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Depth

Depth is a 3D asymmetric PvP game that pits players against each other as either sharks or divers. Play as either a treasure-hunting diver or as a fierce shark looking for its next meal.

Publisher: Digital Confectioners
Playerbase: Small
Type: MMO Action
Release Date: November 03, 2014
Pros: +Unique dynamic between divers/sharks. +Six different shark species with varying abilities. +Intense fast-paced combat.
Cons: -Graphics could be better. -Lack of players for other non-favorite game modes. -Some maps are overly dark.

Overview

Depth Overview

Relive terrifying scenes from your favorite shark attack movie in Depth, an asymmetric PvP game that pits armed divers against vicious sharks. Play as a diver and scavenge for sunken treasure across a variety of underwater locations including sunken ships and ancient ruins. Equip yourself with a powerful arsenal of weapons and gear to help you survive vicious shark attacks that will surely be coming your way. Stick together to protect your robotic scavenger and each other from a variety of hungry shark species. As a Shark, choose from one of six species with unique abilities designed specifically for hunting down tasty divers. Work together with your teammate and keep to keep the divers on their toes. Use the dark and murky undersea environment to conceal your movements and snatch unwary divers from right under their friends noses.

Depth Key Features:

  • Be a Diver – swim into the dark depths of the ocean and look for safeboxes to loot. Use gear like pistols, harpoons, and flares.
  • Be a Shark  hunt humans and tear their limbs apart. Choose from six different species and evolve to unlock better abilities.
  • Explore Underwater Maps – play across 13 maps set in various underwater locations from sunken cargo ships and galleons to underwater caves and ruins.
  • Asymmetric Gameplay – employ different strategies and tactics depending on whether you're playing as a diver, or as a shark.
  • Dynamic Lighting  use the shifting light and shadows to your advantage. Hide from the keen eyes of a shark as a diver or strike from unseen angles as a shark.

Depth Screenshots

Depth Featured Video

Depth 'Blood and Gold' Trailer

Full Review

Depth Review

By, Marc Marasigan

We’ve seen vampires in Nosgoth, rampaging monsters in Evolve: Stage 2, and psychotic serial killers in Dead by Daylight. Now, ladies and gents, we have… (insert iconic two-note musical score here) sharks; definitely a first in the asymmetric PvP genre. In Depth four players take on the role of divers hunting for sunken treasure while two others play the role of sharks out to stop them. Just in case you’re wondering, the sharks aren’t out for blood because the divers stole their treasure, but because they’re extremely territorial and perceive the divers as trespassers—that and because they’re really hungry.

The game is set in a variety of underwater locations ranging from sunken galleons and tankers to ancient ruins and caves. The game runs on Unreal Engine 3, though it might not be apparent with the game’s Source-like graphics and textures—which look and feel a lot like Left 4 Dead 2. That being said, there’s only so much you can do to make the dark and murky underwater locations look good. The same can be said for the game’s sound effects. Sounds are meant to be muffled when underwater, which Depth partially succeeds in capturing. I say partially because ambient sounds, weapon sounds, and the game’s sound effects in general seem a bit too loud for something that’s happening underwater. Although, this is probably intentionally done to add production value to the game rather than a blatant disregard for the laws of physics.

Dive Training

Depth features a playable tutorial that teaches players the mechanics of playing as both a diver and a shark in a single tutorial. Players start out the tutorial as divers and are taught about S.T.E.V.E. (a diver's robotic companion), collecting treasure, and using weapons before proceeding with shark skills and how to hunt prey. What I like about playable tutorials is that it gives players a glimpse of what to expect during the game which is way better than showing them a video, or heaven-forbid, requiring them to read. Playable tutorials also give players the chance to familiarize themselves with the controls without the need to play through practice matches with AI bots, which  is also present in Depth should you need further practice. The game controls are similar to that of typical shooters so getting the hang of it should be relatively easy.

All About Steve

Blood and Gold is Depth’s main game mode and the crowd favorite. As divers in Blood and Gold, players are tasked with protecting S.T.E.V.E, their robotic underwater scavenger, as it opens safes and collects treasure, and making sure that it makes it back to the boat in one piece, or die trying. And when you’re going up against not one, but two, massive and “hangry” sharks, expect to die a lot. Fortunately, both teams get 30 respawn tickets so each player gets about a handful of second chances at life. Divers are limited to a first-person view simply because they have, what we like to call, arms. Aside from being the shark snack of choice, these apparently tasty appendages can be used to employ a variety of weapons and gear, including underwater guns and rifles, spear guns, flares, mines, and medkits.

Players start out with a knife, a welder to repair S.T.E.V.E, should it be damaged during a shark attack, and $500 that they can spend on their gear. They earn additional cash as they progress through the match which they can then use to buy better gear or upgrade what they have. Additionally, better gear can also be unlocked by leveling up from experience points earned playing in either side. Even armed as they are, divers are relatively weak and have poorer sight compared to sharks so sticking together and working as a team is crucial to keeping them at bay seeing S.T.E.V.E. safely home. And in spite of the divers’ varying back stories and costumes, they’re all purely cosmetic.

When Sharks Attack

Sharks, on the other hand, have a choice between 6 different species: Great White, Tiger, Mako, Hammerhead, Thresher, and Bull. Each species has their own strengths and weaknesses. The Great White, for example, might not move as fast as the other species but is one of the strongest and toughest in the game while the Mako makes up for its small and fragile frame with speed and agility. Sharks can also activate species-specific abilities such as damage reduction for Great Whites and stealth for the Tiger shark. To give them more situational awareness, Sharks play in third-person view. They also earn evolution points instead of money whenever they kill a diver. Evolution points can be used to upgrade the shark’s special skill and make them more deadly. Like divers, better evolutions can be unlocked by leveling up.

Compared to the simple point-and-shoot combat of divers, playing as a shark is slightly more challenging. Aside from being outnumbered 2 to 1, they also lack long-range weaponry. Sharks need to wait for the right opportunity to dart in, snatch their prey, and escape before the other divers can lock their sights on them. In addition, snatched divers can still do damage with their knives and must be quickly killed by thrashing (quickly moving the mouse from side to side) or risk being turned into shark sushi. This makes escaping a much harder task than it ought to be because the longer you take to start thrashing, the more damage you take. The key to playing as Sharks is attacking at the same time as your teammate so you both have a higher chance of surviving.

The Hunt

Apart from Blood and Gold, Depth also features two other less-played game modes: Megalodon Hunt, and the recently added Hide and Seek. Players can join Megalodon Hunt matches by queuing for it through matchmaking, while Hide and Seek can only be played through Quick Match mode. Both game modes feature slight variations of the same mechanic. In Megalodon Hunt, one player takes on the role of a massive pre-historic shark called a Megalodon while the rest play as divers. The Megalodon’s goal is to kill as many divers as they can before they’re killed by a diver who then becomes the Megalodon and the process is repeated until time runs down. In Hide and Seek, one player starts off as a shark and must hunt down and kill the divers. When a diver is killed, he/she then becomes a shark. The match lasts until either all the divers or all the sharks are killed. Unfortunately, both game modes are rarely played, if they’re played at all.

Cash Shop

As far as fairness is concerned, it doesn’t get any fairer than Depth’s cash shop. The only thing that players can buy from the in-game store are cosmetic skins; no temporary buffs, boosts, and convenience items that typically flood the premium shops of MMO’s in every genre. Even buy-to-play ones. Personally, buy-to-play games shouldn’t even have a cash shop. But if it’s just for cosmetic items, why not.

Final Verdict – Good

Like I mentioned in previous reviews, I’m not too keen on games with a perk system based on how long I’ve been playing the game. It creates an imbalance where newbies are constantly owned because not only do veterans have more knowledge but they also have access better equipment/skills. That being said, Depth is a great casual game with a unique concept, that capitalizes on a very lucrative thriller niche that has so far only been tapped by the movie industry. The game offers fun fast-paced gameplay with intense moments, as well as virtually endless replayability. Overall, a good game to try if you’re looking to take a break from your usual character shooter.

Screenshots

Depth Screenshots

Videos

Depth Videos

Depth 'Bull Sh***' Trailer

System Requirements

Depth System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows Vista
CPU: Intel 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon 2.6 GHz (dual-core required)
Video Card: ATI Radeon 4870/5770/6770 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 260/460/550 T
RAM: 3 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows 7 or better
CPU: Intel Core i5-2300 or AMD Phenom II X4 940 or better
Video Card: ATI Radeon 7870/R9 270 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti/76
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB

Music

Depth Music & Soundtrack

Coming Soon!

Additional Info

Depth Additional Information

Developer(s): Digital Confectioners
Publisher(s): Digital Confectioners

Game Engine: Unreal Engine 3

Language(s): English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese-Brazil, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese

Public Beta: October 26, 2014
Release Date: November 3, 2014

Development History / Background:

Depth is developed and published by Digital Confectioners, a gaming company based in New Zealand. Digital Confectioners are known for their work in Tiny Brains and Thanatophobia. Depth was first released for public beta testing in October 26, 2014 before being fully released on Steam on November 3, 2014.