somewhat similar genre but with a bit more budget, let me tell you about Debris, released in 2017 and developed by Moonray Studio. And yes, once again, you play as a diver. This time, the action takes place beneath the ice caps, as our team of scientists searching for a meteorite that crashed nearby finds themselves separated following what seems to be a seismic tremor. You’ll find yourself alone, with only a squid-shaped drone as your companion to help guide you to the surface through the dark corridors of these icy depths. You’ll also be in radio contact with the other team members, progressing through a story featuring evil mega-corporations as you make your way forward. Although the adventure seems to take place on our planet Earth, the ocean floors and the creatures inhabiting them don’t quite resemble anything I’ve seen in the many documentaries I’ve watched. Once again, you wonder why imaginary places and creatures are depicted when our own ocean depths are filled with fish that look more like aliens than anything James Cameron’s filmography has shown us. Debris attempts a lot (perhaps too much?) in terms of art direction and gameplay, but the different pieces that make up the game rarely come together in a coherent way. It’s certainly a psychological horror game, and one that is quite well-written and performed, but its technical shortcomings and often ridiculous appearance make it hard to take seriously. Yet, despite its numerous flaws, I can’t help but find Debris endearing. Once again, if you’re looking for a game that delivers the chills of the deep ocean and are willing to give a highly imperfect title a chance, then I encourage you to check out Debris—a fairly inexpensive game that can be completed in about 3 hours and even manages to surprise with a twist at the end.
This dive is nearing its end, and only one game remains as we set foot on the seabed of the abyss. We’ve reached the bottom, and in front of us, the distorted contours of a heavy diving suit begin to emerge. It’s the one we’ll be wearing in Narcosis. Released in 2017 and directed by Quentin de Beukelaer, who also worked on Decarnation, Narcosis takes place at the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, in what remains of a research base that suffered an accident and is now in its death throes. You play as a member of this team of scientists, searching for any possible survivors and, if possible, a way to reach the surface alive. The only way to survive the unimaginable pressure at the ocean’s depths is by moving around in a diving suit, whose weight is well conveyed in the game. You feel the heft and size of the suit with every slow step your avatar takes, and you’ll only have a small boost to help you move a bit faster or get past certain obstacles. The ocean floor is not uninhabited, and you’ll need to be careful not to attract the attention of sea spiders—those gigantic crabs with long, sharp legs—or other creatures like aggressive octopuses. You’ll only have a simple knife and a few flares, which are essential for lighting your way and perhaps scaring off some species. But beyond the underwater wildlife and the increasing number of bodies of your former colleagues, you may encounter something even stranger and more terrifying. To find out what ghosts haunt the deepest areas of our oceans, you’ll need to muster your courage and dive into Narcosis, a game that isn’t always perfect but is an excellent example of a title that knows exactly what it wants to achieve. The gameplay isn’t always satisfying, and you’ll occasionally curse the widely spaced save points, but you’ll forgive Narcosis for everything because it manages to pull you deep into its dark dive. It’ll take you about 3 hours to uncover the end of this story, and trust me, it’s worth it.
The ocean depths are an inexhaustible source of inspiration. From Abyss, Cameron’s masterpiece, to Subnautica and the writings of Jules Verne, we will never run out of stories that take place beneath the surface, whether in a paradise lagoon surrounded by colorful corals or in the deepest darkness inhabited by Lovecraftian creatures. It seems that video games are the perfect vessel for such experiences, appealing to both a sense of wonder for aquatic life and thalassophobia. While major underwater games will continue to be released—a third Subnautica is currently in development—it’s always interesting to venture off the beaten path and seek out the curiosities hidden from view. I hope this list has achieved that goal and that your wishlists have expanded. See you soon on Point’n Think for more curiosities!
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